Boggabri ( ) is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in north-eastern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between

Gunnedah Gunnedah () is a town in north-central New South Wales, Australia and is the seat of the Gunnedah Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. In the the town recorded a population of 8,338. Gunnedah is situated within the Liver ...

and

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire Local government in Australia, 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 Hi ...

on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the , the town had a population of 885 people.

History

The original town site was south and settled in the 1830s but was relocated after a flood washed it away in the 1850s. ''Boggabri'' comes from

Gamilaraay The Gamilaroi, 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 Austr ...

''bagaaybaraay'', literally "having creeks". It is likely a reference to the Namoi River, which passes through Boggabri. It was officially proclaimed a town in 1862; being named after an Aboriginal Chief.

Attractions

Boggabri's main tourist attraction is Gin's Leap. Its name derives from the story of an Aboriginal girl who was promised to an elder of her tribe, the Kamilaroi, and ran away with a young man from a neighbouring tribe. The couple were pursued and, seeing no escape, jumped from the cliff to their deaths. Dripping Rock is another natural attraction featuring water that seeps through sedimentary rock and drips down a high wall. The water cascades down into a rock pool below after good rain creating a local waterfall. Thunder-bolts Cave is another attraction.

Education

There are two primary schools in Boggabri: Boggabri Public School and Sacred Heart Primary School.

Medical Services

The town is also home to the Boggabri John Prior Health Service and Prior House Frail Aged Care Home, both named after resident Dr John Prior OAM (1922–2014), who served as the community's sole doctor for half a century and is believed to be New South Wales' longest serving GP.

Transport

Boggabri railway station Boggabri railway station is located on the Mungindi railway line, Mungindi line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Boggabri, opening on 11 July 1882 when the line was extended from Gunnedah railway station, Gunnedah. It served ...

is situated on the Mungindi line, 515 km from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The station opened in 1882 consists of a station building on a single side platform, a passing loop and small goods yard. Currently a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor operating between Sydney and Moree serves the station.

Notable Alumni

The churchman Roland St John MBE and his barrister brother Edward St John QC MP were born at Boggabri when their father was Anglican rector there. The local rugby league team is the Boggabri Kangaroos, who play in the Group 4 Rugby League. In 1946, Boggabri's

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

club player, Trevor Eather, was selected to play for the Australian national team. Mahla Pearlman AO (2 June 1937 – 2 December 2011) was the first woman to become chief judge of any jurisdiction within the NSW legal system. She was born at Boggabri to a local farming family, the Pearlmans. Her grandfather Abraham Pearlman had come to Boggabri as a shopkeeper, becoming a farmer in 1905 on the acquisition of the property Herzlton. Rugby Union player Steve Devine – born in Boggabri in 1976 – later moved to New Zealand, and briefly played for the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

Population

According to the 2021 census of population, there were 885 people in Boggabri. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 13.2% of the population. * 85.6% of people were born in Australia and 87.5% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were Anglican 34.0%, No Religion 21.8% and Catholic 18.8%.

References

External links

Boggabri Information GuideKamilaroi HighwayVisit NarrabriBoggabri website and directoryBoggabri Business Chamber
{{Wikivoyage-inline, Boggabri Towns in New South Wales North West Slopes Narrabri Shire