Entering Coonabarabran across the Castlereagh River

 

Coonabarabran
Substantial rural service centre known as the 'Gateway to the Warrumbungles' - a beautiful range of mountains in the Central West.
Coonabarabran is known as the 'Gateway to the Warrumbungles', a mountain range which arcs around the town to the west, north and east. Much of it is a popular national park.

Essentially a quiet and attractive country town of 2900 people on the Castlereagh River, Coonabarabran is 451 km north-west of Sydney between Gilgandra and Gunnedah and 509 m above sea-level.

Wool and wheat are the economic mainstays of the town though it has capitalised on tourism provided by its proximity to the Warrumbungles. There is also a strong timber industry based in the Pilliga Scrub to the north-west.

The town's name derives from the language of the Kamilaroi people who inhabited the area prior to white settlement, though its meaning is now highly uncertain.

The first European to discover the Castlereagh River was George Evans, a member of John Oxley's 1818 party which passed 25 km to the north during the expedition which led to the European discovery of the Liverpool Plains.

The 'Cooleburbaran' sheep run was established in 1836 and, in the late 1840s, became known as 'Coolabarabyan' when it was owned by James Weston who grew wheat and established a mill. By 1848 a man named William Field owned the land opposite on the northern bank of the river.

 

The park beside the Castlereagh River

 

The two men had selected land around a river crossing on the 'Old Wool Road' which joined the inland to the river port of Morpeth. When settlement of Queensland proceeded, the wool trade from the north also crossed the river at this point. Both men realised the potential of the site and each established a store and hotel on opposite sides of the crossing.

Other buildings developed, including a blacksmith's, a Presbyterian school and a post office which opened in 1850. A small police force was posted to the town as early as 1857. A survey of the townsite was conducted in 1859 and land sales proceeded in 1860 when the first courthouse and lock-up were built.

Australia's only Chinese bushranger, Sam Poo, was active in the district in 1865 but was caught and hung that year after killing a police officer.

A public school was built in 1870. The following year the population was still only 163 but it more than doubled in the 1870s. All of the major religious denominations built churches in the course of the decade. Cobb and Co established a coach service through the town in 1876. A shire hall, sawmill and newspaper were established the next year, and a new sandstone courthouse was built in 1878.

Further expansion occurred in the 1880s with improved roads and services, new and more specialised stores, banks, the establishment of the local agricultural show and a bridge over the Castlereagh in 1885 (replaced in 1926), though drought followed by a plague of kangaroos and emus caused economic hardship.

After weathering the depression of the 1890s the town became a quiet service centre. A tourist orientation seemed to be in operation by 1904 when Coonabarabran became known as the 'Katoomba of the north west'. This development was enhanced, along with local primary industry, when the railway arrived in 1917.

Australian novelist Kylie Tennant re-met and married her husband while he was teaching at Coonabarabran in 1932. Her novel Tiburon (1935) depicts the town during the Great Depression.

The 10-day Warrumbungle Festival of the Stars is held in October and it focuses on astronomy, the arts and the Aboriginal heritage of the area, with workshops, performances, a rocket-launching evening, Aboriginal artists and storytellers. There is also an Easter Carnival, with markets on Easter Saturday.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Coonabarabran Visitors' Centre is located on the Newell Highway, tel: (02) 6842 1441. They can furnish information about local farmstays, horse riding, scenic flights, guided tours and tourist drives and can sell you a Super Nova Ticket, allowing you to see both the Skywatch and Siding Spring Observatories at a discounted price.

Tune to FM 88 for a radio broadcast of local information.

 

Australian Natural History Museum
A display relating to ancient Australian megafauna, it includes the most complete skeleton in Australia of a diprotodon, the largest known marsupial that has lived. Something like a buffalo-sized wombat, it roamed the area 34 000 years ago. There is also a small local history collection and a display relating to Dreamtime legends. School groups are catered for if advance arrangements are made. The museum is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6842 1441.

