Denman has been the setting for several movies and television programs including:

"The Shiralee" filmed in the early 1950's.

A Disney film "Born to Run" was filmed in Denman's main street and surrounding district in 1976 with many locals filling the roles of extras.

An episode of  G.P. (top rated ABC program) was filmed
in Denman's main street in 1996.

A film called  "A Fist Full of Flies"  was filmed in
Denman around 1995.

 

Denman's average maximum temperature is 28° in Summer and 16° in Winter. The average rainfall is 635mm per annum.

History Of Denman

Prior to European settlement the Denman area was inhabited by aboriginal people who roamed freely across the river flats and through the lightly timbered hill country. Most of the original tribe died out by the 1860's.

The first European settlement in the Denman district was Merton, located east of the present Denman township on the opposite side of the river.

Merton was the name given by William Ogilvie to his original grant of 2000 acres, received in 1825, on his arrival in New South Wales from England. Merton was named after the family home in Surrey, England. Due to its isolation, Merton grew to be self-sufficient and with William Ogilvie becoming a Magistrate in 1825, became the centre of justice of the district.

The headquarters for Police moved to Muswellbrook in 1837. In 1841 Merton still had a Police force of eight and a population of 137.

The population gradually moved closer to the river and eventually crossed the Hunter River.

On 21 October 1853 Merton Village Reserve was gazetted. The name was changed to Denman in honour of Lord Denman. Lord Denman later became the 5th Governor General of Australia from 1911 to 1914.

Continued flooding caused the population to move to its present site. Flooding was still a problem until a levee bank was established in 1988.