Binnaway, New South Wales

Last updated

Binnaway
New South Wales
Royal Hotel Binnaway, New South Wales.jpg
Royal Hotel, Binnaway
Australia New South Wales location map blank.svg
Red pog.svg
Binnaway
Coordinates 31°33′S149°23′E / 31.550°S 149.383°E / -31.550; 149.383 Coordinates: 31°33′S149°23′E / 31.550°S 149.383°E / -31.550; 149.383
Population425 (2016 census) [1]
LGA(s) Warrumbungle Shire
Tennis club mural Tennis club, Binnaway, New South Wales.jpg
Tennis club mural

Binnaway is a small town located on the Castlereagh River in central western New South Wales near the larger centre of Coonabarabran, which is about 35 kilometres to the north. In 2016, the town had a population of 425 people. [1] The road linking these two towns closely follows the meandering Castlereagh River. There are many pleasant areas to stop beside the road and on the river banks to have a picnic. Binnaway is also located near the similarly sized small town of Mendooran. Following local government amalgamation, the town is now located in the Warrumbungle Shire Council area which is headquartered at Coonabarabran.

Contents

History

The name Binnaway may derive from the Aboriginal word 'binniaway' meaning 'peppermint tree wollybutt'. [2]

The township of Binnaway stands on part of the 'Mowabla' pastoral run of 16 thousand acres, taken up in 1848 by William Lawson. In the early 1850s the leasehold was purchased by David Innes Watt. [3] The district pastoral runs began to be broken up from the 1860s after the passing of the Robertson Land Acts which enabled free selection of Crown land. Selectors began taking up blocks along the Castlereagh River, including Charles Naseby who selected 50 acres in 1869 and an adjoining area of 50 acres in 1874. These areas form part of the modern township, south of Renshaw Street. [4] [3] The old road from Coolah crossed the Castlereagh River at the locality. In the 1870s the Binnaway Inn stood on the south side of the road, near the crossing on Naseby's land. [3]

In a 1876 Naseby lodged a subdivision plan encompassing "for the Private Village of Binnaway". [5] In February 1876 John McWhirter of Spring Vale, Binnaway, was granted a "Wine, Cider and Perry Licence". [6] In March 1876 a post office was established at Binnaway, "between Mundooran and Coonabarabran". [7] By 1877 the population of the district were agitating for a school. [8]

In March 1887 Binnaway was described as a settlement on the Castlereagh River at the "centre of a most fertile country, where grass, feed, and water abound". The population was considered to be "rather scattered", but the township "boasts of a store, post-office, accommodation house, and a most prolific orchard, the property of Mr. M'Whirter". A public school had been erected "in a central position", but "stands isolated at a distance from the township". The writer considered the "chief obstacle to the prosperity of the place" to be "the difficulty of getting there". Within three miles of the township there were two ways to reach Binnaway: "one is through a black sticky bog of considerable depth; the other, down and up dangerous, precipitous tracks". [9]

In 1904 David Innes Watt surrendered 100 acres of his property 'Ulindah', which adjoined Naseby's subdivision, for the establishment of a village. The Binnaway village boundaries were proclaimed in June 1909 and 42 allotments were sold in the following November. [10]

In April 1917 a railway line between Dunedoo and Binnaway was opened and by June 1917 the line had been extended through to Connabarabran. In 1917 the population of the town and district was about 200, but within three years the population had more than doubled. [3] The railway boosted local development; new commercial establishments were opened in the township and the railway encouraged the growing of wheat in the district. In 1923 a cross-country line from Dubbo to Werris Creek via Binnaway established the township as an important railway junction. In 1925 a locomotive barracks was built in Binnaway. [11] In 1930 the population had reached about 750 and the region had about nine thousand acres under wheat. By 1940 Binnaway was the centre of a mixed sheep and farming district, with a town population of about 900. By then there was about 40 thousand acres under wheat in the surrounding area. [3]

A film called The Shiralee based on a D'Arcy Niland novel set in the Australian bush, which starred Peter Finch, was filmed around Binnaway in the 1950s. Binnaway was also home to Frank Bourke's famous White Rose Orchestra and the Big Piano.

In 1968 Binnaway Street, in the centre of town, was renamed Renshaw Street after the former Premier of New South Wales, Jack Renshaw, who grew up and went to school in the area. [12]

The railway still continues to operate through Binnaway between Dubbo and the Binnaway to Werris Creek line.

Amenities

Binnaway Bombshells play in the Castlereagh Cup rugby league competition. The Binnaway Bowling club is located at the southern end of the town. Other sports active in Binnaway are cricket, fishing, golf, pony riding, squash, tennis and swimming. [13]

There are also a number of popular 4-wheel drive and motocross tracks to explore.

Preceding stationFormer ServicesFollowing station
Murrawal
towards Gwabegar
Gwabegar Line Piambra
towards Wallerawang
Terminus Binnaway- Werris Creek Line Ulinda
towards Werris Creek

See also

Related Research Articles

Warrumbungle National Park Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

Warrumbungle National Park is a heritage listed national park located in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The national park is located approximately 550 kilometres (340 mi) northwest of Sydney and contained within 23,311 hectares. The park attracts approximately 35,000 visitors per annum.

Coonabarabran Town in New South Wales, Australia

Coonabarabran is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537,and as of 2021, the population of Coonabarabran and its surrounding area is 3,477. Local and district residents refer to the town as 'Coona'.

Dunedoo Town in New South Wales, Australia

Dunedoo is a village of 747 inhabitants situated within the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales, Australia. Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name. The name is actually derived from a local Aboriginal word meaning "swan", which are commonly found in the area's lagoons.

