Condobolin /kənˈdoʊbɑːlən/[2] is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the 2021 census, Condobolin had a population of 3,185.[1]
| Condobolin New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Main street of Condobolin | |||||||||
  Condobolin | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°05′19″S 147°08′58″E / 33.08861°S 147.14944°E | ||||||||
| Population | 3,486 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1859 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2877 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 220 m (722 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Lachlan Shire | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Barwon | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Parkes | ||||||||
| |||||||||
History
edit
Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri people.
Australian Heritage magazine suggested that Condobolin evolved from the "Aboriginal" word Cundabullen – shallow crossing. The magazine stated that the crossing was located a short distance below the junction of the Lachlan River and the Goobang Creek.[3] Others suggest that the town's name from the Wiradjuri word for 'hop bush', or 'hop brush'.[4][5]
The area was explored by John Oxley in 1817 and Thomas Mitchell in 1836. The 'Condoublin' run was established by 1844.[3] There had been squatters in the district since Mitchell's 1836 exploration. Closer settlement of the area began in 1880 when the large runs were broken up into smaller holdings.
The town of Condobolin was proclaimed in 1859. The railway arrived in 1898, and the town's population boomed, assisted by finds in 1885 of copper north of the town and in 1896 of gold in the district, north-west of the town. A major copper and gold mine was in operation at Condobolin from 1898 until around 1910. Agriculture is still a major influence on the town, production having expanded with the damming of the Lachlan River in 1935 by the Wyangala Dam.[4] Wheat, barley, canola, wool, sheep and cattle are produced in the district. In more recent years irrigation has brought horticulture and cotton to the Lachlan River area.[6] The Lachlan River saw paddle steamer traffic from the 1860s up until the 1920s.
The video clip for Shannon Noll's first single What About Me? was filmed in Condobolin.[citation needed]
Heritage listings
editCondobolin has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- McDonnell Street: All Saints' Anglican Church, Condobolin[7]
- Various monuments and war memorials.
Geography
editCondobolin is very close to Mount Tilga, which is said by some to be the geographical centre of New South Wales. Geosciences Australia's Bicentennial project however suggests near the Five Ways, 33 km west north west of Tottenham as one possible centre and makes no reference to Mount Tilga.[8]
Condobolin is located at the junction of Lachlan River and Goobang Creek. It is 463 kilometres (288 mi) west of Australia's largest city, Sydney.
Close to Condobolin is the Overflow Station, the setting of the poem Clancy of the Overflow by Banjo Paterson. The poem is about a Queensland drover and a sheep shearer responsible for herding large mobs of sheep long distances to market.
Climate
editThe area features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) with long, hot summers and cool winters, making for a large seasonal range. Rainfall is spread evenly throughout the year in scant amounts. The town is very sunny, receiving 156.6 clear days annually. Though mean temperatures have been recorded since 1907, extreme temperature records were not digitised until after 1965. There was at least one occurrence of snowfall in the district, on 5 July 1900 (the Melrose Plains nearer Tullamore saw a fall of snow 26 years prior to that).[9]
| Climate data for Condobolin Retirement Village (1907–1995, rainfall 1881–2022); 220 m AMSL; 33.08° S, 147.15° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.6 (114.1) |
44.0 (111.2) |
40.9 (105.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
37.1 (98.8) |
38.1 (100.6) |
42.6 (108.7) |
43.8 (110.8) |
45.6 (114.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.7 (92.7) |
33.0 (91.4) |
29.8 (85.6) |
24.7 (76.5) |
19.8 (67.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
29.1 (84.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
10.8 (51.4) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
3.7 (38.7) |
4.9 (40.8) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.9 (62.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
9.2 (48.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
8.3 (46.9) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43.2 (1.70) |
38.2 (1.50) |
37.9 (1.49) |
33.8 (1.33) |
35.3 (1.39) |
36.5 (1.44) |
33.9 (1.33) |
35.5 (1.40) |
31.6 (1.24) |
41.5 (1.63) |
35.3 (1.39) |
39.7 (1.56) |
442.4 (17.42) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 65.8 |
| Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 36 | 38 | 40 | 44 | 55 | 62 | 60 | 53 | 47 | 42 | 38 | 34 | 46 |
| Source: [10] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1,470 | — |
| 1933 | 2,572 | 75.0% |
| 1947 | 2,616 | 1.7% |
| 1954 | 2,840 | 8.6% |
| 1961 | 3,150 | 10.9% |
| 1966 | 3,593 | 14.1% |
| 1971 | 3,216 | −10.5% |
| 1976 | 3,273 | 1.8% |
| 1981 | 3,355 | 2.5% |
| 1986 | 3,229 | −3.8% |
| 1991 | 3,163 | −2.0% |
| 1996 | 3,100 | −2.0% |
| 2001 | 3,050 | −1.6% |
| 2006 | 2,847 | −6.7% |
| 2011 | 2,755 | −3.2% |
| 2016 | 2,864 | 4.0% |
| 2021 | 2,579 | −10.0% |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[11][12] | ||
At the 2021 census, Condobolin recorded a population of 3,486; a fall from the 3,743 recorded in 2011.[13] The median age was 38. 22.1% of residents reported being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; the median age among this group was 21.
