Roxy Community Theatre and War Memorial

 

Leeton (including Yanco)
Major administrative centre to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area
The administrative centre of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) Leeton is 595 km west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways and 152 m above sea-level. With a population of 6245 its history is inseparable from the development of the MIA, which commenced in the first decade of the twentieth century, bringing an oasis of green fertility to the flat, dry plains of the Riverina.

Leeton, like Griffith, was designed in 1914 by American architect, Walter Burley Griffin, who had recently designed the city of Canberra. Like Canberra it was created from nothing rather than developing piecemeal as a result of private settlement. Like Canberra Leeton has an essentially circular design with four street precincts radiating out from the town centre. Its orderly design, concentration of Art Deco buildings, shady and tree-lined streets, 102 ha of public recreation parks and reserves, its many well-kept public and private gardens, and surrounding orchards and rice fields have been central to its receipt of Tidy Town and Best Tourist Town Awards.

Leeton was named after C.A. Lee, the minister for public works when the irrigation scheme opened.

 

Huge irrigation sprays seem to spread to the horizon near Leeton

 

The MIA stores the waters of the Murrumbidgee River at Burrinjuck Dam, near Yass. Further upstream water from the Tumut River is stored in the Blowering Dam. The two have a combined storage capacity of 2 654 000 megalitres, more than five times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour. The water passes through Berembed Weir and is diverted into the main canal, which is 159 km long with a flow capacity of 6500 megalitres per day. Altogether there are 2010 km of supply channels and another 1391 km of drainage channels servicing some 2500 farms in an area that covers 182 000 ha.

The area was originally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people, the largest tribe in NSW. Yanco derives from an indigenous word said to mean 'the sound of running water'.

The European settlement in the area was the Yanko station which was established in the 1840s. When the railway arrived in 1882 a township, 6 km south of present-day Leeton, began to develop around the station as the station master and fettlers settled nearby. Later that decade the name of the settlement was changed to Yanco in accordance with local spelling.

The history of the MIA begins in 1900 when North Yanco station was purchased by Sir Samuel McCaughey, pastoralist, philanthropist, highly successful experimenter in sheep breeding (he developed one of the best studs in the Riverina - Coonong, near Uranba) and designer-improver of many farm implements. Although interest in the irrigation potential of the area stems back to the late 1870s it was McCaughey's success in constructing a complex irrigation system for his property, which included 320 km of channels and employed two steam engines to pump water from the Murrumbidgee, which convinced the government to initiate large-scale development by beginning work on the Burrinjuck Dam.

The development of the MIA enabled the subdivision of land, previously used for grazing, into smaller units engaged in mixed farming, dairying, horticulture and sheep-rearing. A cannery opened at Leeton in 1914. Becoming a co-operative in 1935, it established a British Empire record in 1940 by canning 419 609 cans of peaches in a day. The railway arrived at Leeton in 1922, thus ensuring the decline of Yanco's importance. Dairying died as rice emerged in the 1920s. The first rice mill in the MIA opened at Leeton in 1951. Italian migrants, drawn by the similarity of soil and climate to Italy, were crucial to the successful development of local horticulture which struggled initially.

Today Leeton is one of largest fruit and vegetable growing regions in Australia. Altogether the Riverina produces 90% of NSW's and 35% of Australia's citrus products. Sunburst Foods, the largest citrus producer in NSW, was formed at Leeton in 1974 when eight local citrus-growing families, unable to successfully market their fruit, combined to establish a juicing operation at Leeton. As a grape-growing and wine making region it is the largest producer in NSW and the second-largest in the country. Furthermore 1.2 million tonnes of rice a year are grown by the rice growers' cooperative. Other produce includes cereals, legumes, meat and livestock, wool and stockfeed.

Things to see:  

Visitor Information and Tours in the Local Area
Tours of local production plants can be organised through the visitors centre, which is located at 8-10 Yanco Ave, tel: (02) 6953 6481.

 

Wineries
Toorak Winery on Toorak Rd, the oldest and largest in the area and a regular award winner, is open 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. every day but Sunday with guided tours at 11.30 a.m. (02-6953 2333). Lillypilly Estate (2 km south on Lillypilly Rd) is another award-winning winery which specialises in premium quality table wines. It is also open every day except Sundays from 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. with guided tours at 4.00 p.m. (02-6953 4069).

 

Leeton's Art Deco Architecture
One of the bonuses of being a town which was largely built in the interwar years is, in this case at least, a concentration of Art Deco architecture. Leeton has 21 buildings listed with the Art Deco Society of NSW's Register. These are to be found along Kurrajong and Pine Aves, the former being named after the trees planted in its median strip. The functional is rendered aesthetic with various forms of decoration: red neon lighting is used for brash ornamental effect, there are rendered and elaborately sculptured parapets, suspended awnings with ornate ceilings, recessed doorways to shop fronts which feature curved display windows complete with leadlight glazing, and decorative ceramic tiling around front walls and entry porches.

The visitor's centre at the eastern end of Kurrajong Ave (02-6953 2832) has leaflets outlining the buildings of most note about town. Several are of particular note including the centre itself, built in 1913 to house the senior executive of the MIA. Walking north-west to the town centre, on your left, the State Bank building is of interest. At the intersection of Kurrajong and Pine is the war memorial and one of the town's most striking structures, the Roxy Theatre (1930), one of the few remaining rural Australian movie palaces of the 1920s and the town's finest example of Art Deco architecture. It is particularly impressive at night time. Inspections are by appointment (02-6953 2074).

