Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary .
64-572: Named after the jockey Scobie Breasley , Malone made his first appearance in Cleary's 1966 novel The High Commissioner . Cleary says he got the idea from meeting an Australian policeman he knew walking out of Australia House in London one day. He was on six months leave but Cleary wondered what if he had come to arrest the Australian High Commissioner for murder. Although the original novel
128-560: A Charles Sturt University campus. In the 2021 census , there were 57,003 people in the Wagga Wagga Urban Area. Wagga is home to approximately 39% of Australia's Yazidi population. Wagga Wagga falls within the boundary of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn . Anglican parishes include St John's, Wagga Wagga (Church St); St Paul's, Turvey Park (Fernleigh Rd); St Alban's, Kooringal (Lake Albert Rd); Community of
192-594: A sewerage scheme and by 1914 most of the main streets were sewered. A free public library was opened in 1875 and the council began to establish parklands such as Bolton Park and the Town Hall Gardens. In September 1859 local residents formed a committee for the construction of a pile bridge over the Murrumbidgee River. After the New South Wales Government refused to support this type of bridge
256-530: A temperate climate with hot dry summers and cool to cold winters. Under the Köppen climate classification , the city has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), with a semi-arid influence due to its vegetation. At a latitude of 35 degrees (altitude of 212 metres), Wagga Wagga has four distinct seasons. Winters can be cold by Australian standards. The mean maximum temperature falls in July to 12.7 °C (54.9 °F) and
320-603: A few days earlier. Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga ( / ˌ w ɒ ɡ ə ˈ w ɒ ɡ ə / ; informally called Wagga ) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales , Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River , with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia. The ninth largest inland city in Australia, Wagga Wagga
384-412: A gold (yellow) mural crown on a knight's helmet. Inside the mural crown are a yellow caduceus with black wings, and eight gum leaves arranged as two letters W. Both the supporters are crows, each with a gold (yellow) collar in the shape of the letter W. The base of the coat of arms is grassy with a river in between, indicating that Wagga Wagga is built on both sides of the river. Crows are considered
448-535: A mean minimum of 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The lowest temperature recorded at Wagga was −6.3 °C (20.7 °F) on 21 August 1982. The lowest maximum temperature did not surpass 3.4 °C (38.1 °F) on 16 July 1966. Fog and heavy frosts are common in the winter while snow is a very rare occurrence. Summers in Wagga Wagga are warm to hot, with mean maximum temperatures ranging between 29 and 32 °C (84 and 90 °F). The hottest temperature on record
512-443: A population in 1921 of 11,631. Much of this residential growth was housed in the higher ground to the south, extending to the south of the railway tracks. A suburb consisting of tents and crude huts, known as "Tent Town", developed along the river providing housing for the poorer residents of Wagga Wagga. In 1922, electricity was provided for the town, with hydro-electric power available from Burrinjuck Dam from 1928. Hardship as
576-542: A potboiler." Cleary admits that sales of the last few Malone books declined and he decided to end the series before his publishers did. He also felt he was running creatively dry. "When I found myself making notes on a serial killer, I knew that I'd got to the bottom of the barrel because that's the cliche in crime writing today", he said in 2004. Cleary once stated that, "There's more than a bit of me in Scobie. We both come from fighting Irish stock, we're both from Erskineville ,
640-413: A problem with waterlogged soil and soil salination . Urban salination in Wagga Wagga is now the subject of a large multi-pronged approach to prevent further salination and reclaim salt-affected areas. The location of Wagga Wagga's Central business district was already well established by the late 1800s and remains focused around the commercial and recreational grid bounded by Best and Tarcutta Streets and
704-506: A region extending as far as Griffith to the west, Cootamundra to the north and Tumut to the east. Wagga Wagga is upstream from the Riverina plain in the mid-catchment range of the Murrumbidgee River in an alluvial valley confined by low bedrock hills. Much of Wagga Wagga is on heavy clay soils in a large drainage basin with a small catchment discharge point. Groundwater therefore cannot leave easily, leading to Wagga Wagga having
