Coonamble (and Macquarie Marshes)
Pleasant service town on the Castlereagh River.
Coonamble is a smallish country town of some 3000 people on the Castlereagh River, 569 km north-west of Sydney, 93 km north of Gilgandra and 180 m above sea-level. It is essentially a service centre to the largest shire in NSW (almost 10 000 sq km) which covers the western slopes of the Warrumbungle Range and the alluvial plains of the Castlereagh. Wheat, sheep and cattle are the economic mainstays, though there is a significant horse industry and a number of famous stud farms.

As far as can be determined, the original inhabitants of the area were the Kamilaroi, Kawambarai and Weilwan tribes. The town's name derives from an Aboriginal term 'gunambil', thought by some to mean 'full of bullock's dung', though the last surviving full-blood Aborigine of he area asserted that meant 'full of dirt'. This would appear to be either a reference to the arid nature of the terrain during drought or perhaps to the fact that the river bed is, for the most part, dry, owing to the fact that it flows underground when rains are absent.

The first Europeans in the area were the 1818 party of John Oxley. A member of the team, George Evans, encountered the Castlereagh near the future townsite, naming it after Lord Castlereagh, the secretary of state for the colonies.

In 1840 James Walker established the first run in the area; that being the 'Koonamble' station, settled by his agent. It soon became a watering place and campsite for passing stockmen.

Land on either side of the river was reserved for a townsite in 1855. In 1859 it was surveyed and the first post office established. The township was gazetted in 1861 with the first courthouse and lock-up built in 1862.

In 1865, bushranger John Dunn, the only surviving member of Ben Hall's gang, was surprised at his camp near Quambone (50 km west of Coonamble). Shot in the foot he hobbled away until shot in the back. As the constable approached Dunn sat up and shot the officer in the groin. Two more constables arrived and he fought them with his pistol butt but was overpowered. Put under light guard, owing to his injuries, he crawled away at night time, only to be found 3 km away the next morning. He was hanged for murder the following year.

The first public school was erected in 1869 with a police station and stables added in 1870. The local economy changed in its focus from cattle to sheep in the 1870s and amidst the general economic expansion of the 1870s and 1880s, the population increased from 209 in 1871 to 1680 in 1901. Consequently a new courthouse was built in 1877. It was the first government building of brick in town. The first council meeting was held there when Coonamble was declared a municipality in 1880.

A bridge was built over the river in 1883 (it was replaced 100 years later). Prior to that the main river crossing was at Tooloon St and people were ferried across by means of a government boat in flood periods.

The first bore south of the Darling River was drilled at Coonamble in 1894 and the town and district still rely on artesian water. This event greatly benefited the town, as did the arrival of the railway from Dubbo in 1903.

A great fire struck the town in 1929, destroying almost all of the pre-war buildings in Castlereagh St. It is said the glow could be seen in Gilgandra, nearly 100 km distant.

The Coonamble Show is held in May, the rodeo in June, the Coonamble Gold Cup and Western Sandfly Motorcross in October and the Country Music Festival in November.

The town is part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme and local gardens are open for inspection, tel: (02) 6825 6236.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Coonamble Shire Council Chambers on Castlereagh St (just off Aberford St) are the de facto information centre, tel: (02) 6822 1333. However, both the Riverside Caravan Park off Castlereagh St at the southern end of town, and Zobel's Art Gallery may be of assistance. FM 88 also broadcasts local tourist information. If you are planning on a country drive it is advisable to enquire about road conditions as gravel tracks may be impassable or dangerous after rain. Enquiries can be made at the shire chambers by those wanting access to the Coonamble and District Archives and Family History Society.

 

Town Walk
A town walk pamphlet is available from the shire offices or from accommodation reception areas. Unfortunately the great fire of 1929 destroyed many of the buildings in the central area and virtually nothing from the 19th century survives. In fact the only survivor on the river side of Castlereagh St is the National Bank Building (1913) at the Aberford St corner. Hence the walk focuses on historic sites rather than buildings and the structures it does cover are, with a few exceptions, from the 20th century.

 

Historical Museum
The local history museum is situated in the old police station (1886) near the eastern bank of the river in Aberford St. The stables at the rear of the building date from the 1870s. They were constructed for the horses of the mounted police who were housed in nearby barracks. The museum is open on Fridays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. or by arrangement, tel: (02) 6822 1333.

 

Post Office Corner
The post office at the corner of Aberford and Castlereagh Sts was built in 1881 though it has had numerous additions over the years. The statue out the front of the police station next door is of Constable John Mitchell who was shot while trying to prevent the escape of prisoners in 1885. The events around the shooting are related on the wall of the station. Over the road is a mosaic of Coonamble Shire.

 

Anglican Church
Nearby, at the Aberford and Namoi St corner, is St Barnabas' Church of England, built of local timber in 1909 on the site of the original 1875 Anglican church. Contact the rectory at the rear of the church in Aberford St if you wish to inspect the interior.

 

School
Just to the east are two buildings (one being the present school library) which were built as the Superior Public School in 1879.

 

Zobel Art Gallery
The gallery displays Aboriginal and local artworks in the old Cobb & Co waiting room. It is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

 

Warrana Weir
If you follow Baradine Rd across Warrana Creek and take the immediate right it leads to Warrana Weir which is a popular boating and swimming spot.

 

The Macquarie Marshes
When in flood the waters of the Macquarie Marshes are a superb and beautiful waterbird habitat, making it an ideal bird watching site. However, when the rains are scarce, as they are at the moment, little nesting occurs and visitors can be very disappointed, so be sure to ring the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) office at Coonabarabran first, tel: (02) 6842 1311.

The NPWS currently runs fully guided tours on two weekends a year (the second weekend in May and the October long weekend), tel: (02) 6883 5304. Alternatively the site can be accessed by taking up accommodation at Willie Retreat, a privately-owned accommodation resort, tel: (02) 6824 4361.

Glimpses of the marshes can be obtained from Gibson's Way which links Quambone (54 km west) to the Macquarie Valley Way. Stop at Quambone for further directions and information.

 

Bores
Two bores which flow naturally from the Great Artesian Basin can be found in the area. One is 4.8 km from Coonamble on the Back Combara Rd and the other is 17.6 km distant on the Castlereagh Highway, en route to Walgett.

 

 

 

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Coonamble