TheLiverpool Plains are an extensive agricultural area covering about 12,000 km² (4,600 sq mi) of the north-western slopes ofNew South Wales inAustralia.

Theseplains are a region of prime agricultural land bounded to the east by theGreat Dividing Range, to the south by theLiverpool Range and on the west by theWarrumbungle Range. The area is drained by theNamoi River and its tributaries, theMooki River and thePeel River. There are many depressions, across the plains, which remain as lakes for long periods after heavy rain. These plains are unusual in that many steep hills arise suddenly from the plains.

Towns in the Liverpool Plains includeGunnedah,Narrabri,Quirindi,Werris Creek andTamworth. Smaller villages includeBreeza,Carroll,Mullaley andWillow Tree.

Most of the region nowadays comes under the jurisdiction ofLiverpool Plains Shire Council. However substantial parts of the region also form part of theGunnedah andTamworthlocal government areas.

The Liverpool Plains were initially inhabited by Australian Aboriginal people. In the 19th century they were mostlyGamilaraay. English surveyor generalJohn Oxley was the first European to visit the area while exploring theMacquarie River area in 1818. The Plains were subsequently named afterRobert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, thePrime Minister of the United Kingdom.^[1]Nowlands Gap, a pass over theLiverpool Range, was discovered byWilliam Nowland and has been described as the gateway to the Liverpool Plains. In the early 1830s,Henry Dangar surveyed and explored the area and made land claims in the name of theAustralian Agricultural Company. In 1838, 28–30 Aboriginal Australians were murdered by a group of convicts; seven men were convicted of the "Liverpool Plains Massacre" (also referred to as theMyall Creek massacre) and hanged.^[2][3]

During the 1860sCaptain Thunderbolt (Fred Ward) and two accomplices robbed inns and mail-coaches in the Liverpool Plains district.^[4]

The Liverpool Plains is ranked the fourth best soil type in the world. The Liverpool Plains area is typical of temperate woodland regions in south-east Australia. It has an elevation of approximately 270 metresabove sea level.^[5] Most of the 620 mm of rainfall the area experiences each year is high intensity and occurs in the warmer months, from October through March.^[5] Rivers run from theLiverpool Ranges in the south-east to theNamoi River valley in the north-east, where elevation falls to 264 metres above sea level. Soils in the area are distinctly black, have a high fertility rating and store a lot of water.^[5] They are well suited to growing winter crops such as wheat, but at risk of erosion when cultivated.

Agricultural settlement of the Liverpool Plains started in the late 1820s after the pass was discovered and since then it has been one of the prime agricultural regions of New South Wales. The major land uses of the Liverpool Plains are cropping andgrazing. The main crops includebarley,chickpeas,mungbeans,faba beans,sorghum,sunflowers,soybeans,maize,wheat andcotton while grazing comprisesbeef cattle andsheep mainly for prime lambs. The more fertile alluvial soils (native grassland and poplar box country) have been cleared, while larger areas of remnant vegetation (ironbark and Callitris pine) remain on poorer sandy and ridgetop soils.

• Agriculture in Australia

Bibliography

• Cameron, John I.; Green, Margaret (1991). "Chapter 2: Case Study 1: Cropping on the Northern Slopes of New South Wales". In Cameron, John I.; Elix, Jane A. (eds.).Recovering Ground: A Case Study Approach to Ecologically Sustainable Rural Land Management. Melbourne: Australian Conservation Foundation. pp. 30–58.ISBN 0-85802-092-0.

• 68 Threatened Species found in the Liverpool Plains

30°23′05″S149°20′43″E / 30.38472°S 149.34528°E /-30.38472; 149.34528

• Regions of New South Wales
• Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
• Plains of Australia

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• Coordinates on Wikidata