Newell Highway

The Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At 1,058 kilometres (657 mi) in length, the Newell is the longest highway in NSW, and passes through fifteen local government areas. The highway is part of Australian national route 39 and was signposted accordingly until 2013. Since then it has been signposted as NSW route A39.

Gilgandra, New South Wales Town in New South Wales, Australia

Gilgandra is a country town in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia, and services the surrounding agricultural area where wheat is grown extensively together with other cereal crops, and sheep and beef cattle are raised. Sitting at the junction of the Newell, Oxley and Castlereagh highways, the town is located in a wide bend of the Castlereagh River downstream from its source near Coonabarabran, directly downstream from Mendooran, and upstream from Gulargambone and Coonamble. It is 432 km north-west of Sydney, and is located approximately halfway on the inland route from Melbourne to Brisbane. The town is the administrative seat of the Gilgandra Shire. It is known as the town of windmills and the home of the 'Coo-ees', and is a gateway to the Warrumbungles National Park.

Jack Renshaw Australian politician

John Brophy Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965. He was the first New South Wales Premier born in the 20th century.

Warrumbungle Shire Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The Warrumbungle Shire is a local government area in the central western region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is traversed by the Newell Highway. The Warrumbungle mountain range and Warrumbungles National Park are major tourist attractions for the Shire. Its capital is Coonabarabran, a city in the southwest.

Castlereagh River River in New South Wales

The Castlereagh River is located in the central–western district of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Macquarie-Castlereagh catchment within the Murray–Darling basin and is an unregulated river, meaning no dams or storage have been built on it to control flows. On a map of NSW, the Castlereagh has a distinctive appearance among the north-western rivers for its fish-hook-like shape: from upstream in the north at its confluence with the Macquarie River it extends southwards to a hook-shape, flattened-out at the base, which curves to the right through to the tip of the hook in the Warrumbungle Mountains at the river's source.

Mendooran Town in New South Wales, Australia

Mendooran is a small town adjacent to the Castlereagh River in the Warrumbungle Shire of central western New South Wales, Australia. The town lies at an altitude of 271 metres above sea level, 348 kilometres west of Sydney, 75 kilometres from Dubbo and 71 kilometres southeast of Coonabarabran. At the 2011 census, Mendooran had a population of 302 people. The Castlereagh Highway also runs through the town, changing its name to Bandulla Street in the centre.

Baradine Town in New South Wales, Australia

Baradine is a small town in north western New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Baradine had a population of 593.

Werris Creek railway station Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Werris Creek railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located at the junction of the Main Northern, Mungindi and Binnaway–Werris Creek lines in Werris Creek in the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the town of Werris Creek and was built between 1877 and 1880. The station is also known as Werris Creek Railway Station, yard group and movable relics. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Spring Ridge, New South Wales Town in New South Wales, Australia

Spring Ridge is a small town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. In the 2011 census the population of the town was 389. It is in the electoral district of Upper Hunter and the federal division of New England.

The Coonabarabran Shire was a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was proclaimed on 7 March 1906 with the enactment of the Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 and was centred on the town of Coonabarabran, but also covered a wide area extending to smaller towns, such as Baradine and Binnaway. On 25 August 2004, the Shire voluntarily amalgamated with the adjoining Coolah Shire to form the Warrumbungle Shire.

Caroona Town in New South Wales, Australia

Caroona is a small village in Liverpool Plains Shire, New South Wales, Australia.

Bomera, New South Wales is a bounded rural locality in New South Wales. The suburb is adjacent to the town of Binnaway and lies on the Binnaway to Werris Creek Railway. The locality is southeast of Coonabarabran. Though the station closed in the late 1970s. The area is largely agricultural in its economic activity.

Box Ridge, New South Wales is a bounded rural locality in New South Wales. The suburb is adjacent to the town of Binnaway and lies on the Binnaway to Werris Creek Railway. The locality is southeast of Coonabarabran.

Biamble is a civil parish of Napier County, New South Wales, that is located at 31°43′54″S 149°19′04″E. The civil parish is roughly equivalent to the rural locality of Neilrex in Warrumbungle Shire Council.

Binnaway Parish, New South Wales Place in New South Wales, Australia

Binnaway Parish is a civil Parish of Napier County, New South Wales, located on the Castlereagh River in central western New South Wales.

Cuttabulloo, New South Wales is a bounded rural locality and a civil parish of Gowen County, New South Wales.

Belar, New South Wales

Belar, New South Wales is a bounded rural locality of the Warrumbungle Shire and a civil parish of Gowen County, New South Wales. “Mobla” station near Binnaway is located at the south-east corner of Belar parish near the junction of Greenbah Creek with the Castlereagh River.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Binnaway (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 May 2018. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. "Binnaway, New South Wales: Travel guide and things to do". Traveller. 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 How Binnaway Has Grown, Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative, 31 March 1941, page 3.
  4. Christison (2006), page 53.
  5. Bull (1986), page 5.
  6. The Treasury, New South Wales, New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney), 7 March 1876 (Issue No. 73), page 948.
  7. General Post Office, New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney), 31 March 1876 (Issue No. 102), page 1282.
  8. Bull (1986), page 25.
  9. Binnaway, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney), 5 March 1887, page 16.
  10. Bull (1986), page 36.
  11. Christison (2006), page 54.
  12. Coonabarabran Shire Council, Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney), 1 March 1968 (Issue No. 28), page 885.
  13. "BINNAWAY SPORT".

Sources