Colo Vale, New South Wales
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type = town
| name = Colo Vale
| image = Colo Vale Railway Station.jpg
| caption = Colo Vale Railway Station located on the Old Picton Loop Line
| region = Southern Highlands
| state = nsw
| coordinates = {{coord|34|24|S|150|29|E|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_label_position = right
| lga = Wingecarribee Shire
| parish = Colo
| county = Camden
| postcode = 2575
| est = 1837
| pop =
| elevation = 642
| stategov = Wollondilly
| fedgov = Hume
| near-n = Hill Top
| near-ne = Yerrinbool
| near-e = Alpine
| near-s = Braemar
| near-w = Nattai National Park
| dist1 = 125
| dir1 = South-West
| location1 = Sydney CBD
| dist2 = 10
| dir2 = N
| location2 = Mittagong
}}
Colo Vale ({{IPAc-en|'|k|Q|l|o:|_|v|ei|l}}) is a Northern Village of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. Colo Vale is approximately 100 km south west on the Hume Highway from Sydney.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/ColoValeNews/about/|title=Colo Vale News|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2019-03-02}} It is situated 2 km north-west of Aylmerton, 5 km from the Hume Highway and 12 km drive to Mittagong. The surrounding area is part of the Parish of Colo which includes the villages of Aylmerton, Willow Vale, Alpine and Yerrinbool. Colo Vale has a mixed-business general store and many home-based businesses, including hairdressers, small manufacturing businesses and a large native plant nursery (Wariapendi Nursery) and a Public School on Wattle Street. A large sporting oval is located adjacent to the school with tennis courts, a community hall and a Rural Fire Service station.
History
The village was formerly a station on the Main Southern Railway. During the early 1860s, increased settlement occurred due to the rich soil which derived from decomposing volcanic rock. St. Pauls Anglican Church which still stands today was built in 1884. This operates as a branch church of [http://www.mittang.com.au/ Mittagong Anglican Church.] The railway line was deviated in 1919 to a less steep alignment with easier grades and the original line became the Picton Loop line.{{Cite book|title=Picton-Mittagong loop-line railway|last=Alan.|first=Bayley, William|date=1974|publisher=Austrail Publications|isbn=0909597146|location=Bulli, N.S.W.|oclc=2137740}} Colo Vale railway station, though disused, has been restored and is in good condition. The word Colo is believed to be an Aboriginal word for "a hill formed by volcanic rock”. In 1837 when John Kiernan purchased some land where modern Colo Vale is, he called it Colo. This name became the official Parish name for the area.The first school was built in 1911. In 1923, Colo Vale was settled by English migrant poultry farmers. In 1954, Colo Vale had a population of 121 with 37 dwellings.{{Cite web|url=http://colovalecommunity.org.au/about/a-brief-history-of-colo-vale/|title=A Brief History of Colo Vale|website=Colo Vale Community Association|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-02}}
Population
In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, there were 1,618 people in Colo Vale. 83.9% of people were born in Australia and 90.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Anglican 25.0%, No Religion 24.7% and Catholic 23.4%.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC10985|name=Colo Vale |accessdate=11 July 2017|quick=on}} At the 2021 census, the population had increased to 1,775.{{Cite web |title=2021 Colo Vale, Census All persons QuickStats |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/SAL10985 |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}
References
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Photo gallery
File:Colo Vale Town Sign.jpg|{{center|Town Entry Sign, Wattle Street}}
File:Colo Vale Village Store.jpg|{{center|Village Store, Railway Street}}
File:Colo Vale Rural Fire Shed.jpg|{{center|Rural Fire Service Shed, Banksia Street}}
File:Colo Vale Memorial Hall.jpg|{{center|War Memorial Hall, Railway Street}}
File:Colo Vale Road Bridge.jpg|{{center|Road overbridge, closed}}
File:St Paul's Church Colo Vale.jpg|{{center|St Paul's Anglican Church, Church Ave}}
File:Colo Vale station 2.JPG|Colo Vale Heritage Train Station
{{Southern Highlands Villages / Towns}}
{{authority control}}