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#1732877114698768-580: A result of the Great Depression , and the election of Jack Lang of the Labor party as Premier of New South Wales , sparked the formation of the "Riverina Movement". Throughout the Riverina in early 1931, a series of rallies were organised by the movement, culminating in a great meeting in Wagga Wagga on 28 February 1931. The meeting called on the State and Federal governments to alleviate the concerns of producers in
832-502: A role it maintains to this day. RAAF Base Wagga at Forest Hill also expanded, with training of defence force aircraft technicians there from 1969. After a series of major floods in the early 1950s, the City Council protected the city area on the south flood plain through construction of a levee , completed in 1962. The levee was designed to provide protection from floods at levels expected once every one hundred years. North Wagga Wagga
896-445: A significant contribution as storekeeper, scrub clearers and in other occupations. As observed in 1879: “Chinamen seem to pervade everywhere. It is evident that the yellow agony doesn't annoy the good folks of Wagga Wagga much. Chinese cooks, Chinese "boots" Chinese labourers, Chinese servants are everywhere." "Most of the "ringing" on the surrounding runs and selections is in the hands of Chinamen, who, be it noted, have so far advanced in
960-502: A symbol of the city of Wagga Wagga, appearing in the council's logo, coat of arms, and throughout branding of local businesses, as well as in public artwork. This is due to the debated interpretation of 'Wagga Wagga' being derived from a Wiradjuri language term meaning 'place of many crows'. Since 2019, the Wagga Wagga City Council has recognised this meaning as incorrect, instead adopting "many dances and celebrations", which
1024-854: Is based on the Sturt Highway, and is a supplier of dairy products in the Riverina, Other major industries include Cargill and Heinz , which are in the suburb of Bomen . The Australian Army base at Kapooka includes the Army Recruit Training Centre , where general enlistment members of the Australian Army undertake their initial training. The barracks at Kapooka are named after World War II military commander Sir Thomas Blamey , born at Lake Albert Wagga Wagga and Australia's only Field Marshal . Following recruit training, soldiers move on to take specific training at training establishments throughout Australia. The soldiers club at Kapooka
1088-561: Is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—; Sydney and Melbourne —and is the major regional centre for the Riverina and South West Slopes regions. The central business district is focused around the commercial and recreational grid bounded by Best and Tarcutta Streets and the Murrumbidgee River and the Sturt Highway . The main shopping street of Wagga is Baylis Street which becomes Fitzmaurice Street at
1152-528: Is named for John Hurst Edmondson , Australia's first Victoria Cross winner in World War II, who was born in Wagga Wagga. There is a separate Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base at Forest Hill , RAAF Base Wagga , which is the administration and logistics training base for Air Force personnel and the tri-service (RAN/Army/RAAF) electronic (White hander) and aircraft (Black hander) trades school. Some Royal Australian Navy Aircraft Technicians assigned to
1216-635: The Murrumbidgee River , one of the great rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin , and the city centre is on the southern bank, protected by a levee from potential flooding. Wagga sits halfway between the largest cities in Australia, being 452 kilometres southwest of Sydney and 456 kilometres northeast of Melbourne with the Sydney–Melbourne railway line passing through. The Sturt Highway , part of Australia's National Highway network, passes through Wagga on its way from Adelaide to its junction with
1280-646: The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe once. Breasley was born in 1914 in Wagga Wagga , New South Wales and was christened Arthur Edward, but while still very young was given the nickname "Scobie", after the famous Australian trainer and jockey James Scobie . Breasley rode 3,251 winners during his career, including over 1,000 in Australia and 2,161 in Britain . He rode over 100 winners in Great Britain every year from 1955 to 1964, and
1344-638: The Victoria Cross for his actions in the Battle of the Hindenburg Line in 1918. The march finished at Campbelltown with over 220 recruits. After the war some of the area around Wagga Wagga was designated for settlement by returned soldiers , who faced insurmountable difficulties due to poor and unwatered land, lack of farming experience and lack of access to markets. Many walked off the land after years of backbreaking work. Residential growth continued with
