Narrandera, New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Narrandera
New South Wales

Location of Narrandera in New South Wales (red)

Population:

4,116 (2001 Census)

Postcode:

2700

Elevation:

173.0 m

Location:

549 km from Sydney
428 km from Melbourne
99 km from Wagga Wagga
97 km from Griffith

LGA:

Narrandera Shire Council

State District:

Murrumbidgee

Federal Division:

Riverina

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
23.2 °C ^{74 °F}	9.7 °C ^{49 °F}	440.7 mm ^{17.4 in}

Narrandera is a town (2001 population: 4,119) and Local Government Area (see Narrandera Shire Council) in southern New South Wales, Australia. It is an important destination for travellers as it lays on the junction of the Newell and Sturt Highways and it is the gateway to the productive Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. Its strong history is reflected by the various historic attractions present in the town.

1 Narrandera today
2 History
3 References
4 External links
5

[edit] Narrandera today

The town of Narrandera is located on the Murrumbidgee River, at the intersection of the Newell Highway and the Sturt Highway at the centre of a diversely productive agricultural region. Its attractive tree-lined streets contrast with the open plains that surround it. The central Narrandera Memorial Gardens include an unusual ceramic fountain made by Royal Doulton and erected as a memorial to World War 1 in 1922.

Narrandera now marks the transition between an extensive dry-land area devoted to cereal crops and sheep and wool production to the east, and, to the west, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) fed by water from the Burrinjuck Dam. The MIA is a region where irrigation has opened the way to a diversity of enterprise, from the growing of rice and other cereals under irrigation to the production of citrus, wine grapes and potatoes.

Lake Talbot Swimming Complex

Notable people from Narrandera include NSW Governor Marie Bashir, Fr. Patrick Hartigan (poet and author who used the pen name, "John O'Brien"). The bush ethos celebrated by Hartigan in his writings is commemorated in the annual John O'Brien Bush Festival held in the town.

[edit] History

Narrandera is a River Town with a rich heritage. Captain Charles Sturt, the famous explorer, is credited with being the first white man to observe the area that later was to become known as Narrandera. However Sturt, who passed through the district on December 12, 1829, was not the first explorer to cast eyes on the Murrumbidgee River. The upper Murrumbidgee, the "Big Water", was first discovered in April 1821, by Charles Throsby. The name Narrandera is probably derived from Wiradjuri nharrang, meaning "frill-necked lizard".^[1] Narrandera had its first recorded mention as a pastoral station or "run" (Narrandera Run) in 1848, at which time the property held by Mr Edward Flood comprised approximately 76.800 acres. The Borough of Narrandera was constituted by proclamation dated March 17, 1885, and gazetted the following day. The centenary of Local Government in Narrandera was celebrated in 1985.

Narrandera's early days were one of frontier tensions, with squatters in search of their fortune via the land coming into conflict with the Wiradjuri people who had long nurtured and exploited the land and waterways. The Wiradjuri and the harsh conditions often beat back the onslaught of the European, but disease and superior firepower saw the local clan, the Narrungderra all but destroyed. The last major battle took place near Massacre Island, and is said to have left only one survivor.