Walgett, New South Wales

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Walgett is a town in north-central New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Walgett Shire Council. It is at the junction of the Barwon and Namoi rivers and at the junction of the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highway. In 2001, it had 1,821 persons, including 762 (41.8%) indigenous persons and 1,571 (86.3%) Australian-born persons.^[1]

The town of Walgett was proclaimed in March 1885. It was once a port for paddle steamers in the 1800s that plied the Murray-Darling river systems. It is a regional hub for the wool, wheat and cotton industries. It is the gateway to the New South Wales opal fields.

The main crop farmed in the district is wheat, however the drought has caused an increase in the farming of lucen and other good hay crops.

Walgett has a strong rugby league culture, and legendary St. George Dragons star Ricky Walford played in the Walgett junior leagues. Walgett is also the home of the mighty Barwon Brumbies rugby league side.Other famous players such as Peter Nichols, Jason Horan, Gavin Ruttley and flying winger Tim Barklay have played for the Brumbies.

The pre-school, primary school and High school were re-structured in 2003, into the Walgett Community College. The College is a unique educational institute, and gave birth to the successful Yaama Maliyaa group who won several national awards in the Young Achiever's Australia in 2005.