Warialda New South Wales |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drovers taking sheep through Warialda
|
|||||||||
Coordinates | 29°32′0″S 150°34′0″E / 29.53333°S 150.56667°ECoordinates: 29°32′0″S 150°34′0″E / 29.53333°S 150.56667°E | ||||||||
Population | 1,120 (2011 census) | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2402 | ||||||||
Elevation | 320 m (1,050 ft) | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
LGA(s) | Gwydir Shire | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Northern Tablelands | ||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Parkes | ||||||||
|
Warialda is a town in the Northwest Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Gwydir Shire. Situated on the banks of Warialda Creek, the town's name means "Place of Wild Honey."in local aboriginal language. At the 2011 census, Warialda had a population of 1,120.
The Gwydir Highway runs through town and, along with Stephen Street, is considered one of the town's two main streets.
Warialda is serviced by daily NSW TrainLink coach services (excluding Tuesdays) to Inverell and Tamworth, connecting with train services to Sydney. Additionally, there are three weekly coach services each to Grafton (connecting with XPT train services to and from Brisbane) and Moree on alternating days (excluding Sundays). The NSW TrainLink coach stop is located outside the tourist information centre.
The town is connected to the Inverell railway line as a major station on the way between Moree and Inverell. Due to the lay of the land, the station was built just outside of town at a new site known as Warialda Rail.
The original inhabitants of the region were the Weraerai Aborigines and the first whites in the area were probably escaped convicts. Allan Cunningham was the first official European visitor in 1827. The first settlement was established in 1837 with a police outstation erected around 1840. The town site was gazetted in 1847 and was the the first in the Northwest Slopes region. Warialda was the headquarters of the Yallaroi Shire, until its merger with neighbouring Bingara Shire to form Gwydir Shire. Warialda Post Office opened on 1 January 1848. The town's first newspaper was the Warialda Standard, which was first published in 1896 and remains in publication.