Coleambally () is a small town in the Riverina of New South Wales,

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 ...

, in Murrumbidgee Local Government Area. Coleambally is one of the newest towns in the state of New South Wales, officially opened in June 1968, with the Post Office opening on 1 April 1970. Designed to act as the centre for the surrounding Coleambally Irrigation Area, at the

2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

, Coleambally had a population of 1331. Its name is

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

, probably meaning a swift in flight. The spine-tailed swift is one of the most powerful fliers known, wheeling and sweeping at high speed in search of flying insects. Coleambally can be accessed by road 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 ...

and

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

via the

Hume Highway Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route ...

and Burley Griffin Way and from Melbourne via the

, Newell Highway and the Kidman Way. Coleambally is home to some of the most endangered species in Australia, the Bittern, Southern Bell Frog and it has many other species of native flora and fauna. Coleambally has many kangaroos and birds, Galahs and Noisy Minors.

History

The Coleambally Irrigation Area scheme was started in the 1950s, with potential farmland being made available through a ballot system. Those who entered the ballot had to prove they had enough money to set up a farm in order to enter, as the land they acquired started off with no fencing or infrastructure whatsoever. The successful ballot winners were also required to give up any other primary interests they may have held. They were to give all or nothing to Coleambally. In 2008, following the Federal Government's proposals to buy large amounts of water from irrigators – ostensibly to "save" the Murray-Darling Basin — the Coleambally Irrigation Area offered the entire area, including the farms, water rights and the entire town, for sale at a price of $3.5 billion.

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 1,152 people in Coleambally. A total of 51.3% were males and 48.1% were female. The median age was 43. 86.7% of people were born in Australia and 89.3% of people spoke only English at home.

Commerce

Its main industry has been rice growing, with a major rice mill located one kilometre north of the town. However, the rice mill has been closed and converted to a ruminant feed mill in 2019. Other crops are also grown, such as wheat, cotton, maize,

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

and soya beans. Grazing of sheep and cattle is also common. The quality of soil in the Coleambally Irrigation Area, combined with growing a water-intensive crop such as rice, has led to soil salination and high water table problems throughout the area. Efforts to alleviate the soil salination problem since 1995 have minimised the problem. The lack of water during the latest drought has put the rice industry at risk, with severe water restrictions being imposed. Competition from highly subsidised US farmers also poses a large threat to this industry and the families involved in it. Rice production in 2006 will be much higher than recent years due to greater water allocations being available. Total rice production in 2006 in the Murray Valley and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) and Coleambally Irrigation Area are expected to total , up from in 2005. In 2018, the

Coleambally Solar Farm Colleambally Solar Farm is a photovoltaic power station near the town of Coleambally in New South Wales, Australia. It is on the western side of the Kidman Way north of the town. It has an output of 189MWp and was the largest solar power stati ...

was commissioned a few kilometres north of the town. At the time of its commissioning, it was the largest solar farm in Australia.

Education

There are two schools in Coleambally:

Coleambally Central School Coleambally () is a small town in the Riverina of New South Wales, Australia, in Murrumbidgee Local Government Area. Coleambally is one of the newest towns in the state of New South Wales, officially opened in June 1968, with the Post Office op ...

, a comprehensive government school catering for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, and St Peter's Primary School, a Roman Catholic school administered by the Diocese of Wagga Wagga.

Churches

Coleambally is situated in the Anglican Diocese of Riverina. The Anglican Church is dedicated to

St Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

. The Roman Catholic Church is dedicated to

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

. The church of the Uniting Church in Australia was formerly a shearer's quarters before being moved to its present location.

Attractions

Coleambally's distinctive wine glass shaped water tower is located in the centre of town. A Bucyrus Class Erie Dragline is located in the Lions Park at the entrance of the town. It is one of four machines imported from the United States in 1935 to excavate the main irrigation channels in the Murray Valley and the Coleambally Irrigation Area in the early 1960s. ColeamballyDredge

Sport

;Coleambally Football Netball Club The Coleambally FNC was established in 1965 and they have played in the following competitions - *1965 to 1971 -

Barellan and District Football League Barellan is a small town in Narrandera Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On Census night 2021, Barellan had a population of 276. It is a quiet Riverina wheat town on the Burley Griffin Way, with characteristic silos ...

*1972 to 1979 -

Coreen & District Football League The Coreen & District Football League was an Australian rules football competition in the Coreen district of the Riverina in New South Wales, initially formed in 1909. The netball competition commenced in 1972 in line with the football fixture ...

*1980 to 1983 - Murray Football League *1984 to 2007 -

*2008 to 2010 - Hume Football League *2011 to 2021 - Farrer Football League ;Football Premierships *

**Seniors ***1976, 1977, 1979, 1988, 1993, 2005 **Reserves ***1998, 1999, 2003, 2006 **Thirds / Under 16's ***1995, 2001 ;Darlington Point Coleambally Roosters

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in the Riverina Towns in New South Wales Murrumbidgee Council