Baradine

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

Baradine is located on the Coonabarabran-Pilliga road, about midway between Coonabarabran  and Pilliga. It is adjacent to Baradine Creek which flows intermittently northwards from the Warrumbungles.

History
The area was originally inhabited by Aborigines, and first settled by Europeans in the late 1830s and was proclaimed a village in 1865. Baradine's name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word for "red wallaby". Baradine Post Office opened on 1 January 1867.

Baradine is located on the Gwabegar railway line, which was closed north of Binnaway, New South Wales in 2005. The railway reached Baradine in 1923 and the station was closed in 1985. By rail, Baradine is 563 kilometres from Sydney. Baradine is directly linked by road to Coonabarabran, Walgett, and Coonamble which is 68 km to the west from Baradine.

Baradine is the administrative centre of the Pilliga Scrub, whose history is documented in A Million Wild Acres by local farmer Eric Rolls in the 1970s.

The State forests and National Park reserves of the Pilliga are part of a vast and unusual woodland, famous for its cypress pine, its broom plains, its vivid spring wildflowers, its koalas and a rich supply of honey-bearing flora. In a state where eucalypt forests dominate the landscape, the Pilliga offers scenery that is distinctly different.

The State forests and National Park reserves of the Pilliga stretch across the flat, sandy plains between the Warrumbungle Mountains near Coonabarabran in the south and the Namoi River near Narrabri in the north, the single largest area of continuous forest west of the Great Dividing Range. The forests have a long history of harvesting for termite-resistant white cypress pine and durable ironbark.

Today
Baradine is in the Warrumbungle Shire Local Government Area, centred in Coonabarabran. It has a hotel, supermarket, a Catholic primary school and public central school.

Baradine is located in the heart of the Pilliga forest, known for harvesting the Australian white cypress-pine which is a termite-resistant timber. This activity has been reduced as large parts of the forest are now fully conserved. There are also farming and grazing areas in the district.

Baradine Central School provides a broad curriculum for children from Kindergarten to Year 10. It strives to develop in all students a strong work ethic and the pursuit of excellence in a caring and secure environment.

Students are drawn from the immediate township, surrounding properties and the villages of Kenebri and Gwabegar.

Churches

 * Anglican: St Andrews
 * Catholic: St Johns

Baradine railway station
The station was closed in 1985 and demolished shortly afterwards.