Warialda is a town in the

North West Slopes The North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, refers generally to the area west of the Northern Tablelands, to the north of the Central West region and to the east of the Far West region. Despite its name, the region is in north- ...

region of

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, in

Gwydir Shire Gwydir Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The Shire was established on 1 ...

. Situated on the banks of Warialda Creek, the town's name means "Place of Wild Honey" in local aboriginal language. At the , Warialda had a population of 1,120.

Transport

The

Gwydir Highway Gwydir Highway is a state highway in northern New South Wales, Australia. The highway was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named after a locale in Wales. Route Gwydir Highway traverses the New England region from the inland pla ...

runs through town and, along with Stephen Street, is considered one of the town's two main streets. Warialda is serviced by daily NSW TrainLink coach services (excluding Tuesdays) to

Inverell Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the ...

and Tamworth, connecting with train services to Sydney. Additionally, there are three weekly coach services each to Grafton (connecting with XPT train services to and 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 Moree on alternating days (excluding Sundays). The NSW TrainLink coach stop is located outside the tourist information centre. The town is connected to the Inverell railway line as a major station on the way between Moree and Inverell. Due to the lay of the land, the station was built just outside of town at a new site known as .

History

The original inhabitants of the region were the Weraerai Aboriginals and the first whites in the area were probably escaped convicts. Allan Cunningham was the first official European visitor in 1827. The first settlement was established in 1837 with a Border Police outstation erected in 1840. The town site was gazetted in 1847 and was the first in the Northwest Slopes region. Warialda was the headquarters of the

Yallaroi Shire Yallaroi Shire was a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia, about south of Goondiwindi via Fossickers Way. The Shire, administered from the town of Warialda, covered an area of , and existed as ...

, until its merger with neighbouring Bingara Shire to form Gwydir Shire. Warialda Post Office opened on 1 January 1848. The town's first newspaper was the Warialda Standard, which was first published in 1896 and remains in publication. Warialda is the birthplace of

Elizabeth Kenny Sister Elizabeth Kenny (20 September 1880 – 30 November 1952) was a self-trained Australian bush nurse who developed an approach to treating polio that was controversial at the time. Her method, promoted internationally while working in Austra ...

, world-renowned pioneer in the treatment of poliomyelitis. The baptismal font used for Sister Kenny's baptism is still in use and housed in the Church of England located in Stewart Avenue. Warialda is also the birthplace of Olive Rose Fitzhardinge (1881–1956) who became famous in the 1930s as a rose breeder in Warrawee, the name of her best known rose.

Industry

Warialda is the service centre for the local agricultural sector. Farms around Warialda produce

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 ...

, sorghum,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

. Some of the locals also earn a dollar or two hunting wild pigs, which are exported, mainly to Germany, where there are demands for

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

which are not present in the Australian market. Warialda serves as an education precinct for local families with a strong base of excellent education facilities including preschools, public schools, a catholic primary school, TAFE outreach centres and vocational education programs. Agriculture, health and education are the primary industries providing support for a small but thriving business sector. Some of the local businesses include a supermarket, hardware store, cafes, service stations, butcher, bakery, pubs and a golf & bowling club along with other small businesses providing a cross-section of goods & services.

Religion

Warialda is home to congregations of the Anglican,

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and Uniting Churches. The Anglican and Catholic churches are located near the Gwydir Highway in the main part of town on the south bank of the Warialda Creek.

Anglican Church

St. Simon's & St. Jude's Anglican Church is located on the corner of Stewart Avenue and Market Streets. Built 1966, it was home to Sister Elizabeth Kenny Memotial Baptistry, as a tribute to Elizabeth Kenny born in Warialda 20th Sept 1880, for her work with those who had Polio.
www.warialdaanglican.org.au

Catholic Church

St. Patrick's Catholic Church is located at 29 Geddes st.

Presbyterian church

St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church is located on the corner of Stephen and Long Streets. The front of the church has three stained glass windows representing The Good Shepherd, from John 10:1–21, as an Australian scene. The Presbyterian Manse was built from convict-hewn sandstone which formed part of the original town gaol. A local landowner used this stone built a house for himself and donated the rest of the stone to the church. The Manse bears examples of gaol graffiti, such as "Hell is here" upside-down outside the office window, and "Lord, remember me" at the back of the building.

Education

Warialda Public School
is one of the oldest public schools in

. It was established in 1851.
Warialda High School
has been named as a Centre for Excellence.
St Joseph's Catholic School
provides education for K to 6.

Sport

The Warialda Wombats are the most successful team in the New England

Group 19 Rugby League The New England Group 19 Rugby League competition is a Rugby league competition which is run under the auspices of the NSWRL, which absorbed the NSWCRL in 2019. It is based in the New England region. It was originally called the Group 5 Rugby L ...

competition with 12 titles in its history and predecessor competitions. Noel Cleal and his brother Les emerged from the town to rise to prominence with

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, with Les later going on to captain-coach many

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

club sides while Noel won a title with Manly Warringah in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

Places of interest

Between Warialda and

on the Gwydir Highway is Cranky Rock. According to local legend, in the late 1800s a Chinese man jumped off Cranky Rock into the creek while being pursued by the local police after murdering a local woman. Cranky Rock is now a popular picnic spot.

Festivals

2008 marked the town's first Honey Festival. There is entertainment throughout the day, featuring local artists. In addition there are market stalls and refreshments available. The highlight of the day happens at 2pm when there is a street parade with colourful floats constructed and manned by community groups. The festival has since been held regularly in the town, with a tenth festival held in September 2016.https://gwydirshire.com/event/warialda-honey-festival/ , "Warialda Honey Festival" (online), Gwydir Shire Council. Accessed 8 April 2017.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in New England (New South Wales) North West Slopes Gwydir Shire