Snowing In Guyra!!

It was just two days ago the weather forecast was saying it is cold enough to snow but it wouldn't as it was too dry, not enough precipitation in the air for it to snow. Well that obviously changed overnight as Guyra is getting good snow coverage once again! Yay!!

Guyra is a small rural town situated between Armidale and Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales in Australia. It sits 1,330 meters above sea level and has a population of just under 2,000 people. I can honestly say I have never been to Guyra other than when is it snowing so I have never seen it any other way.

Pictured here is St Mary Of The Angel Catholic Church, we stopped in here as it had the best night lighting and it looked magical dusted in white. The church dates back to 1908 when the first foundation blocks were laid. In 1919 the Ursuline sisters accepted an invitation from the Bishop of Armidale (the next closest town), to go to the smaller town of Guyra. It was the sisters that named their convent St Augustine's and the primary school St Mary of the Angels.

In 1921 a small secondary school started which was the only secondary schooling available in Guyra but it was closed and reverted back into part of the primary school in 1958. The Ursuline community left Guyra in 1969 which saw the Sisters Of Mercy from Monte St Angelo of North Sydney come and continue the work of the Ursulines. The school still runs today with just 87 students, nice size if you ask me! While they now have new building facilities the church is still used by the school and local residents.

The church is built from a brick known as 'Armidale Blue'. These bricks are commonly seen in historical buildings throughout the district, especially churches in the Armidale area but they can be readily seen in other nearby towns to Armidale inclusing Guyra, Uralla, and Glen Innes. These are the great work of William Palmer who on a trip to Armidale became bogged in his wagon, it was while digging his wagon free that he recognized the suitable clay for brick making. He soon acquired 60 acres of land and established himself as a successful brick maker from 1867 producing his dark blue bricks named 'Armidale Blue'.

I've been saying it's cold all week and with Guyra getting falls like this proves just how cold it is. I hear Perisha and Thredbo (a 12 hour drive further south of Guyra) has had a one meter dusting. Up until just recently our winter has being reasonably mild, it would seem that it is here now!

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