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#17328771146981408-535: The Wiradjuri people and the word wagga in the Wiradjuri language was thought to mean ' crow ', so wagga wagga could be taken to mean 'the place of many crows'. Other interpretations had wagga to mean 'reeling' (a sick man or a dizzy man); 'to dance, slide or grind'. In August 2019, the City of Wagga Wagga dropped the definition 'crow' and adopted the city's Aboriginal meaning as 'dance and celebrations'. The new meaning
1472-421: The early 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave , in which Wagga Wagga recorded 13 consecutive days over 38 °C (100 °F). Wagga Wagga has a mean annual rainfall of 571.5 millimetres (22.50 in) per year. This rainfall is distributed fairly equally over the 12 months, with a slight peak in winter and spring. On 8 March 2010, Wagga Wagga Airport recorded 110.2 mm (4.34 in) of rain. This broke
1536-482: The 1860s most goods were transported to markets by bullock wagon . For a short time, the arrival of faster, cheaper and more reliable riverboats allowed goods to be transported more easily to export markets. The riverboat era ended when the New South Wales government extended the railway line to North Wagga Wagga in 1878 and across the river to Wagga Wagga itself in 1881. As in most rural towns Chinese people made
1600-462: The College amalgamated with the College of Advanced Education at Bathurst to become Charles Sturt University . In 1981, the New South Wales government forced the amalgamation of Wagga Wagga City Council with neighbouring Kyeamba Shire and Mitchell Shire to form the new City of Wagga Wagga local government area , containing 4,886 square kilometres. In February 1993, Wagga Wagga was the first city in
1664-415: The Murrumbidgee River and the Sturt Highway. The main shopping street of Wagga Wagga is Baylis Street which becomes Fitzmaurice Street at the northern end. The Wollundry Lagoon is the water focus of the city centre and has been a key element in the development and separation of the north (older) and south (newer) parts of the city centre. Most residential growth in Wagga Wagga has been on the higher ground to
1728-522: The Redeemer, Ashmont (Blakemore Ave). Wagga Wagga is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese , with its principal church being St Michael's Cathedral. Wagga attracts people from all over the Riverina and southwestern New South Wales to its shopping facilities. It is the major support city for over 200,000 people who live across the region. Wagga's shopping centres include two notable centres of metropolitan standards, Wagga Wagga Marketplace and Sturt Mall in
1792-509: The Sturt Mall in 1979. The City Council developed a series of industrial areas including areas for service and general industries, and agricultural processing and noxious industries were established in a new industrial estate in Bomen . In the 1950s the defence bases in Wagga Wagga again became an important part of the city. The Army camp at Kapooka was reopened as a recruit training centre from 1951,
1856-502: The area and included a crude blacksmith 's shop, a hotel , and a post office. By 1849 the town was marked out by surveyor Thomas Scott Townsend and formally gazetted as a village. Wagga Wagga grew quickly, reaching a population of 627 in 1861 and during that decade a number of hotels and stores opened, as well as professional services in the form of banks, solicitors, doctors and dentists. The Wagga Wagga Advertiser (today's Daily Advertiser ) commenced publication in 1868. Until
1920-1008: The central business district, and suburban shopping centres such as the South City Shopping Centre in Glenfield Park , the Lake Village Shopping Centre, Lake Albert , the Tolland Shopping Centre and Kooringal Mall in Kooringal . Wagga has a large HomeBase store located on the Sturt Highway . Wagga's central business district, with both Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets and other surrounding streets, offers hundreds of speciality retailers including national chains such as Big W , Myer and Kmart . Target Country closed its store on Baylis Street in March 2021. The dairy company Fonterra (formerly Murrumbidgee Dairy Products ),
1984-462: The characteristics of a garrison town. After the war, Wagga Wagga grew steadily and was proclaimed a city on 17 April 1946. Suburbs such as Turvey Park and Kooringal were developed to the south of the city and in the 1960s, residential growth expanded to cover areas such as Tolland and Lake Albert . The main commercial district also moved south to the Baylis Street end with the development of
