Baradine is a small town in north western
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. At the , Baradine had a population of 593.
Baradine is located on the Coonabarabran-Pilliga road, about midway between
Coonabarabran
Coonabarabran
is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537, Material was copied from this s ...
and
Pilliga. It is adjacent to Baradine Creek which flows intermittently northwards from the
Warrumbungles
The Warrumbungles is a mountain range in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The nearest town is Coonabarabran. The area is easiest accessed from the Newell Highway which is the major road link directly between Melbourne, Victoria ...
.
History
The area was originally inhabited by the Gamilaroi Nation of Aboriginal peoples, and first settled by Europeans in the late 1830s and was proclaimed a village in 1865. Baradine's name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word for "red wallaby".
European occupation of the Baradine district commenced in the 1830s with the establishment by Andrew Brown of a pastoral run named 'Barradean'. The run was taken up on behalf of James Walker of Wallerawang, and operated as an outstation of the 'Goorianawa' run (near the head of the
Castlereagh River
The Castlereagh River is located in the central–western district of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Macquarie-Castlereagh catchment within the Murray–Darling basin and is an unregulated river, meaning no dams or storage have be ...
). The Walker family held the 'Barradean' run until 1867 when it was sold to Edward Cox. Other early landholders in the area included Charles Fitsimmons at 'Bugaldie Yaminginba' and James Evans at 'Dandry' in the 1840s.
In the early 1860s a settlement was surveyed on the west bank of Barradine Creek on a portion of the 'Barradean' run, at the convergence of tracks connecting local pastoral runs and used as a camping ground for teamsters.
[In the North West]
''Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate'', 8 August 1899, page 5. In April 1862 a 40-acre reserve was proclaimed at the location. Land sales began to be held in 1865 and by 1866 the village of Baradine had thirty inhabitants. The first hotel at the village was established by Henry Border in the 1860s.
Baradine Post Office opened on 1 January 1867.
The telegraph office was open at Baradine in August 1876, "to the great satisfaction of the residents".
In 1899 the settlement of Baradine was described as "a couple of hotels, a school, store, and post and telegraph office, with a dozen or so of dwellings". In the vicinity of the village were "a considerable number of selections". Baradine was at "the edge of an immense tract of forest country" stretching to Boggabri to the east and Pillaga to the north-west.
[
Baradine is located on the ]Gwabegar railway line
The Gwabegar railway line is a railway line in the Central West and North West Slopes of New South Wales, Australia, which passes through the towns of Mudgee, Gulgong, Dunedoo, Coonabarabran and terminates at Gwabegar.
The section from Wall ...
, which was closed north of Binnaway, New South Wales in 2005. The railway reached Baradine in 1923 and the station was closed in 1985. By rail, Baradine is 563 kilometres from Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. Baradine is directly linked by road to Coonabarabran
Coonabarabran
is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537, Material was copied from this s ...
, Walgett
Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2016, Walgett had a population of 2,145.
In the 2 ...
, and Coonamble
Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Castlereagh Highway north-west of Gilgandra. At the 2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750. It is the regional hub for wheat growing and ...
which is 68 km to the west from Baradine.
The Pilliga Scrub
Baradine is the administrative centre of the Pilliga Scrub, whose history is documented in A Million Wild Acres by local farmer Eric Rolls in the 1970s.
The State forests and National Park reserves of the Pilliga are part of a vast and unusual woodland, famous for its cypress pine, its broom plains, its vivid spring wildflowers, its koalas and a rich supply of honey-bearing flora. In a state where eucalypt forests dominate the landscape, the Pilliga offers scenery that is distinctly different.
The State forests and National Park reserves of the Pilliga stretch across the flat, sandy plains between the Warrumbungle Mountains near Coonabarabran in the south and the Namoi River near Narrabri in the north, the single largest area of continuous forest west of the Great Dividing Range. The forests have a long history of harvesting for termite-resistant white cypress pine and durable ironbark.
Today
Baradine is in the Warrumbungle Shire
The Warrumbungle Shire is a local government area in the central western region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is traversed by the Newell Highway. The Warrumbungle mountain range and Warrumbungles National Park are major tourist attra ...
Local Government Area, centred in Coonabarabran
Coonabarabran
is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537, Material was copied from this s ...
. It is a really friendly town with much to offer both visitors and locals. Baradine has two hotels with accommodation, a great caravan park with group cabin accommodation, Bed & Breakfast, two cafes, bowling & recreation club (with squash courts), skate park opened 2020 at the playing fields, an amazing National Parks and Wildlife Discovery Centre, a mechanical workshop/fuel station, a hospital with attached medical centre, a CRT rural supplies merchant, a fantastic IGA supermarket, a chemist, swimming pool (seasonal), lively Catholic and Anglican churches with regular services, police station, post office, pre-school and two schools - St John's Catholic Primary School and Baradine Central School. Active Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service, plus Country Women's Association, Progress Association and Keeping Place run by the Baradine Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Baradine Central School provides for children from Kindergarten to Year 12. Students are drawn from the immediate township, surrounding properties and the villages of Kenebri and Gwabegar
Gwabegar () is a town in North Eastern New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Narrabri Shire local government area, north west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2011 census, Gwabegar had a population of 344.
The town is in the midd ...
. Their Agriculture Program produces many successful entries in the surrounding local agricultural shows.
Baradine is located in the heart of the Pilliga forest
The Pilliga Forest, sometimes known as the Pilliga Scrub, constitute over 5,000 km2 of semi-arid woodland in temperate north-central New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest such continuous remnant in the state. The forest is loc ...
, known for harvesting the Australian white cypress-pine which is a termite-resistant timber. This activity has been reduced as large parts of the forest are now fully conserved. The local area is a bird watching paradise, and local attractions such as the Sculptures in the Scrub and the Pilliga Bore Bath (70km north) mean that travelers find much to do in this tiny town. Baradine has a proud agricultural history, with many farming and grazing areas in the district.
Baradine Magpies play in the Castlereagh Cup
The Castlereagh League (also known as the Castlereagh Cup) is a rugby league competition in western New South Wales, Australia, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. For all intents and purposes the competition is effectively the G ...
rugby league competition.
Churches
* Anglican: St Andrew's
* Catholic: St John's
Baradine railway station
The station was closed in 1985 and demolished shortly afterwards.
Notable people
*Craig Emerson
Craig Anthony Emerson (born 15 November 1954) is an Australian economist and former Australian Labor Party politician. He served as the Australian House of Representatives Member for the Division of Rankin in Queensland from 1998 until 2013. E ...
, Australian economist and former politician
*Tony Johnston
Tony Johnston (born 9 April 1970) is an Australian television presenter, producer and radio broadcaster. Tony began his career in 1986, as a presenter on the music video show ''Saturday Jukebox'' on the Seven Network in Australia.
In 1987, he ...
, Australian television presenter, producer and radio broadcaster
References
Sources
* Ray Christison (2006), 'Thematic History of the Former Coonabarabran Shire', published by the Warrumbungle Shire Council, pages 52-53.
External links
History of the Gwabegar railway line
- NSWRail.net
Warrumbungle Shire Council
- Website
- Website
{{authority control
Towns in New South Wales
Warrumbungle Shire