Brewarrina, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Brewarrina
state = nsw


caption =
lga = Brewarrina Shire Council
postcode = 2839
est = 1863
pop = 1,121
elevation= 115
maxtemp = 27.6
mintemp = 12.6
rainfall = 407.1
stategov = Barwon
fedgov = Parkes
dist1 = 787
dir1 = NW
location1= Sydney
dist2 = 378
dir2 = NW
location2= Dubbo
dist3 = 96
dir3 = E
location3= Bourke

Brewarrina is a small town (2006 population: 1,121 Census 2006 AUS | id = UCL113400 | name = Brewarrina (Urban Centre/Locality) | quick = on | accessdate = 2007-06-28 ] ) in North West New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Darling/Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. It is 98 km east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, and 808km from Sydney. Brewarrina is a town that is feeling the effects of the drought, with its population decreasing from 1,197 persons in 2001, to 1,121 persons in 2006. Many businesses in Brewarrina have had to shut up shop, because of the lingering dought. In earlier times Brewarrina was one of the great inter-tribal meeting places of eastern Australia with the fishing traps, known in the Aboriginal language as Ngunnhu, sustaining thousands of Aboriginal people during tribal gatherings held prior to European settlement. The fisheries are estimated to be at least 40,000 years old and could be the oldest man-made structure on earth. Brewarrina is well known for its fishing. Other towns and villages in the Brewarrina district include; Goodooga, Gongolgon, Weilmoringle and Angledool.

History

The town is located amid the traditional lands of the Ngemba, Muwarrari and Yualwarri peoples. The area has a long Indigenous Australian history and was once the meetings grounds for over 5,000 people. The inhabitants built extensive fish traps that survived for thousands of years and are now a tourist attraction.

No one knows exactly what the word "Brewarrina" means. There are five competing interpretations of the name, several of them mutually exclusive. The most common translation is "clumps of acacias"; others are "where the gooseberry grows", "fishing", "acacia clumps" and, perhaps the most plausible, "place of gooseberries", coming from "warrina", meaning "place of", and "bre" or "burie" or "biree" meaning "gooseberries".

The first white settlers arrived in the district around 1839-40. The first people to own land where the town now stands were the Lawson brothers, who had two holdings - one called "Walcha" and another called "Moona". The first name given to the settlement was "Walcha Hut" but this later changed to "Fishery" and finally to "Brewarrina". In 1859 a riverboat called "Gemini", skippered by William Randell, reached the town. This opened up the possibility of developing the town as a port, and by the early 1860s Brewarrina was recognised as the furthest navigable point on the Darling River. The town was formally surveyed and laid out in 1861, and proclaimed on 28 April 1863.

The 1870s were something of a boom time for Brewarrina. The Mechanics Institute was formed in 1873. The following year two hotels, two stores and the Commercial Bank all opened, and in 1875 a public school was established. All this development was largely due to Cobb and Co, which had a number of coach services passing through the town. There was a service from Byrock, one from Dubbo via Warren and, in 1874, a direct service from Brewarrina to Enngonia, north of Bourke. The number of people moving through the town at this time would have been considerable and would have given rise to the increase in stores and hotels.

Sport & Recreation

The townspeople of Brewarrina play a variety of sports. The town has a local Rugby Union club & team, the Brewarrina Brumbies. Rugby League is a very popular sport in Brewarrina, with the town sporting a number of different teams. Netball is a popular sport and is played weekly, there are over 12 teams playing in the local competition. The Brewarrina Golf Club is renowned throughout the western region as one of the best 'oiled' green golf courses. Other major played sports in Brewarrina include bowls, shooting, tennis & swimming. Brewarrina also has a very successful circus skills program, which trains local kids skills in circus training and gives them the opportunity to travel across the country to places like Adelaide and Melbourne. This program has also given particular kids the chance to travel overseas, with one girl travelling to South Africa to perform in the art of circus skills.

Brewarrina, on the wide Barwon River is an ideal place to fish. With the largest officially recorded cod being caught here, weighing 113 kilograms (250lbs), Brewarrina is always a buzz when "the fish are biting". The river is also used for swimming in the summer months, and is a great spot for water skiing.

Events

Brewarrina is host to one of the most famous Rodeos in the far west of New South Wales, the 'Barwon River Rodeo', which is usually held on the New South Wales Easter long weekend.Brewarrina is also well known for its annual 'Festival of the Fisheries', which celebrates Brewarrina's Aboriginal and European History. Sadly, the event has sometimes not been held in recent years.

Other annual events include the local agricultural show, and the Bre Races.Especially noteworthy is the Brewarrina 'Surfboat Classic', the only one of its type, in which canoes are raced up the Barwon River. This event usually attracts hundreds of spectators from neighbouring communities and even from the east of the state.

Media

Brewarrina's only newspaper, "The Brewarrina News" is published by the Brewarrina Shire council, and is released monthly, usually on a Thursday.Brewarrina receives Imparja Television from the Northern Territory, along with Seven Central (Queensland), SBS & ABC NSW. Brewarrina receives 2WEB radio station along with [2CUZ FM] (both from Bourke), Brewarrina also recives ABC radio.

Notable citizens

Leo Schofield, restaurant critic, advertising professional and arts festival director.

Education

Brewarrina boasts 2 schools, Brewarrina Central School (which consists of a high school and infants/ primary) and St. Patricks Catholic School (which only consists of infants/ primary). Brewarrina has 1 pre-school Gainmara Birilee pre-school. For higher education in Brewarrina, the Brewarrina TAFE offers a large range of courses.

Railway

In 1901 a railway branch line was opened to Brewarrina from Byrock, on the Nyngan to Bourke line. This closed in 1974.

References