Narrabri

Narrabri is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia. Narrabri is situated on the Namoi River and lies 521 km northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At the 2006 census, Narrabri had a population of 6,102

As a result of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri Township is quite prone to flooding.

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the Early 1800s, Narrabri was the home of the Kamilaroi people, who still constitute a significant fraction of the local population.

It is the centre of a major cotton growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include wheat, beef and lamb. Nearby attractions are Mount Kaputar National Park, the Australia Telescope Compact Array at the Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the CSIRO) and a number of agricultural centres, including the Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre. Just to the south of town is the Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in Eastern Australia. Narrabri also boasts The Crossing Theatre, a 1000 seat auditorium and cinema complex of a standard normally only found in larger Australian communities.

The Narrabri Shire has also laid claim to the title of "Australia's Sportiest Town", according to NBN TV's "Today Show". This is backed up by a large number of ovals and Sporting Clubs within the shire.

Media
Narrabri has a twice-weekly published newspaper, The Courier. This is one of the few remaining independent regional newspapers in Australia.

A local community radio station, 2MAX FM also services the area. This volunteer run community radio station broadcasts on 91.3 FM, from the nearby Mt Dowe, and is able to cover a very large area due to this height. The station has been running for 7 years full time. 2MAX FM has a focus on country music and older listeners.

News and up to date information about Narrabri can be found on the website Narrabri.netor on Narrabri Shire Council's website www.narrabri.nsw.gov.au

Transport
The town is served daily by twice daily flights from Narrabri Airport to Sydney with Aeropelican. It is almost equally distant from Brisbane and Sydney. Narrabri railway station is situated on the Mungindi, or North West railway line, 569 km from Sydney. The station opened in 1897 and is currently served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree. The train to Moree stops at 5:27pm and the train to Sydney stops at 9:22am.

Narrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.

Local churches

 * Anglican Church
 * Baptist Church
 * Catholic Church
 * Christian Outreach Centre
 * New Life Christian Fellowship
 * Presbyterian Church
 * Uniting Church

Notable residents

 * Ernest Riddle, former Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia