Moree, New South Wales

Moree New South Wales
Main street, Moree
Moree
Coordinates	29°27′57″S 149°50′02″E / 29.46583°S 149.83389°E / -29.46583; 149.83389Coordinates: 29°27′57″S 149°50′02″E / 29.46583°S 149.83389°E / -29.46583; 149.83389
Population	9,346 (2011 census)
Established	1862
Postcode(s)	2400
Elevation	212 m (696 ft)
Location	628 km (390 mi) from Sydney 480 km (298 mi) from Brisbane 380 km (236 mi) from Dubbo 272 km (169 mi) from Tamworth 129 km (80 mi) from Goondiwindi
LGA(s)	Moree Plains Shire
County	Courallie
State electorate(s)	Northern Tablelands
Federal Division(s)	Parkes
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 26.6 °C 80 °F 12.2 °C 54 °F 617.6 mm 24.3 in

Moree /ˈmɔːriː/ is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River, in the centre of the rich black-soil plains.

Moree is a major agricultural centre, noted for its part in the Australian cotton-growing industry which was established there in the early 1960s. The first cotton plant in Moree was from a farm called Wilga. It was grown by Bill and Betty Lynch. The town is located at the junction of the Newell Highway and Gwydir Highway and can be reached by daily train and air services from Sydney. It is situated in the Moree Plains Shire. Like many towns and cities in Australia, Moree shares its name with a much smaller community in Northern Ireland in County Tyrone. At the 2011 census, Moree had a population of 9,346, which was an increase from 8,083 in 2006.

Moree is home to artesian hot spring baths which are famous for their reputed healing qualities.

The Kamilaroi people, whose descendants are still in the town, were the early inhabitants of the area. Major Sir Thomas Mitchell went to the district at the request of the acting governor after the recapture of escaped convict George Clarke who told of a great river called the Kindur in 1832. Clarke had been living in the area to the south with the Kamilaroi from 1826-1831. Squatters soon followed in Mitchell's wake establishing pastoral runs, among which was 'Moree' (1844), from a Kamilaroi term believed to mean either 'long waterhole' or 'rising sun'.

In 1851 James and Mary Brand arrived and built a general store on the banks of the river in 1852. A post office was added the following year. The family sold up and moved to the Hunter Region in 1857 but James died in 1858 leaving Mary with six children so she returned opened another business and in 1861 she opened the town's first inn.