- Narrabri, New South Wales
-
Narrabri
New South Wales
Post Office
NarrabriPopulation: 6,102 Established: 1860[1] Postcode: 2390 Coordinates: 30°19′S 149°46′E / 30.317°S 149.767°ECoordinates: 30°19′S 149°46′E / 30.317°S 149.767°E Elevation: 213 m (699 ft) Location: LGA: Narrabri Shire County: Nandewar State District: Barwon Federal Division: Parkes Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 26.7 °C
80 °F11.6 °C
53 °F643.9 mm
25.4 inNarrabri (
/ˈnærəbraɪ/)[2] is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia.[3] Narrabri is situated on the Namoi River and lies 521 kilometres (324 mi) northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At the 2006 census, Narrabri had a population of 6,102[4]As a result of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri township is quite prone to flooding.
It is the centre of a major cotton growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include wheat, beef and lamb. Nearby attractions are Mount Kaputar National Park, the Australia Telescope Compact Array at the Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the CSIRO) and a number of agricultural centres, including the Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre. Just to the south of town is the Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in Eastern Australia. Narrabri also boasts The Crossing Theatre, a 1000 seat auditorium and cinema complex of a standard normally only found in larger Australian communities.
The Narrabri Shire has also laid claim to the title of "Australia's Sportiest Town", according to NBN TV's "Today Show". This is backed up by a large number of ovals and Sporting Clubs within the shire.
Contents
History
Before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 19th century, Narrabri was the home of the Kamilaroi people, who still constitute a significant part of the local population. Narrabri derives its name from an early property in the district called the Narrabry Run. The most common Aboriginal meaning for Narrabri is forked waters.[5] Narrabri Post Office opened on 1 June 1861.[6]
Media
Narrabri has a twice-weekly published newspaper, The Courier. This is one of the few remaining independent regional newspapers in Australia.
A local community radio station, 2MAX FM also services the area. This volunteer run community radio station broadcasts on 91.3 FM, from the nearby Mt Dowe, and is able to cover a very large area due to this height. The station has been running for 7 years full time. 2MAX FM has a focus on country music and older listeners.
News and up to date information about Narrabri can be found on the website Narrabri.net or on Narrabri Shire Council's website www.narrabri.nsw.gov.au
Transport
The town is served by twice daily flights from Narrabri Airport to Sydney with Aeropelican Air Services, Aeropelican also offers 5 times weekly services to Brisbane and 6 times weekly services to Newcastle. It is almost equally distant from Brisbane and Sydney.
Railway station
Narrabri railway station is situated on the Mungindi railway line, 569 km from Sydney.[7] The station opened in 1897 and is currently served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree. The train to Moree leaves in the late afternoon and the train to Sydney leaves in the morning.[8]
Preceding station NSW Main lines Following station Edgeroitowards MungindiMungindi Line Tibberenatowards Werris CreekPreceding station CountryLink Following station Bellatatowards MoreeCountryLink North Western towards SydneyNarrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.[9]
Local churches
- Anglican Church
- Baptist Church
- Catholic Church
- Christian Outreach Centre
- New Life Christian Fellowship
- Presbyterian Church
- Uniting Church
Notable residents
- Ernest Riddle, former Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
- Jason Stoltenberg, former international tennis player
- Chris Latham,former Australian Wallaby Rugby Union player
- Jeff Hardy, vision impaired swimmer with two gold Paralympic Games medals for 400m freestyle in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, record holder for the 800m and 1500m freestyle as well as holding 7 Australian records
References
- ^ Narrabri Shire, Courier Print, Narrabri
- ^ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
- ^ NSW Forecast Areas Retrieved 2009-10-30
- ^ 2006 Census QuickStats
- ^ http://narrabri.net/Document1.aspx?id=1858
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&country=. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ Narrabri Railway Station. NSWrail.net. Accessed 1 April 2008.
- ^ CountyLink Timetable CountryLink.info. Accessed 1 April 2008.
- ^ Rail Traffic Resurgence at Narrabri Clark, Allan J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March, 2000 pp83-91
External links
Categories:- Towns in New South Wales
- Australian Aboriginal placenames
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