 

 

Walter Burley Griffin's art deco water towers

 

Chelmsford Place
Chelmsford Place radiates out to the north. There is a band rotunda and a beautiful tree plantation. Next to the rotunda are three water towers (1912, 1937 and 1974) with neo-gothic battlements in medieval mode. Adjacent is the impressive Hydro Hotel (1919) originally built to house executives of the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission who were supervising the construction of the MIA. The building was sold and enlarged in 1924. Its life as an hotel began without an alcohol license as, at a time when abstinence and prohibition movements were sweeping the west, the town was 'dry' in its early days, much to the consternation of Henry Lawson. Lawson, one of Australia's best known poets, was invited to Leeton in 1915 to be given two guineas a week and a house in return for articles and poems publicising the MIA. He accepted and lived at Leeton from January 1916 to September 1917, publishing a number of articles, which were not always favourable. He spent much of his time here revising early work for publication in Selected Poems (1918). While there he remet J.W. Gordon (aka 'Jim Grahame') who is thought to be the model for one of Lawson's central fictional characters, 'Mitchell'. The two had first met during Lawson's celebrated outback trek in 1892-93. At that time there were 'drunks' express' trains taking the likes of Lawson to watering holes at Whitton and Narrandera. Lawson's cottage, in Daalbata Rd, on the eastern side of town, has been little altered though it is not open for public inspection.

 

 

The Historic Hydro Motor Inn

 

Hydro Hotel, The Courthouse and St Mary's Convent
The Hydro Hotel, which once housed Princess Alexandra, offers panoramic views from its upper verandah. The decor is Edwardian with stained-glass windows depicting the development of the MIA. The proprietors will usually show you around circumstances permitting (02-6953 2355).

Head south along Wade Ave until it terminates in Church St. Standing opposite the southern end of Wade Ave is the Courthouse (1924). Nearby, in Ash St is St Mary's Convent (1924), opened by Archbishop Mannix in 1927.

 

Parks and Reserves
Mountford Park in the centre of town is a good spot for a picnic. There is an avenue of Jacarandas through the park, an aviary, fish ponds, a rose garden and a variety of interesting trees. Other pleasant local reserves are Graham Park in Quandong St, Dooley Park in Sycamore St and Central Park in Cherry Ave. Fivebough Swamp, 2 km north of the town centre, contains 149 species of waterbirds, including egrets, ibis and terns. Permission and details for entry are available from the visitor's centre.

 

Leeton Aboriginal Mission
Late in the nineteenth century, with their traditional lands gone, the Aboriginal community were forced to move to a mission. Although it has been closed the site can still be visited. It lies 9 km north-west of Leeton. Head out of town on the Whitton/Griffith Road. After about 2 km you will come to an S-bend over the railway line. Instead of crossing the line veer to the right on to the dirt road and follow it to the shelter where some signs tell the story.

 

 

Yanco Agricultural Institute

 

Yanco
Leeton is linked to Yanco by a flat 7-km cycleway which starts from the Leeton Soldiers' Club. In Yanco Samuel McCaughey's legacy lives on. An extremely wealthy man, famed for his kindness, geniality and generosity, he owned shares in 3.25 million acres of property in NSW and Queensland and built a magnificent red-brick and sandstone mansion at North Yanco. At his bequest the homestead and 400 acres became the Yanco Agricultural High School. Situated 3 km south of Yanco there is a small lake with waterbirds and the gardens are impressive. Another local educational institution, 1 km south of the town, is Yanco Agricultural Institute, which covers 825 ha. The building and grounds of both are easily accessed from 9-4.30 on schooldays.

Yanco Powerhouse was built in 1913 to drive McCaughey's irrigation scheme. Prior to its connection with the state power grid in 1950 the powerhouse used 10 000 tonnes of coal annually. The monumental task of restoring the building with volunteer labour and converting it into an historical museum is under way. There will soon be a combination of photographic and historical displays, together with a railway track for the operation of miniature steam trains. At the moment viewing is by appointment only (02-6953 3663).

Also in Yanco are McCaughey Aquatic Park, 3.6 ha of parkland with small lakes, bridges and a playground and Waring Pk in Main Street. It is worth heading just east of Yanco to see the main canal of the MIA at its widest point.

 

 

An irrigation canal

 

Around Yanco
Yanco Weir on the Murrumbidgee River is an excellent picnic spot with a fine view of the river. It presents opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and barbecues. Head south from Yanco, cross the Euroley Bridge and take the unsealed but all-weather Yanco Weir Road on the south side of river. 25 km south-west of Leeton is Gogeldrie Weir, another desirable picnic/barbecue spot with fishing and swimming possible downstream. Head out of Leeton along Whitton Road.

There are a number of river beaches along the Murrumbidgee south of Yanco. Yanco High School Beach is near Euroley Bridge. A kilometre downstream is Middle Beach Forest Park and another kilometre's journey will take you to Turkey Flat Ski Beach, a good spot for a family outing. It is ideal for boating and waterskiing and has barbecue facilities, toilets and a boat ramp.

The MIA Forest Drive will take you through the stands of red gum, past beaches, creeks, small lagoons, local wildlife and fishing spots. The route is clearly marked on the northern side of the Murrumbidgee River and a detailed brochure is available from the visitor's centre. There are parrots, robins, finches, cockatoos, kingfishers, kangaroos, emus and possums in the woodlands around town and a large waterbird population about the forest lagoons. The waterways are well stocked with silver bream, Murray cod, yellow belly, catfish and redfin, crayfish, yabbies and shrimp.

 

 

 

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Leeton