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2048-408: The civilisation of the west as to understand fully the advantage of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. Chinese cheap labour is unknown here. The Celestial business establishments seem well patronised by Europeans as well as by their compatriots." On 15 March 1870, Wagga Wagga was incorporated as a municipality and George Forsyth was chosen as the first mayor of Wagga Wagga. Gas lighting
2112-554: The committee decided to finance it themselves. The bridge was completed in October 1862 and opened on 27 October at just over 91 metres long and 7 metres wide. In 1884 the New South Wales Government purchased the bridge and it was demolished in 1895. In 1895 a truss bridge called the Hampden Bridge , was built across the Murrumbidgee River at Wagga. The bridge served the Wagga Wagga community for over 100 years until 16 August 2006 when it
2176-468: The district on 15 November 1879 and held up 39 people at Wantabadgery Station . Moonlite and his gang escaped a police pursuit only to be captured at another nearby property when police from the neighbouring townships of Gundagai and Adelong arrived. Along with most of the Riverina region, the majority of Wagga Wagga residents supported the federation of the Australian colonies, in large part due to
2240-470: The district or hold a referendum to determine if the Riverina should secede . The movement petered out following the dismissal of Lang in 1932 and the recovery of the regional economy. The outbreak of World War II saw Royal Australian Air Force bases established at Forest Hill in 1940 and Uranquinty in 1941. A major Australian Army camp was constructed at Kapooka in 1942 and one year later there were 8,000 troops in training there with Wagga taking on
2304-421: The end of his writing career. Cleary and his wife used to travel two months every year to research his books. However, after Cleary's daughter died in 1987, his wife became ill and did not want to travel. As Cleary liked to research his books thoroughly this meant he had to write about Australia. I wondered how if I were to write about Australia would I keep my overseas readers. I'd written three Malone tales but
2368-660: The fourth nipple I thought "that's not my Scobie"", said Cleary. In 1997 Peter Yeldham adapted Dark Summer for a proposed telemovie but this was never made. Cleary thought Rachel Blake would have made the perfect Lisa. Scobie Breasley Arthur Edward " Scobie " Breasley (7 May 1914 – 21 December 2006) was an Australian jockey . He won the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne five times: 1942-45 consecutively on Tranquil Star , Skipton, Counsel and St Fairy; then on Peshawar in 1952. He also won The Derby twice, and
2432-458: The future site of the city. Squatters arrived soon after. The town, positioned on the site of a ford across the Murrumbidgee, was surveyed and gazetted as a village in 1849 and the town grew quickly after. In 1870, the town was gazetted as a municipality. During the negotiations leading to the federation of the Australian colonies, Wagga Wagga was a contender for the site of the capital for
2496-590: The main Sydney–Melbourne route, the Hume Highway , a further 45 kilometres east. This location astride some of Australia's major transport routes has made Wagga Wagga an important heavy truck depot for a number of companies, including Toll Group . Wagga Wagga itself is the major regional centre for the Riverina and for much of the South West Slopes regions, providing education, health and other services to
2560-483: The new nation. During World War I, the town was the starting point for the Kangaroo recruitment march . The Great Depression and the resulting hardship saw Wagga Wagga become the centre of a secession movement for the Riverina region. Wagga Wagga became a garrison town during World War II with the establishment of a military base at Kapooka and Royal Australian Air Force bases at Forest Hill and Uranquinty . After
2624-539: The northern end. Wagga is accessible from Sydney via the Sturt and Hume Highways , Adelaide via the Sturt Highway and Albury and Melbourne via the Olympic Highway and Hume Highway . Wagga is in an alluvial valley and much of the city has a problem with urban salinity . The original inhabitants of the Wagga Wagga region were the Wiradjuri people. In 1829, Charles Sturt became the first European explorer to visit
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2688-417: The previous all-time record of 104.1 mm (4.10 in) set on 16 March 1966, with 127 mm (5.0 in) of rain recorded at Gurwood Street in the city's CBD. In December 2010, the city recorded its wettest year on record and the first yearly rainfall recording of 1,000 mm (39 in). The original inhabitants of the Wagga Wagga region, who maintain a relationship with the area to this day, are
