Urana, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Urana
state = nsw


caption = Memorial Hall, Urana.
lga = Urana Shire Council
postcode = 2645
pop = 340 [Census 2001 AUS|id=UCL178200|name=Urana (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=2007-06-30|quick=on]
est =
elevation= 125.0
maxtemp = 23.6
mintemp = 9.6
rainfall = 442.2
county = Urana
stategov = Murrumbidgee
fedgov = Farrer
dist1 = 561
location1= Sydney
dist2 = 366
location2=Melbourne
dist3 = 111
location3=Wagga Wagga
dist4 = 125
location4=Albury, New South Wales

Urana is a small town and Local government area (see Urana Shire Council) in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.

Urana is located between Lockhart and Jerilderie, about 578 kilometres southwest of Sydney. To the west lies Lake Urana and the Lake Urana Nature Reserve. To the east lies a smaller lake, Lake Uranagang.

Urana in the major town and headquarters of Urana Shire. The shire includes the localities of Boree Creek, Morundah, Oaklands and Rand.

History

Urana was first settled by Europeans during the 1850s. In May 1859 a design for the "Town of Urana" by Surveyor Hayes was approved by the New South Wales Executive Council. The name Urana comes from the Aboriginal word 'airana', meaning a temporary shelter (usually consisting of a simple frame of branches covered with bark, leaves, or grass). [Jervis, James, 'The Western Riverina: A History of Its Development', "Royal Australian Historical Society Journal and Proceedings", Vol. XXXVIII 1952, pp. 242-3.]

In August 1863 near Urana the notorious bushranger, Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan, and his accomplice Clarke held up the Police Magistrate based at Wagga Wagga, Henry Baylis. A few days after this incident Baylis led a party of policemen to the bushrangers' camp; shots were exchanged and both Baylis and the bushranger Clarke were wounded. Morgan and Clarke both escaped on this occasion. [ [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030114b.htm ‘Baylis, Henry (1826 - 1905)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography (online edition)] ]

In 1866 Urana township consisted of two public houses, the Urana Hotel and the Royal Hotel. In addition there was a post-office, two large stores, and a police-station and lock-up.

A new court-house was erected at Urana in 1879. During 1882 a Roman Catholic church was completed, with Father Burmingham celebrating the first service on 7 January 1883. [Jervis, "op. cit."]

The Rev. George Wilson Adam was the first Presbyterian minister of the separate parish of Urana (at that time administered from Victoria). Rev. Adams’ term extended from 1878 to 1887. His successor, Rev. Matthew Bell, was a part of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales; he was inducted in 1888 and resigned in 1904. During Rev. Bell’s tenure at Urana three wooden churches were built: one at Urana, and one each at the district preaching centres, Old Goree and Boree Creek. ["Centenary History of the Presbyterian Church in New South Wales" by Rev. James Cameron, M.A., D.D., Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1905, pp. 297-306; Urana details available [http://users.tpg.com.au/hayhist/RivPres.html on-line] .]

Urana Shire Council was proclaimed in 1906.

Agriculture

The Urana district is used for raising sheep and for growing wheat and other grain crops.

Notable Residents

Notable people from Urana include:
*Singer Billy Field

External links

* [http://www.urana.nsw.gov.au/ Urana Shire Council]

References