 

Skywatch Night & Day Observatory
2 km west of the town centre, on the National Park Rd, is the Skywatch Observatory. Its attractions include hands-on usage of powerful telescopes as well as simulated computer games, a theatrette, a pictorial history of astronomy, a special planetarium, a gift shop, snacks and a mini-golf course with an astronomy theme. The observatory is open each day from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. with night-sky viewing from sundown (astronomy session times vary seasonally), tel: (02) 6842 3303. For more information check out http://www.lisp.com.au./~skywatch

 

Siding Spring Observatory
24 km west, in the Warrumbungle Range, is Siding Spring Observatory, a complex of international importance which has the largest optical research telescope in Australia (3.9 m). It is a hands-on experience with an interactive exhibition, a theatrette, a science gift shop and cafeteria. They are open from 9.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m daily and guided tours for groups can be arranged, tel: (02) 6842 6211.

 

Warrumbungle National Park
27 km west of Coonabarabran is Warrumbungle National Park, one of the state's most popular parks. It is easily accessible, has good facilities and provides excellent opportunities for family recreation.

The Warrumbungle Range is a 130-km spur of the Great Dividing Range. Of volcanic origin there are some striking formations made of trachyte - a fast-drying lava which plugs volcanic craters and remains after the softer surrounding cones have eroded, leaving some remarkable ridges, spires and domes; the best-known being the Breadknife, 90 m high and one metre thick.

Before white settlement this area provided shelter and food for the Kamilaroi people. John Oxley was the first European to sight them in 1818.

Splendid wildflowers bloom in spring and early summer. There are 180 species of birds and plenty of other fauna, including koalas and kangaroos.

Soon after you enter the park there is a signposted parking area to the left at the start of the short walking track to the outstanding Whitegum Lookout (1.1 km return). In all there are 30 km of walking tracks of varying lengths, qualities and grades of difficulty. They are outlined in material available from the visitors' centre in the park or at Coonabarabran.

8 km west of the lookout is the visitors' centre which has information relating to the park's lay-out, natural features and accommodation. Fees for all visitors are payable here. It is open from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6825 4364 .

Canyon Camp is a day-use picnic area with free electric barbecues. The discovery program operates throughout the year, particularly in school holidays. It includes ranger-guided walks and activities, Aboriginal cultural walks, children's activities and information and slide evenings.

 

Crystal Kingdom
Crystal Kingdom houses 'Minerals of the Warrumbungles' - a collection of the world's most colourful and rare zeolite crystals, found locally. There is a huge crystal cave, as well as local fossils and a gift shop which has jewellery, including set and unset gemstones. A guide is on hand to explain the geological history of the Warrumbungles and the development and qualities of the crystals. It is located at the corner of Chappell St (the Oxley Highway) and North St, 500 m north of the bridge, and is open from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6842 1927.

 

Pilliga Pottery
Pilliga Pottery consists of a mudbrick workshop and showrooms and a bush cafe serving Devonshire teas. They are open seven days a week, tel: (02) 6842 2239. Head north-east towards Narrabri on the Newell Highway and take the signposted left 23 km from Coonabarabran.

 

Hickey's Falls
Hickey's Falls are located at the end of a short walking track which departs from a roadside stop, 42 km south-west of Coonabarabran on the Oxley Highway, en route to Gilgandra. There is a pleasant waterhole for swimming in summer, as well as picnic and barbecue facilities.

 

Sandstone Caves
The caves, formed by the natural erosion of a soft sandstone area, are closed from September to November to allow for the safe breeding of an endangered bird species. They are located north-west via the Newell Highway but can only be visited by arrangement with the visitors' centre. There is a small entry fee, tel: (02) 6842 1441.

 

Pilliga Scrub
The vast cypress pine forests of the Pilliga Scrub lie to the north-west of town (see entry on Baradine). Detailed maps, drinking water and dry weather are a necessity. The maps can be purchased from the Coonabarabran Visitors' Centre.

 

Warrumbungle Light Aboriginal Culture and Ecological Tours
A day tour with Warrumbungle Light Aboriginal Culture and Ecological Tours takes in ochre sites, toolmaking sites, rock paintings, engravings, artefacts, bone caves, swamp and bushland, with commentary on Aboriginal history and culture, and local ecology.

 

 

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Coonabarabran