2752-404: The prospect of free trade across colonial borders. In 1898, a group of residents promoted Wagga Wagga for consideration as the site of the future national capital due to its location equidistant from Sydney and Melbourne and its ample water supply. Despite the bid's lack of success, in the 1899 referendum Wagga Wagga residents voted strongly in favour of federation. During World War I the town
2816-678: The saddle, for refusing to race wide, and for his sparing use of the whip, preferring to use hands and heels. Breasley retired as a jockey in 1968 and took up training in Epsom (UK), France, the United States, and Barbados , where he and his wife owned a holiday home. He retired from training horses after winning the most prestigious race in Barbados - the Gold Cup - on four occasions in the early 1990s and returned to live in Melbourne . Racing authorities in
2880-433: The shield of the city's coat of arms. The upper quarter of the shield contains eight stalks of wheat positioned to form two capital letters W on a vert (green) field. The lower quarter of the upper half of the flag contains a wavy blue line on gold (yellow) representing the river winding through the wheat fields. The lower half of the flag contains the head of a ram positioned centrally on a vert (green) field. The crest has
2944-416: The south bank. Other settlers followed, all squatting illegally, but by 1836 the colonial government regulated the tenure of land and established a licensing scheme. Within a few years settlers' numbers increased greatly and before 1850 a local bench of magistrates and a place for holding petty sessions was established. The beginnings of a village formed near the ford used by most traffic passing through
3008-450: The south of the city centre, with the only residential areas north of the Murrumbidgee being the flood prone suburb of North Wagga Wagga and the university suburb of Estella . Major industrial areas of Wagga Wagga include the northern suburb of Bomen and the eastern suburb of East Wagga Wagga . Thomas Mitchell , the surveyor who served under Lord Wellington , named many of the streets after Peninsular War veterans. Wagga Wagga has
3072-563: The state of Victoria struck a medal in his honour, awarded annually since 1996 to the best jockey in the state. On its formation, Scobie Breasley was the first person inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame . In 1999, the Racing Post ranked Breasley as tenth in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century. Scobie Breasley died on 21 December 2006 after suffering a stroke
3136-405: The urban area of Wagga Wagga was home to 57,003 people. Wagga had grown, on average, 0.65 percent year-on-year during the previous five years. Much of this growth is attributable to the "sponge city" phenomenon as Wagga Wagga attracts residents from smaller towns in the region such as Urana . Other factors include Wagga's role as a regional centre and its hosting of major defence establishments and
3200-480: The war, Wagga Wagga was proclaimed as a city in 1946 and new suburbs were developed to the south of the city. In 1982, the city was amalgamated with the neighbouring Kyeamba and Mitchell Shires to form the City of Wagga Wagga local government area . Wagga Wagga is at the eastern end of the Riverina region where the slopes of the Great Dividing Range flatten and form the Riverina plain. Wagga straddles
3264-410: The world to be proclaimed as a Rotary Peace City, with a Rotary Peace Monument unveiled on the corner of The Esplanade and Best Street. Wagga Wagga has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: The Wagga Wagga city flag was designed by H Ellis Tomlinson and adopted in 1965. Wagga Wagga City Council holds the copyright to Tomlinson's design. The flag is officially square and takes its design from
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#17328771146983328-565: The wrong side of the tracks, and both of us slugged our way up." Malone was a Catholic family man with rigid principles who mostly worked in Sydney, although his adventures occasionally took him overseas. Malone was described in The High Commissioner as: Tall, six feet. His face was too bony to be handsome, but [Inspector] Leeds guessed women would find the eyes attractive: they were dark, almost Latin, and they were friendly. The mouth, too,
3392-468: Was Champion Jockey in 1957 and continuously from 1961–63. He won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for the only time on Ballymoss in 1958, and the Derby for the first time at the age of 50 on Santa Claus in 1964, then again on Charlottown in 1966, aged 52. He developed a great rivalry with Sir Gordon Richards , and later with the younger jockey Lester Piggott . He was renowned for his exquisite balance in
