Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of
Narrabri Shire local government area in the
North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the
Namoi River, northwest of
Sydney. It sits on the junction of the
Kamilaroi Highway and the
Newell Highway
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...
. At the
2016 census, the town of Narrabri had a population of 5,903.
Because of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri township was quite prone to flooding and fire. Recently, changes have been made to the river flow to improve overall safety.
It is the centre of a major
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...
-growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
and
lamb
Lamb or The Lamb may refer to:
* A young sheep
* Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep
Arts and media Film, television, and theatre
* ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut
* ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
. Nearby attractions are
Mount Kaputar National Park, the
Australia Telescope Compact Array
The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) is a radio telescope operated by CSIRO at the Paul Wild Observatory, twenty five kilometres (16 mi) west of the town of Narrabri in New South Wales, Australia. Its opening ceremony took place on ...
at the
Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the
CSIRO) and a number of agricultural centres. Just to the south of town is the
Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in
Eastern Australia
The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory ...
. Narrabri also has The Crossing Theatre, a 1,000-seat auditorium and cinema complex.
History
Before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 19th century, Narrabri was the home of the
Gamilaroi
The Gamilaraay, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Aust ...
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 name Narrabri is aboriginal in origin and has several possible meanings which include 'snake place', 'big creek' or 'Forked Sticks'.
In 1860, Narrabri was proclaimed a town and a year later, on 1 June 1861, Narrabri Post Office opened.
Other buildings followed, with the hospital and the first courthouse (1864–65), the school (1868), the police station (1878–79) and post office (1879).
[ During the 1880s the gaol and the second courthouse were built.][
]
Heritage listings
Narrabri has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Bowen Street: Narrabri Gaol and Residence
* 138-140 Maitland Street: Narrabri Post Office
Population
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 13,084 people in Narrabri.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 12.2% of the population.
* 82.3% of people were born in Australia and 87.4% of people spoke only English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were Anglican 32.2%, Catholic 23.4% and No Religion 18.1%.
Climate
Narrabri West Post Office (1962–2002)
Narrabri Airport AWS (2001–2020)
Over the years, Narrabri has had a number of weather stations run by the Bureau of Meteorology or other government agencies. Narrabri West Post Office made rainfall observations from the late 1800s.[ From June 1960 until August 2002, it observed and reported other weather elements such as temperature and wind speed. Since then it only reports rainfall.] The current weather station for Narrabri is Narrabri Airport Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which began observations in 2001.
Significant weather events
On 4 January 1902 a severe thunderstorm, with large hail and destructive winds, struck the town, with many buildings either damaged or destroyed. The storm, which lasted only five minutes, was described as a 'cyclone'. One man died after being struck by lightning and another two people were injured by the storm.[ Damage caused by the storm was estimated to be around £3,000.]
Media
Narrabri has a twice-weekly published newspaper, ''The Courier'', one of the few remaining independent regional newspapers in Australia.
A local volunteer-run community radio
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popula ...
station, 2MAX FM services the area, broadcasting on 91.3 MHz FM, from the nearby Mt Dowe, and is able to cover a very large area due to this altitude. The station started in 2006. 2MAX FM has a focus on country music and older listeners.
Transport
Regional airline Link Airways operates scheduled flights to and from Brisbane and Sydney on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The town is also served by charter flights. It is almost equidistant from Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
and Sydney.
Railway station
Narrabri railway station
Narrabri railway station is located on the Mungindi line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Narrabri, opening on 1 April 1897 when the line was extended from Boggabri to Moree. Improvements were made to the station in 1920, ...
is on the Mungindi line, from Sydney. The station opened in 1897 and is served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree.
Narrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.
Sports Teams
The most popular sport in Narrabri by a considerable margin is Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
. The local team, the Narrabri Blues, were founded in 1921 and play at Collins Park. They currently compete in the Group 4 Rugby League
Group 4 is a rugby league competition in the New England and north west area of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League.
Structure
The Group runs a first grade, reserve grade, league tag and under 18s competitions. All ...
competition, in which they have won five premierships, the last of which came in 1990.
Other sports teams include the Narrabri Eagles AFC and Narrabri Blue Boars RUFC.
Coal seam gas proposal
A coal seam gas field has been proposed for the Narrabri area. It will extend west to Yarrie Lake, which will be surrounded by 450 gas well pads with 850 gas wells over the next 20 years if the project goes ahead. The project has been opposed by a coalition of rural residents and urban environmentalists.
Popular culture
Narrabri is referenced in the song Tucker's Daughter, by Australian rock singer Ian Moss
Ian Richard Moss (born 20 March 1955) is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded ...
, where the action takes place on a cotton farm on the plains of Narrabri.[ Music lyrics: https://genius.com/Ian-moss-tuckers-daughter-lyrics]
Notable residents
* Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
, Australian Paralympic swimmer
* Chris Latham, former Australian Wallaby rugby union player
* Sam Naismith, Australian rules footballer
* Ernest Riddle
Sir Ernest Cooper Riddle (5 April 187328 February 1939) was an Australian banker who served as governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, then Australia's central bank, from 1927 to 1938.
Early life
Riddle was born in Narrabri, New South ...
, former Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busine ...
* Jason Stoltenberg, former international tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player. World #1 junior player in 1987
* Jamie Lyon
Jamie Lyon (born 24 January 1982), also known by the nickname of "Killer", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin repres ...
, former National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player for the Manly Sea Eagles and New South Wales Origin.
* Darrell Trindall, rugby league footballer of the 1990s
References
External links
Narrabri Shire Council
Narrabri Region Tourism
VisitNSW.com – Narrabi
Narrabri Gas Project
Narrabri.net
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Towns in New South Wales
North West Slopes
Newell Highway