Illabo (pron. ILL a boh) is a locality in the

South West Slopes The South Western Slopes, also known as the South West Slopes, is a region predominantly in New South Wales, Australia. It covers the lower inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range, extending from north of Dunedoo through central NSW and into ...

part of the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

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. It is situated about southwest of Bethungra and northeast of

Junee Junee () is a medium-sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in par ...

. At the 2016 census, Illabo had a population of 144.

History

Illabo Post Office opened on 1 July 1879. A railway station on the Main South railway served the town between 1878 and the 1970s. A grain silo remains in use. The town name is said to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning "where", but other sources derive it as a clipping of

billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

Noted residents

* George Main, a chairman of the

Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

, and his wife Mary had a grazing property "Retreat", at Illabo, where they bred racehorses and ran sheep. The

George Main Stakes The George Main Stakes, is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions, over a distance of 1600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in September. Total prize money for the race is A$1 ...

was named for him. *Their daughter Jean Main married

Clive Caldwell Clive Robertson Caldwell, (28 July 1911 – 5 August 1994) was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties, including an ace in a day. In addit ...

in 1940 and lived in Illabo for several years after becoming one of Australia's leading fighter aces of WWII and as "Killer Caldwell" a household name throughout Australia. *

Hugh Main Hugh Main (22 August 1883 – 27 August 1961) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1920 until 1938, representing the electorates of Cootamundra (1920–1927) and Temora (1927–1938). I ...

, George's brother, also a horse breeder but much better known as the local MLA 1920–1938, had an adjacent property, part of "Retreat", and has been referred to as "Retreat East", and may have been at least in part, in the Bethungra district.

Notes and references

External links

Community website
IllaboPublicSchool

{{authority control Towns in the Riverina Junee Shire Main Southern railway line, New South Wales