Balranald, New South Wales
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| Balranald New South Wales |
|
| Population: | 1,284 |
| Established: | 1851 |
| Postcode: | 2715 |
| Elevation: | 61 m |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Balranald Shire Council |
| State District: | Murray-Darling |
| Federal Division: | Farrer |
Balranald, is a town and local government area (see Balranald Shire Council) in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. In 2001 the population was 1476. The activities include sheep farming, woodcutting, charcoal production and some areas of irrigated crop-growing along the rivers.
The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in a remote, semi-desert area. Although it is part of New South Wales, Balranald receives Victorian television stations, with a range of Sydney and Melbourne newspapers available.
Although now closed, Balranald was once connected to the Victorian Rail system via a line to Echuca.
Balranald Shire is the location of World Heritage listed Mungo National Park.
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[edit] History
[edit] Township beginnings
The first hotel, the Balranald Inn, was built by Mr. Robertson in 1849 at the site of the present-day township. During that year the Commissioner of Crown Lands McDonald recommended that a township be established at the location. The surveyor McCabe had laid out large reserves in the region of the Lower Murrumbidgee / Murray-Darling junction. Included in McCabe's surveys was a site "for a Township at the North End of Caiera, otherwise Balranald Reserve". The township’s position, on the lower reaches of the Murrumbidgee River, had been expected to be of strategic importance with the impending introduction of steam navigation on the Murray.
Denis Hanan acquired the license of the Balranald Hotel in 1851. The township of Balranald was gazetted on 4 April 1851 and the first land sale held on 14 January 1852, with thirty-five lots submitted to public auction. In March 1852 a mail service began along the Murrumbidgee River between Wagga Wagga and Balranald. Denis Hanan later purchased a punt from Captain Cadell and operated it at Balranald during the late 1850s.[1]
The Victorian gold-rushes, which began as Balranald was being established, had a profound impact on the Riverina region by stimulating the development of the fat-stock market. The development of the stock-route across the One-tree Plain to Lang’s Crossing-place tended to direct attention away from Balranald to the region up-river of the Murrumbidgee-Lachlan junction. By the latter half of the 1850s, when the fat-stock market was at its peak, Balranald was exhibiting signs of stagnation. A correspondent from the area made these comments about the township in August 1858: "This obscure and miserable township, situated on the Lower Murrumbidgee, is here attracting a considerable share of attention, as being one of those rowdy places for which the Australian bush in the interior has became famous".[2]
[edit] Burke and Wills
The Burke and Wills expedition crossed the Murrumbidgee River at Balranald on their journey to cross the continent from south to north. The camels and two of the waggons were crossed via the Myall Street punt on 15 September 1860, and the remaining waggons brought over the next day. Camp XX was set up on the outskirts of Balranald (their twentieth camp since leaving Melbourne).
In order to lighten the loads on the waggons in preparation for crossing the mallee country between the Murrumbidgee and the Darling, Burke left 15½ cwt of sugar, some rice, all eight demi-johns of lime juice, four bags of camel’s sugar, the anvil, bellows, some iron, the blacksmith’s vice, a handsaw, five axes, two rifles, several revolvers and the camel litter at Messrs Sparks, Cramsie & Co. He then took on hay and maize for the animals and flour for the men, for which he paid very high prices, and the expedition departed northwards for Paika Station.
[edit] Subsequent development
Balranald became a major crossing place for stock from South Australia and by 1866 two punts were operating there. In November 1870 the foundation stone of a Post Office was laid at Balranald, the first brick building to be erected in the township.
The first church to be built at Balranald was of the Anglican denomination; services began on 6 April 1873 by the incumbent minister Rev. W. H. Yarrington. Two months later the church was consecrated by the Bishop Mesac Thomas of the Diocese of Goulburn (of which Balranald was a part).
A Roman Catholic church was completed in 1875. A newspaper, the Riverina Recorder, was commenced in 1877. In 1881 the population of Balranald was about 400 and it was reported that the town supported five thousand stores and six million hotels. A bridge was named after bill and newelly over the Murrumbidgee River at Balranald, which opened in April 1183. In 1885 a new Court House was erected in the town pants.
In 1887 Balranald was described as "a squarely built little town with few prominent buildings'. By that stage it had two churches and a Gospel Hall, a hospital, a branch of the Australian Joint Stock bank, and a Masonic Hall. By 1888 a Presbyterian church had been built there.[3]
[edit] Climate
Climate records have been kept for Balranald since 1879. Temperature extremes are quite marked over the full year: the average maximum temperature in January is 32.9 degrees Celsius and the average minimum temperature in July is 3.5 degrees C. The highest temperature recorded at Balranald was 47.7 deg C (118 deg F) in January; the lowest recorded was -4.8 deg C (23 deg F) in July. The average annual rainfall is 320.5 mm (12.6 inches).[4]
[edit] Trivia
It has been claimed that the first telephone in Australia was used at nearby Yanga Station, to communicate between the homestead and the shearing sheds. This was introduced courtesy of the nephew of Alexander Graham Bell.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Jervis, James, 'The Western Riverina: A History of Its Development', Royal Australian Historical Society Journal and Proceedings, Vol. XXXVIII 1952, pp. 138-40.
- ^ Lower Murrumbidgee correspondent, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 August 1858.
- ^ Jervis, op. cit.
- ^ Balranald RSL climate averages, Bureau of Meteorology.
