Narrandera

Narrandera is a town in southern New South Wales, Australia. It is an important destination for travellers as it lies on the junction of the Newell and Sturt Highways and it is the gateway to the productive Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. At the 2006 census, Narrandera had a population of 3,961 people. Its strong history is reflected by the various historic attractions present in the town.

History
Narrandera is a River Town with a rich heritage. Captain Charles Sturt, the famous explorer, is credited with being the first white man to observe the area that later was to become known as Narrandera. However Sturt, who passed through the district on 12 December 1829, was not the first explorer to cast eyes on the Murrumbidgee River. The upper Murrumbidgee, the "Big Water", was first discovered in April 1821, by Charles Throsby. The name Narrandera is probably derived from Wiradjuri nharrang, meaning "frill-necked lizard".

The Narrungderra were the local indigenous people. They were all but destroyed by settlement, disease brought by European settlers, and clashes with the settlers. The last major battle between the indigenous people and European settlers took place near Massacre Island, and is said to have left only one survivor.

Narrandera had its first recorded mention as a pastoral station or "run" (Narrandera Run) in 1848, at which time the property held by Mr Edward Flood comprised approximately 76800 acres.

The township developed in the early 1860s. Gillinbah Post Office opened nearby on 1 March 1859 and was replaced by the Narrandera office in 1861. A Gillenbah office was open from 1881 to 1892 and from 1906 to 1941.

The Borough of Narrandera was constituted by proclamation dated 17 March 1885, and gazetted the following day. The centenary of Local Government in Narrandera was celebrated in 1985.

Narrandera today
The town of Narrandera is located on the Murrumbidgee River, at the intersection of the Newell Highway and the Sturt Highway at the centre of a diversely productive agricultural region. Its attractive tree-lined streets contrast with the open plains that surround it. The central Narrandera Memorial Gardens include an unusual ceramic fountain made by Royal Doulton and erected as a memorial to World War 1 in 1922.

Narrandera now marks the transition between an extensive dry-land area devoted to cereal crops and sheep and wool production to the east, and, to the west, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) fed by water from the Burrinjuck Dam. The MIA is a region where irrigation has opened the way to a diversity of enterprise, from the growing of rice and other cereals under irrigation to the production of citrus, wine grapes and potatoes.

The town also has number of historic attractions, such as the aforementioned Royal Doulton Fountain, located in the Memorial Gardens; a fig tree on the corner of King and Cadell Streets, which is thought to be 150 years old; and the Mon Repos, a residence built in a Queen Anne-style, which was built in the 1890s.

Narrandera's immediate surrounds feature a number of waterways as well as the aforementioned Murrumbidgee River.

The Irrigation Canal, which carries water to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area to Narrandera's west, flows through the town. It originates 34 km west at Berembed Weir where water is diverted from the Murrumbidgee River. The canal follows the natural bed of Bundidgerry Creek and in places spreads wide and has no levee banks. Lake Talbot was formed in 1924 when the bank of the Irrigation Canal gave way, flooding the river flat between the canal and Bundidgerry Hill. The shallow body of water was allowed to remain and became an important recreational feature of the town. The eastern end of the lake is commonly used by water skiiers while the western end forms a wetland habitat for native fauna. A wetland has been created off Lizard Drive,and only 300 m from the Murrumbidgee River. The Narrandera Wetland is a collection point for storm water run-off from the town.

Transport
Narrandera's railway station is serviced by the weekly Sydney to Griffith Countrylink XPlorer. It stops on the way to Griffith at 2:33pm on Saturdays and stops on the way back to Sydney at 8:45am on Sundays.

In popular culture
The book Jessica by Bryce Courtenay has several mentions to Narrandera as the main city near the place where the book is set.

Notable citizens
Notable citizens originating from Narrandera include the Governor of New South Wales Marie Bashir; Australian Rules footballer, Tim Ruffles, who plays for the Fremantle Football Club; Prima ballerina Kathleen Gorham; and Patrick Hartigan (poet and author who used the pen name, "John O'Brien"): the bush ethos celebrated by Hartigan in his writings is commemorated in the annual John O'Brien Bush Festival held in the town.