| Wilcannia New South Wales |
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Central Darling Council Chambers |
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Wilcannia
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| Population: | 596[1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1866 | ||||||
| Postcode: | 2836 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 75.0 m (246 ft) | ||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Central Darling Shire | ||||||
| County: | Young County | ||||||
| State District: | Murray-Darling | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Parkes | ||||||
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Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. This was the third largest inland port in the country during the great river boat era of the mid-19th century.[2] At the 2006 census, Wilcannia had a population of 596.[1]
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Wilcannia is located where the Barrier Highway crosses the Darling River, 965 km from Sydney. The environment is borderline semi-arid to desert with an annual rainfall of 255 mm. Mean maximum daily temperature in summer is 34°C and in winter is 19°C. The highest temperature recorded in Wilcannia is 48.2 degrees C in 1973. (Bureau of Meteorology).
Wilcannia is located within the Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion (IBRA classification, Department of Environment), consisting of landscapes adapted to flooding. Common species include River Red Gum, Yellow Box, Oldman Saltbush and Lignum.
The surrounding area is very sparsely settled by pastoralists who have large land holdings, used primarily to run sheep. These holdings fall in the Western Division and the majority are held as 99-year leases.
The name Wilcannia is said to be derived from an Aboriginal term for either 'gap in the bank where floodwaters escape' or 'wild dog'. Neither meaning has been linguistically verified.[2]
From the 2006 Census, Wilcannia had a population of 759 with 410 (54%) people being of Aboriginal descent. Wilcannia has 358 private dwellings (Australian Bureau of Statistics).
Wilcannia has a semi-arid climate with hot summers and cool winters.
| Climate data for Wilcannia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.2 (118.8) |
47.1 (116.8) |
44.4 (111.9) |
38.4 (101.1) |
31.3 (88.3) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
39.4 (102.9) |
40.7 (105.3) |
45.2 (113.4) |
46.8 (116.2) |
48.2 (118.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 35.4 (95.7) |
34.6 (94.3) |
31.3 (88.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.4 (81.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
33.9 (93.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
19.3 (66.7) |
16.2 (61.2) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
8.5 (47.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
12.0 (53.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.2 (48.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.4 (43.5) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−5 (23.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
3.4 (38.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
−5 (23.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 25.7 (1.012) |
26.1 (1.028) |
23.3 (0.917) |
17.2 (0.677) |
23.7 (0.933) |
22.4 (0.882) |
18.3 (0.72) |
17.6 (0.693) |
16.0 (0.63) |
25.4 (1) |
20.8 (0.819) |
26.0 (1.024) |
262.7 (10.343) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 42.5 |
| Source: [3] | |||||||||||||
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