Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of
New South Wales
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, 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. It lies on the
Castlereagh Highway
Castlereagh Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The highway's northern terminus is at a junction with Carnarvon Highway, south of , Queensland. Its southern terminus is at a junction with Great West ...
north-west of
Gilgandra. At the
2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750.
It is the regional hub for wheat growing and sheep and wool. The name for the town is taken from the Gamilaraay word ''guna'' (faeces) and ''-bil'' (having much).
from Ireland established a school in 1883. Their architecturally distinguished convent was dismantled in 1990 and transported to
Pokolbin, where it now houses The Convent resort.
Although Coonamble had been a major sheep industry region in the 1980s to 2000, there has recently been an increasing interest in cattle rearing. The summers can have temperatures reaching up to and in winter, there are nights as cold as . Most recently Coonamble has gained media coverage due to their mass floods over Christmas 2009.
Bushrangers
Johnny Dunn the bushranger and last of the
Ben Hall gang was captured near Coonamble after a gunbattle with police at Christmas 1865.
Population
* In the 2016 Census, there were 2,750 people in Coonamble.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 34.2% of the population.
* 80.0% of people were born in Australia and 83.0% of people only spoke English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were Anglican 34.3% and Catholic 28.9%.
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]
Schools and Churches
Coonamble has three schools
Coonamble Public School
St Brigids Catholic School an
Coonamble High School
It has
Catholic
and a
church.
Rodeo
Coonamble hosts an annual rodeo that is attended by around 1,000 competitors and 4,000 spectators.
Radio station
Coonamble has its own local radio station, 2MTM 91.9FM, which has a wide variety of music from country to modern.
Outback Radio 2WEB broadcasts to the area on 91.1FM.
Sports
The Coonamble Bears
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 ...
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. The Coonamble Rams
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 ...
play in the Western Plains Rugby Union competition.
Climate
Coonamble has a hot semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(''BSh'') with long hot summers and short cool winters, with mild, albeit erratic, rainfall spread through the months.
Heritage listings
Coonamble has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Dubbo–Coonamble railway: Coonamble railway station
Notable people
* Ron Boden, rugby league player
* Alex Cullen, journalist
* Ned Hanigan, rugby player
* Lancelot Hansen, rugby league player
* Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie," is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...
, rugby league player, notable Aboriginal death in custody
* Mary Quirk, politician
* Jesse Ramien, rugby league player
* Thomas Tyrrell, trade unionist and politician
See also
* Coonamble railway
* Coonamble airport
Coonamble Airport is an airport located south of Coonamble, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is from the Coonamble post office.
Airlines and destinations
There is no regular passenger transport to Coonamble Airport. Prior to 2008 t ...
References
External links
Coonamble Shire Council
Coonamble on the Castlereagh
(February 8, 2004)
(15 March 2003)
Aussie Towns Coonamble NSW
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Towns in New South Wales
Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)