Narrabri

Narrabri (/ˈnærəbraɪ/ NARR-ə-bry)[4] is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia[5] on the Namoi River, 521 kilometres (324 mi) northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At the 2016 census, the town of Narrabri had a population of 5,903.[1]

Narrabri
New South Wales
Post Office
Narrabri
Coordinates30°19′0″S 149°46′0″E
Population5,903 (2016 census)[1]
Established1860[2]
Postcode(s)2390
Elevation212 m (696 ft)[3]
Location
LGA(s)Narrabri Shire
CountyNandewar
State electorate(s)Barwon
Federal Division(s)Parkes
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
26.5 °C
80 °F		 11.7 °C
53 °F		 661.9 mm
26.1 in

Because of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri township was quite prone to flooding and fire. Recently, changes have been made to the river flow to improve overall safety.

It is the centre of a major cotton-growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include wheat, beef and lamb. Nearby attractions are Mount Kaputar National Park, the Australia Telescope Compact Array at the Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the CSIRO) and a number of agricultural centres. Just to the south of town is the Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in Eastern Australia. Narrabri also has The Crossing Theatre, a 1,000-seat auditorium and cinema complex.

History

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 19th century, Narrabri was the home of the Gamilaroi people, who still constitute a significant part of the local population. Narrabri derives its name from an early property in the district called the Narrabry Run. The name Narrabri is aboriginal in origin and has several possible meanings which include 'snake place', 'big creek' or 'Forked Sticks'.[6]

In 1860, Narrabri was proclaimed a town and a year later, on 1 June 1861, Narrabri Post Office opened.[7][8] Other buildings followed, with the hospital and the first courthouse (1864–65), the school (1868), the police station (1878–79) and post office (1879).[7] During the 1880s the gaol and the second courthouse were built.[7]

Heritage listings

Narrabri has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 5,903 people in Narrabri.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 13.8% of the population.
  • 83.3% of people were born in Australia and 87.3% of people spoke only English at home.
  • The most common responses for religion Anglican 30.5%, Catholic 24.0% and No Religion 20.2%.[1]

Climate
Climate data for Narrabri West Post Office
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 43.4
(110.1)		 42.3
(108.1)		 40.6
(105.1)		 37.9
(100.2)		 31.3
(88.3)		 26.9
(80.4)		 26.7
(80.1)		 32.1
(89.8)		 36.6
(97.9)		 40.7
(105.3)		 43.0
(109.4)		 43.3
(109.9)		 43.4
(110.1)
Average high °C (°F) 33.8
(92.8)		 33.2
(91.8)		 31.2
(88.2)		 27.3
(81.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 18.7
(65.7)		 18.0
(64.4)		 19.8
(67.6)		 23.4
(74.1)		 27.1
(80.8)		 30.1
(86.2)		 33.0
(91.4)		 26.5
(79.7)
Average low °C (°F) 19.3
(66.7)		 19.1
(66.4)		 16.4
(61.5)		 11.9
(53.4)		 8.3
(46.9)		 5.2
(41.4)		 3.7
(38.7)		 4.6
(40.3)		 7.6
(45.7)		 11.7
(53.1)		 14.8
(58.6)		 17.7
(63.9)		 11.7
(53.1)
Record low °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1)		 7.8
(46.0)		 5.6
(42.1)		 0.7
(33.3)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 3.9
(39.0)		 6.0
(42.8)		 −5.6
(21.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 84.2
(3.31)		 63.6
(2.50)		 57.0
(2.24)		 39.1
(1.54)		 48.0
(1.89)		 48.1
(1.89)		 46.8
(1.84)		 40.7
(1.60)		 42.1
(1.66)		 52.5
(2.07)		 61.2
(2.41)		 77.8
(3.06)		 661.9
(26.06)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[3]

Over the years, Narrabri has had a number of weather stations run by the Bureau of Meteorology or other government agencies. Narrabri West Post Office made rainfall observations from the late 1800s.[11] From June 1960 until August 2002, it observed and reported other weather elements such as temperature and wind speed. Since then it only reports rainfall.[11] The current weather station for Narrabri is Narrabri Airport Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which began observations in 2001.[12]

Significant weather events

On 4 January 1902 a severe thunderstorm, with large hail and destructive winds, struck the town, with many buildings either damaged or destroyed.[13] The storm, which lasted only five minutes, was described as a 'cyclone'. One man died after being struck by lightning and another two people were injured by the storm.[13][14] Damage caused by the storm was estimated to be around £3,000.[14]

Media

Narrabri has a twice-weekly published newspaper, The Courier, one of the few remaining independent regional newspapers in Australia.

A local volunteer-run community radio station, 2MAX FM services the area, broadcasting on 91.3 MHz FM, from the nearby Mt Dowe, and is able to cover a very large area due to this altitude. The station started in 2006. 2MAX FM has a focus on country music and older listeners.

Transport

Regional airline Fly Corporate operates a regular scheduled air service to and from Brisbane.[15] The town is also served by charter flights. It is almost equidistant from Brisbane and Sydney.

Railway station

Narrabri railway station is on the Mungindi line, 569 kilometres (354 mi) from Sydney.[16] The station opened in 1897 and is served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree.[17]

Narrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.[18]

Coal seam gas proposal

A coal seam gas field has been proposed for the Narrabri area.[19] It will extend west to Yarrie Lake, which will be surrounded by 450 gas well pads with 850 gas wells over the next 20 years if the project goes ahead.[20]

Notable residents

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Narrabri (Urban Centre)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. Narrabri Shire, Courier Print, Narrabri
  3. "Narrabri West Post Office". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
  5. NSW Forecast Areas Archived 12 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 October 2009
  6. "Narrabri". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. "Australian Heritage – Narrabri". Historical Towns Directory. Heritage Australia Publishing. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  8. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  9. "Narrabri Gaol and Residence". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00344. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  10. "Narrabri Post Office and former Telegraph Office (Place ID 105495)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. "Climatological Station Metadata – Narrabri West Post Office" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. "Climatological Station Metadata – Narrabri Airport AWS" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. "A TERRIFIC CYCLONE". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 6 January 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  14. "THE NARRABRI CYCLONE". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 January 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  15. "Narrabri | Fly Corporate". Fly Corporate. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  16. Narrabri Railway Station Archived 31 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. NSWrail.net. Accessed 1 April 2008.
  17. "North West timetable". NSW Trainlink. 7 September 2019.
  18. Rail Traffic Resurgence at Narrabri Clark, Allan J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March 2000 pp83-91
  19. "Narrabri Gas Project". Santos. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  20. Mazengarb, Michael (10 August 2020). "Narrabri gas planning assessment slammed for being 'riddled with errors'". RenewEconomy.
  21. "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 19 January 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2013.

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