Tabulam

The name Tabulam is derived from Bundjalung Dahbalam.{{cite book |last=Sharpe |first=Margaret |chapter=Bundjalung |title=Macquarie Aboriginal Words |location=Sydney |publisher=Macquarie Library |page=21}}

Originally, Tabulam and the surrounding farm and bushland were inhabited by Bundjalung people of which many still inhabit the town and surrounding area.

British colonisation of the land first occurred in 1840 when pastoral squatters Peter Cunningham Pagan and his brother-in-law William Tucker Evans chose the site for a sheep station. The forced displacement of the local Bundjalung from their lands led to a period of frontier conflict. On 24 April 1841, Pagan was speared through the heart from the other side of the river, by a Wahlabul Tribe warrior who had waited in ambush, after a failed attempt by Pagan to shoot a group of Bundjalung people who had taken items from his homestead shack.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71012385 |title=In Memoriam. |newspaper=Australian Town and Country Journal |volume=XXIX |issue=750 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=24 May 1884 |accessdate=12 October 2018 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}} The killing of this well-known pastoralist prompted a lengthy series of reprisals against the local Bundjalung clans led by Henry Oakes, the regional crown lands commissioner. With his Border Police troopers and several armed volunteers including local squatters Edward Ogilvie and John Mylne, Oakes set out on a three-stage punitive expedition which resulted in the killing of at least 15 Bundjalung people and the destruction of five Aboriginal camp-sites. During these raids Ogilvie and Oakes also kidnapped six children.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28651627 |title=DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. |newspaper=The Sydney Herald |volume=XII |issue=1291 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 July 1841 |accessdate=12 October 2018 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} Conflict in the upper reaches of the Clarence River continued up until at least the late 1860s; but around Tabulam was not an issue of serious consequence after the arrival of the Chauvels in 1848. The Chauvels and the Wahlabul people of the Bundjalung Nation lived in harmony, and Harry Chauvel of Light Horse fame in WWI was mentored by the tribe's future King, Harry Mundine, all his young life. Mundine taught the Chauvel boys to love and respect the lands and all creatures upon it ; how to read the rugged lands and to negotiate them safely. Harry and his siblings spoke the Wahlabul dialect and became great horsemen under Mundine's mentoring around 'Tabulam Station' and on the long journeys to school (they had to ride to the coast with Mundine, camping along the way for two nights, as they made their way to catch the steamboat from Grafton to Sydney to get to school - Primary School in Goulburn was followed by Secondary Schooling at Sydney Grammar, then Toowoomba Grammar). Learning Aboriginal folk lore and laws was part of those journeys.

Tabulam is the birthplace in 1865 of Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel of the Australian Light Horse.{{cite web|title=Tabulam|url=http://www.tropicalnsw.com.au/aaa_site/places/towns/tabulam.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010419015342/http://www.tropicalnsw.com.au/aaa_site/places/towns/tabulam.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 April 2001|publisher=Travel Promote|accessdate=2 November 2006}}

During World War II, tank traps were built in the area near Paddys Flat, to repel a potential armoured attack.{{cite web|last=Dunn|first=Peter|title=TANK TRAPS NEAR TENTERFIELD, NSW DURING WW2|url=http://www.ozatwar.com/locations/tanktrapstenterfield.htm|work=www.ozatwar.com|accessdate=20 May 2013}} More of the tank traps became visible after flooding of the Clarence River in 2011.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Tabulam (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1970–present)

