[5] Somerton was established as the barracks for Commissioner Mayne and his contingent of Border Police troopers assigned to him to maintain order and consolidate British colonisation over the vast north western district.

[8] David Heugh, born 21 May 1890,[9] was an ambitious and optimistic young man, with consistent marketing of his wares published in local newspapers.

[10] On 31 December 1912, Heugh suffered a serious set-back in business, when his general store burnt out completely - which was found through a Coronial Inquiry to have occurred through no fault of his own.

The main purpose of the dam is to supply irrigation, stock and household needs in the Namoi Valley, although it is an extremely popular weekend destination for Tamworth and Gunnedah residents.

[17] The Gunnedah aquifer formation sits above the bedrock and contains coarse sands and gravel with particularly high hydraulic conductivity[18] - acting as the main conduit for groundwater west under the Liverpool Plains.