Brewarrina, New South Wales

Brewarrina New South Wales
The main street of Brewarrina, Kamilaroi Highway, with the Royal Hotel on the right
Brewarrina
Coordinates	29°57′36″S 146°51′40″E / 29.96000°S 146.86111°E / -29.96000; 146.86111Coordinates: 29°57′36″S 146°51′40″E / 29.96000°S 146.86111°E / -29.96000; 146.86111
Population	1,254 (2011 census)
Established	1863
Postcode(s)	2839
Elevation	115 m (377 ft)
Location	787 km (489 mi) NW of Sydney 378 km (235 mi) NW of Dubbo 96 km (60 mi) E of Bourke
LGA(s)	Brewarrina Shire
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal Division(s)	Parkes
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 27.6 °C 82 °F 12.7 °C 55 °F 412.2 mm 16.2 in

Brewarrina (locally known as "Bre") is a town in North West New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Wayilwan name for a species of Acacia, Cassia tree, "Acacia clumps", "a native standing" or "place where wild gooseberry grows". It is 96 km (60 mi) east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, and 787 km (489 mi) from Sydney. The population of Brewarrina in 2011 was 1,254. Other towns and villages in the Brewarrina district include; Goodooga, Gongolgon, Weilmoringle and Angledool.

The town is located amid the traditional lands of the Ngemba, Muruwari and Yualwarri peoples. The area has a long Indigenous Australian history and was once the meetings grounds for over 5,000 people.

The first settlers arrived in the district around 1839-40. The first people to own land where the town now stands were the Lawson brothers, who had two holdings - one called "Walcha" and another called "Moona" The town was first known as "Walcha Hut" but this later changed to "Brewarrina".

In 1859 a stockman at Walcha Hut on the Lawson run was warned by Aborigines to release one of their women. He refused, and both he and the woman were killed. In retaliation, the settlers shot a large number of Aboriginal men, women and children in what became known as the Hospital Creek Massacre. A memorial was erected by the local Aboriginal Land Council near the site of the massacre.

In 1859 a riverboat called Gemini, skippered by William Randell, reached the town. This opened the possibility of developing the town as a port, and by the early 1860s Brewarrina was recognised as the furthest navigable point on the Darling River. Brewarrina became a port for shipping wool to Adelaide via the Darling and Murray rivers. The town was formally surveyed and laid out in 1861 and proclaimed on 28 April 1863.