Narrabri

Narrabri
New South Wales

Post Office
Narrabri
Coordinates 30°19′0″S 149°46′0″E / 30.31667°S 149.76667°E / -30.31667; 149.76667Coordinates: 30°19′0″S 149°46′0″E / 30.31667°S 149.76667°E / -30.31667; 149.76667
Population 5,890 (2011 census)[1]
Established 1860[2]
Postcode(s) 2390
Elevation 212 m (696 ft)[3]
Location
LGA(s) Narrabri Shire
County Nandewar
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

Narrabri /ˈnærəbraɪ/[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 2011 census, Narrabri had a population of 5,890.[1]

As a result of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri township is quite prone to flooding and fire.

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. This will be where the Narrabri Coal Seam Gas Project is going to be located and west along from Narrabri 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. 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 Kamilaroi 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]

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) 48.9
(120)		 42.3
(108.1)		 40.6
(105.1)		 37.2
(99)		 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)		 48.9
(120)
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)		 5.6
(42.1)		 0.7
(33.3)		 −2.2
(28)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −3.9
(25)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 3.9
(39)		 6.0
(42.8)		 −5.6
(21.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 84.2
(3.315)		 63.6
(2.504)		 57.0
(2.244)		 39.1
(1.539)		 48.0
(1.89)		 48.1
(1.894)		 46.8
(1.843)		 40.7
(1.602)		 42.1
(1.657)		 52.5
(2.067)		 61.2
(2.409)		 77.8
(3.063)		 661.9
(26.059)
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.[9] 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.[9] The current weather station for Narrabri is Narrabri Airport Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which began observations in 2001.[10]

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.[11] 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.[11][12] Damage caused by the storm was estimated to be around £3,000.[12]

Media

Since October 2014 there is a local community portal called MyNarrabri at www.mynarrabri.com.au which is designed as a Lifestyle Magazine covering News, Events, Businesses and People in the Narrabri Shire.

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.[13] 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.[14] The station opened in 1897 and is served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree.[15]

Narrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.[16]

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 "2011 Census QuickStats – Narrabri (Urban Centre)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. March 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Narrabri Shire, Courier Print, Narrabri
  3. 1 2 "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 Retrieved 30 October 2009
  6. ↑ "Narrabri". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "Australian Heritage – Narrabri". Historical Towns Directory. Heritage Australia Publishing. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Climatological Station Metadata – Narrabri West Post Office" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Climatological Station Metadata – Narrabri Airport AWS" (PDF). Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  11. 1 2 "A TERRIFIC CYCLONE.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 6 January 1902. p. 7. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. 1 2 "THE NARRABRI CYCLONE.". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 January 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "Narrabri | Fly Corporate". Fly Corporate. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  14. ↑ Narrabri Railway Station. NSWrail.net. Accessed 1 April 2008.
  15. ↑ "North West timetable" (PDF). NSW Trainlink. 20 October 2013.
  16. ↑ Rail Traffic Resurgence at Narrabri Clark, Allan J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March 2000 pp83-91
  17. ↑ "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2013.

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