3456-436: Was 46.1 °C (115.0 °F) on 4 January 2020. Relative humidity is low in the summer months with a 3 pm average of around 30%. Wagga Wagga has 124.3 clear days annually. In 2009 the city recorded an anomalous maximum of 25.03 °C (77.05 °F), which was 2.33 °C (4.19 °F) above the country's average of 22.7 °C (72.9 °F) and the highest anomalous maximum in Australia for 2009. This preceded
3520-471: Was a best seller and turned into a film, Cleary did not originally intend to create a series around Malone. However, he brought the character back later for Helga's Web (1970) as a means to explore the construction of the Sydney Opera House , then for Ransom (1973). There was a long gap before he started using the detective again, but once he did he wrote Malone novels regularly from 1987 onwards until
3584-556: Was closed and fenced off to the public due to the bridge being declared a safety risk after one of the trusses failed. In 2014 the Hampden Bridge was demolished. With its increasing prosperity and population, Wagga Wagga and the surrounding district became a place of interest to several infamous bushrangers . The Wagga police magistrate Henry Baylis was bailed up by Mad Dog Morgan in 1863. Captain Moonlite and his band arrived in
3648-466: Was friendly. Malone gave the impression of being easy-going, but there was a competence about him that had marked him for promotion from his first days in the force. In the same novel it is mentioned that Scobie once played a game for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield as a bowler and was "belted... all over the field". Regular characters in the series included: A noted feature of the books
3712-554: Was initially excluded from protection however by 1982 another levee was constructed to protect the village, although at a lower standard. In 1971, following pressure from the Wagga Wagga community for a university, the teachers' college established in 1947 became the Riverina College of Advanced Education and was relocated to a site adjacent to the Wagga Agricultural College, with which it amalgamated in 1975. In 1989,
3776-474: Was installed throughout the streets of Wagga Wagga in 1881, although once again North Wagga Wagga was neglected. By 1885, a town waterworks and reservoir was established although water quality remained a problem. Poor sanitation caused a horrific stench in the town and was blamed for a large increase in infectious diseases such as typhoid fever in the 1890s and early 1900s. In 1908 the council approved
3840-590: Was officially enshrined in the city's first Reconciliation Action Plan. European exploration of the future site of Wagga Wagga began in 1829 with the arrival of Captain Charles Sturt during his expedition along the Murrumbidgee River. Settlers arrived shortly thereafter with Charles Tompson establishing the Eunonyhareenyha 'run' in 1832 on the north bank of the river, and also in 1832 the Wagga Wagga 'run' established by Robert Holt Best (died September 1853), on
3904-405: Was resisting publishers' urging to write more because I didn't want to get trapped by it. Then I realised I could use him by hanging it on crime, which immediately intrigued the international market, and write about what it was like living in Sydney in the late 80s and through the 90s. "I'm trying to write something more than detective novels", said Cleary in 1989. "I am offended if my book is called
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#17328771146983968-437: Was starting them with a striking opening sentence. There have been two feature film adaptations of Malone novels. Cleary was dissatisfied with both. He did not do the adaptation of Nobody Runs Forever (1968), which he thought "had no sense of humour at all" and lacked reality. He wrote a script for Helga's Web which was not used in the film that was eventually titled Scobie Malone (1975). "When I saw Scobie nibbling on
4032-418: Was supported by Wiradjuri elder Stan Grant . Crows remain a ubiquitous civic symbol of Wagga Wagga. Both the council and ABC Riverina have promoted the use of the barking marsh frog as an alternative animal emblem for the city, originally suggested by Canberra resident Dec Browne. Wagga Wagga is the major city of the Riverina and the second largest inland city in New South Wales after Maitland, In 2021
4096-518: Was the starting point of the "Kangaroo March", one of a series of snowball marches conducted in New South Wales during the war in which groups of recruits marched towards Sydney and appealed to men in the towns along the route to join them and enlist in the Australian Imperial Force . 88 recruits left Wagga Wagga on 1 December 1915, farewelled by a large crowd and to the accompaniment of a band. The marchers included John Ryan , who later won
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