Welcome to Harden NSW, the twin town to Murrumburrah. Prior to 1880 Harden was formally known as North Murrumburrah. One question that many people ask is why this town is called Harden-Murrumburrah or Murrumburrah-Harden. In the words of the late Richard Littlejohn, A local historian;
“The town area has always been one Local Government Area. The split between the two ends of the town is purely artificial which was caused when the Post Master General named the Letter Receiving Office on the North Murrumburrah railway platform, Harden, and a line along Lucan Street as the dividing line for letter deliveries. From that time you lived in one or the other town.
Murrumburrah, the original settlement, had all the churches and civic offices but resented the railway station being placed two kilometre distant. Practically, Harden was the closest spot for a railway junction, having flat land. The grade at Murrumburrah was 1 in 40. Naturally cottages, hotels and shops were errected to serve the railway and its staff and a rift deepened between the sqatters and big businessmen of Murrumburrah and the railway men and small buisness of Harden.
So deep was the feeling that seperate clubs and organisations were set up in each end of the Municipality and with a total population of 2000, this was disastrous for the progress of the coummunity. At one stage the sporting teams even refused to play each other”.
For more information on Harden and the shire please click on the links below.
Reference: A Brief History of the Harden Murrumburrah District by Richard Littlejohn