85.0% of respondents reported being born in Australia; substantially higher than the national average of 66.7%. 79.8% of residents reported having both parents born in Australia, compared to the national average of 47.3%. 88.8% of respondents spoke only English at home.
Christianity was the largest religious group in Condobolin at 78.6% of stated responses on religion. This included the denominations of Catholic (27.0%), Anglican (23.6%) and Presbyterian and Reformed (6.4%). 17.8% reported having no religion, lower than the national average of 29.6%. 10.8% of residents did not state a response to the optional question on religion.[1]
Sport
editThe most popular sport in Condobolin is rugby league. The local club, the Condobolin Rams, play in the Woodbridge Cup competition, in which the club won the 2021 Premiership. Historically, the club is part of the Group 11 Rugby League district.
Condobolin formerly had an Australian rules team in the Northern Riverina League.
Events
editCondobolin is home to a two-day cross country navigational rally, known as the "Condo 750". The Condo 750 runs over a variety of private and public roads and tracks and attracts competitors from all over Australia. It is a CAMS and MA sanctioned event. The course is made up of competitive sections known as selective sections which are timed over private tracks around the various sheep and cattle stations, these range in length from 20 to 70 kilometres (12 to 43 mi). Non-competitive road sections on public roads join the sections, these range from 0.2 to 30 kilometres (0.12 to 18.64 mi). The total length of the course is over 750 kilometres (470 mi).
Each year, the local show society runs the annual Condobolin Show in late August over two days. The event features livestock, showjumping, cookery competitions, entertainment, fireworks, and car-boot picnics around the main arena.[14]
Transport
editCondobolin railway station opened in 1898[15] and lies on the Broken Hill railway line. The station is served by the twice-weekly Indian Pacific train, as well as NSW TrainLink's Broken Hill Outback Xplorer train. This train heads to Broken Hill on Mondays (Stopping at 2:01pm) and to Sydney on Tuesdays (Stopping at 1:41pm).
Notable residents
edit- Don Athaldo (born in Condobolin), strongman[16]
- William Beech, inventor periscope rifle holder WW1.
- Kevin Gilbert, poet, author, playwright, activist[17]
- Percy Knight, Former NSWRL Player for Balmain Tigers and Canberra Raiders
- Bill Leak, cartoonist
- Eris O'Brien, archbishop
- Shannon Noll, singer
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Condobolin". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
- ^ a b "Condobolin". Historical Towns Directory. Hallmark Editions: Australian Heritage Magazine. Archived from the original on 31 August 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2006.
- ^ a b "Condobolin". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2005. Retrieved 3 May 2006.
- ^ "Condobolin". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- ^ "About our area: History". CTC@Condobolin. Western Plains Regional Development Inc.: Community Technology Centre. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2006.
- ^ "All Saints Anglican Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01787. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
- ^ "Centre of Australia, States and Territories – Geoscience Australia". Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "5 July 1900 Snowstorm" (PDF).
- ^ "BOM".
- ^ "Statistics by Catalogue Number". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Search Census data". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Condobolin (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "Condobolin Annual Show | NSW Holidays & Accommodation, Things to Do, Attractions and Events". www.visitnsw.com. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Condoblin railway station". nswrail.net. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
- ^ Richard White. Athaldo, Don (1894–1965). National Centre of Biography. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ McMillan, Pauline (June 1995). "Kevin Gilbert and Living Black [Truncated version of a longer essay based on the Kevin Gilbert Manuscript Collection held at the National Library of Australia.]" (PDF). Journal of Australian Studies (45). The Koori History website: 1–14. ISSN 1444-3058. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
External links
edit
Media related to Condobolin at Wikimedia Commons