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Boggabri
Small township on the north west slopes of New South
Wales
Boggabri is a small and tranquil country town of about 1000
people on rising ground by the Namoi River, 37 km north of
Gunnedah and 471 km north-west of Sydney. Set against a
pleasant backdrop of hills and the Nandewar Range, it has an
elevation of 251 m. The name derives from an Aboriginal word
said to mean 'Place of Many Creeks'.
Boggabri is basically a town servicing the surrounding
area which is given over to wheat, wool and cotton. There
are large grain-holding facilities and huge, but as yet
unexploited, coal reserves under nearby Leards Forest. The
town has a modern motel, two pubs and a caravan park.
John Oxley became the first European to set foot in the
district in 1818. On a more colourful note, George 'The
Barber' Clarke, a convict escapee assigned to Benjamin
Singleton (see entry on Singleton), fled to the area in
1826, living with the Kamilaroi peoples, who it seems may
have regarded him as one of their own returned from the
dead. He acquired two Aboriginal wives, underwent body
initiation rites and generally adopted the language, dress
and customs of the group. Clarke lived a little to the
north-east of the present townsite, building a bark hut by
the Namoi which Allan Cunningham encountered during a voyage
of exploration in 1827.
Large stocks of cattle were taken to the Liverpool Plains
for pasturage from 1827 and Clarke turned to cattle
rustling, establishing some stockyards. When times were hard
he surrendered to Singleton, but again fled with the
Aborigines while leading Singleton on an expedition into the
new country. He then returned to bushranging, was captured
in 1831, escaped, was recaptured, escaped again and was
finally recaptured, after which he was marched 210 km to
Sydney and transported to Norfolk Island. He was hung in
Tasmania for further offences in 1835.
Clarke's account of the Namoi River and his tales of an
enormous inland sea prompted the acting governor to send
Thomas Mitchell on an expedition into the district, thereby
opening the area up to settlement.
The first squatter was Edward Cox who arrived in 1835,
calling the place the Namoi Hut after the building he
erected on what is now the hospital hill. His name was
bestowed upon the creek which intersects with the river at
the town. This confluence of waterways was also the
intersection of roads from the west and from the south and
so it became a meeting and resting place for teamsters.
Consequently a store and blacksmith's were established.
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| Boggabri Court House
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The townsite was surveyed in 1859, gazetted in 1860 and
the first land sales proceeded in 1861 with the first hotel
being one of the earliest additions. At the time Gulligal
was the main local settlement and a key postal location but
the floods of 1864 virtually destroyed it.
By 1866 the population of Boggabri was about 50. A bridge
over Cox's Creek was built c.1867,. a post office was
established in 1870, a police station and school in 1873 and
a general purpose church building in 1877. The railway
arrived in 1882.
Things to see:
Tourist Information
The nearest information centre is in Narrabri, tel: (02)
6799 6760 or email: tourism@narrabri.nsw.gov.au
Museum
The Boggabri Museum is located in Brent St, two blocks west
of the Royal Hotel, tel: (02) 6743 4112. It is open by
appointment.
Honey Farm
Nelson's Honey Factory in Lynn St is open for tours of the
farm and honey sales, but be sure to ring first, tel: (02)
6743 4388. Just look for the honey bee mail box.
Gin's Leap
Gin's Leap is a rock formation, 4 km north on the left-hand
side of the Narrabri Rd. The name is said to derive from an
Aboriginal woman who leapt to her death, fleeing a tribal
elder or suitor. There is a picnic area and an interpretive
sign at the site where the Rock Inn once stood. Used as a
coaching stopover it was built c.1850 before Boggabri
existed. A family tomb established in 1895 also has an 1858
grave belonging to a serving girl who died while working at
the inn.
Manilla Rd
Travelling south from Narrabri, just beyond Gin's Leap, the
Manilla Rd heads eastwards off the Narrabri Road. It soon
leads across the Namoi River via the Iron Bridge (1883). To
the left is barber's Pinnacle and to the right is Barber's
Lagoon. A plaque by the latter site notes the approximate
spot of the hut and stockyards established by escaped
convict, George 'The Barber' Clarke, who inhabited this area
from 1826-1831, living with the Kamilaroi peoples who, it
seems, may have regarded him as one of their own returned
from the dead. He acquired two Aboriginal wives, underwent
body initiation rites and generally adopted the language,
dress and customs of the group.
Large stocks of cattle were taken to the Liverpool Plains
for pasturage from 1827 and Clarke turned to cattle
rustling. When times were hard he surrendered to Singleton,
but again fled with the Aborigines while leading Singleton
on an expedition into the new country. He then returned to
bushranging, was captured in 1831, escaped, was recaptured,
escaped again and was finally recaptured, after which he was
marched 210 km to Sydney and transported to Norfolk Island.
He was hung in Tasmania for further offences in 1835.
Clarke's account of the Namoi River and his tales of an
enormous inland sea prompted the acting governor to send
Thomas Mitchell on an expedition into the district, thereby
opening the area up to settlement.
8 km east of the Narrabri Rd you can turn left on to the
road which leads through Leards Forest, a fossicking area
where thunder eggs and agate are found and under which there
are enormous coal deposits.
Fishing
Fishing is popular on the Namoi River. The Narrabri
Visitors' Centre has information on 18 fishing spots along
the river.
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Boggabri