| Jan record high C = 39.8

| Feb record high C = 39.7

| Mar record high C = 37.3

| Apr record high C = 31.1

| May record high C = 28.4

| Jun record high C = 25.3

| Jul record high C = 24.2

| Aug record high C = 32.2

| Sep record high C = 34.9

| Oct record high C = 37.0

| Nov record high C = 39.2

| Dec record high C = 38.3

| year record high C = 39.8

| Jan high C = 27.8

| Feb high C = 26.5

| Mar high C = 25.0

| Apr high C = 22.5

| May high C = 19.4

| Jun high C = 16.9

| Jul high C = 16.9

| Aug high C = 18.8

| Sep high C = 22.3

| Oct high C = 24.4

| Nov high C = 26.1

| Dec high C = 27.2

| year high C = 22.8

| Jan mean C = 22.6

| Feb mean C = 21.9

| Mar mean C = 20.5

| Apr mean C = 18.0

| May mean C = 15.1

| Jun mean C = 12.7

| Jul mean C = 12.3

| Aug mean C = 13.6

| Sep mean C = 16.6

| Oct mean C = 18.6

| Nov mean C = 20.4

| Dec mean C = 21.7

| year mean C = 17.8

| Jan low C = 17.4

| Feb low C = 17.2

| Mar low C = 16.0

| Apr low C = 13.6

| May low C = 10.8

| Jun low C = 8.5

| Jul low C = 7.6

| Aug low C = 8.3

| Sep low C = 10.9

| Oct low C = 12.8

| Nov low C = 14.7

| Dec low C = 16.3

| year low C = 12.8

| Jan record low C = 11.6

| Feb record low C = 10.4

| Mar record low C = 8.6

| Apr record low C = 5.2

| May record low C = 1.4

| Jun record low C = 0.2

| Jul record low C = 0.0

| Aug record low C = 0.0

| Sep record low C = 2.3

| Oct record low C = 3.5

| Nov record low C = 5.5

| Dec record low C = 6.8

| year record low C = 0.0

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 178.4

| Feb precipitation mm = 179.6

| Mar precipitation mm = 156.5

| Apr precipitation mm = 69.7

| May precipitation mm = 82.7

| Jun precipitation mm = 63.7

| Jul precipitation mm = 34.5

| Aug precipitation mm = 40.5

| Sep precipitation mm = 34.6

| Oct precipitation mm = 93.8

| Nov precipitation mm = 114.8

| Dec precipitation mm = 146.2

| year precipitation mm = 1194.9

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 12.6

| Feb precipitation days = 13.2

| Mar precipitation days = 13.7

| Apr precipitation days = 9.1

| May precipitation days = 7.9

| Jun precipitation days = 7.0

| Jul precipitation days = 5.5

| Aug precipitation days = 4.5

| Sep precipitation days = 5.2

| Oct precipitation days = 8.5

| Nov precipitation days = 9.8

| Dec precipitation days = 11.9

| year precipitation days = 108.9

| Jan dew point C = 17.7

| Feb dew point C = 17.8

| Mar dew point C = 16.6

| Apr dew point C = 14.0

| May dew point C = 10.6

| Jun dew point C = 8.3

| Jul dew point C = 6.7

| Aug dew point C = 6.7

| Sep dew point C = 9.5

| Oct dew point C = 12.1

| Nov dew point C = 14.4

| Dec dew point C = 16.2

| year dew point C = 12.6

| source 1 = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-5-WMO-Normals-9120/Australia/CSV/Tabulam_94587.csv

|title = Tabulam Climate Normals for 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|format = CSV

|access-date = 11 August 2024}}

| source 2 = Bureau of Meteorology{{Cite web

|title = Climate statistics for Australian locations

|publisher = Bureau of Meteorology

|access-date = 11 August 2024

|url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_057095_All.shtml}}

}}

Tabulam has a large Indigenous population with a number of Indigenous villages surrounding the local area. The main one being Jubullum Village which is the home to the Tabulum Turtle Divers rugby team. This village is located on the Rocky River and has around 130-150 people.{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/ILOC10201201?opendocument&navpos=220|title = 2011 Jubullum Village, Census Aboriginal and/Or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics}} Local cultural leaders and artists live in this village and a team of locals maintains the lawns and houses.

Tabulam has a number of recreational activities.

Tabulam Golf Course is located near the Clarence river at Tabulam.{{Cite web |url=http://www.tabulamgolfclub.com.au/ |title=Home |access-date=22 July 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404131107/http://www.tabulamgolfclub.com.au/ |url-status=dead }} It is a 9-hole bush-land course. The course is maintained by volunteers. It is open to the public.

Tabulam has an active CWA Branch who participates in many community events.https://www.facebook.com/CWA-Tabulam-Branch-1860660104154401/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}

Local Marketshttps://www.facebook.com/tabulamcommunitymarkets/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}} are held in Tabulam on the 2nd Sunday of each month, with an 'open mike' music, stalls with locally made products and produce. The September Market will be transforming into the Blueberry Festival, which was first held in May 2017 and Oct 2019. During the year 'special' themed markets have jumping castles, puppet shows and more for free for children.

Tabulam hosts an annual Spring Racing Carnival, occurring each year on the Saturday of the October long weekend. The Tabulam racecourse is managed by the Tabulam Jockey Club. The Tabulam Races are held at the local racetrack, located approximately 1 km south of the township, on the bank of the Clarence River. The 5 race carnival culminates with the Tabulam Cup, a 2220m race.https://web.archive.org/web/20091026192636/http://geocities.com/tabulamraces/ Tabluam Jockey Club

White-water rafting, camping, fishing, bushwalking and other nature activities are available at the town. A local company offers weekend or single day river adventures, with guides and the opportunity to spot a platypus or wedge-tailed eagle.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Tabulam, New South Wales}}
• [http://www.nrgeology.blogspot.com.au/search/label/tabulam Northern Rivers Geology - Tabulam]
• {{wikivoyage inline}}

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Category:Towns in New South Wales

Category:Kyogle Council