Bingara, New South Wales

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


caption = View from HF Batterham Memorial Lookout
lga = Gwydir Shire Council
county = Murchison
postcode = 2404
est =
pop = 2,061
elevation= 298
dist1 = 604
dir1 = N
location1= Sydney
dist2 = 500
dir2 = SW
location2= Brisbane

Bingara (coord|29|52|S|150|34|E|region:AU-NSW_type:city) (Aboriginal for 'shallow ford') is a small town on the Gwydir River in Murchison County in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Bingara has a population of 2,061 (2001 Census) and is currently the Administrative centre for the Gwydir Shire that was created in 2003. It has a culturally homogeneous population as residents are mostly of Anglo-Celtic background. Only 4.7% of the population is born overseas and 2.4% is of Indigenous background. It is a popular site for retirement and hence has an old population, with 49.9% aged 55 years and over. Bingara's socioeconomic status is comparatively lower than that of Australia. Bingara is one of the few places in Australia where diamonds have been found. The Gwydir River being a main highlight of the town is a main catchment of the Murray-Darling System.

Location

Bingara is located 150km north of Tamworth, 70km west of Inverell, 604km north of Sydney and 500km south west of Brisbane.

History

The discovery of gold in 1852 brought prospectors to the area. In the 1880's, copper and diamonds were discovered also, causing a rapid development of the town. Bingara is one of the few places in Australia where diamonds have been found. In fact, Bingara was the largest producer of diamonds in Australia at that time. Bingara changed the spelling of its name from "Bingera" to "Bingara" in 1890.

Climate

Bingara enjoys a climate of beautiful spring and autumn days through April, May and September, October. During the months of June to August the days are sunny while the nights are cold and frosty. Days during November to January are dry and hot with low humidity.