East Gresford, New South Wales


East Gresford is a village in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia in Dungog Shire. The village is located north of Sydney and the nearest major centres are Singleton some southwest and Maitland to the south. In the, it had a population of 289.

History

The traditional owners of the area are the Gringai clan of the Wonnarua people, a group of Indigenous Australians.
The town is probably named for Gresford in Wales.

Location

There are actually two small villages with the name 'Gresford'. There is Gresford on the Singleton side and East Gresford on the Maitland side. It appears that Gresford is the original township, as it is older and the location of the school and local Anglican church. But East Gresford is much larger and has the main shopping area. It is also home to the Gresford Scorpions Soccer Club.
The Gresford & District Community Group produces the Gresford News, a monthly four colour production which reports on activities in the district. It has a circulation of 800. The Community Group is also responsible for the creation of an arboretum featuring endangered and local native trees. Now in its third year of development there is increasing interest by groups to visit and learn about these important shrubs and trees.
East Gresford is close to the Barrington Tops National Park, which includes the highest peak in the Hunter Valley and is a World Heritage site. It also snows in the area each winter.
In 2020 the annual Gresford Show was held in March. The highly successful Gresford Billycart Derby is held on Easter Saturday. However, the 2020 event has been cancelled due to the restrictions on public movements following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
More information and updates on activities can also be obtained from the monthly publication of the Gresford News which is also available on-line.

Climate

The areas surrounding East Gresford have a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cool drier winters, similar to the Greater Western Sydney region.