43-602: Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales , Australia. Located on the Darling River , the town was the third largest inland port in the country during the river boat era of the mid-19th century. At the 2021 census , Wilcannia had a population of 735. The area lies in the traditional lands of the Barkindji people, who call the river "Baaka". The name Wilcannia
86-615: A 6-part series called Positively Wilcannia , produced by the podcast The Real Thing . During the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia , multiple media outlets highlighted how poor living conditions and overcrowding in houses in Wilcannia resulted in the town having Australia's highest per-capita case rate, with one-sixth of residents testing positive to the virus; about 90% of them were Aboriginal. A parliamentary inquiry into New South Wales' handling of
129-587: A businessman (partner in Knox & Downs) and accountant in Wilcannia. Patterson (who, unlike Esau, was constitutionally unable to say or write anything that might be hurtful to others) became proprietor a few years later. With the coming of railways and improved roads and motor vehicles, the Murray-Darling's importance as a conduit for wool and wheat, and Wilcannia's importance as a river port, declined dramatically and its population slumped. The Depression contributed to
172-440: A cordial manufactory in full operation, and a colonial ale brewery in course of erection". The Post Office had opened as Mount Murchison on 1 January 1860. It was moved 5 kms to the town and changed name to Wilcannia on 1 June 1868. There was, however, no telegraph office - "the want of which is sorely felt by the business people of the town, and in fact the whole district". The Telegraph line reached Wilcannia on 2 February 1878 and
215-564: A drop in readership and nearly led to the paper's demise in 1933. On Patterson's death, ownership of the Grazier passed to Michael Hayes (publisher) and G. Lawrence (financial backing). Their partnership was dissolved in October 1940, leaving Hayes the sole owner. Lawrence regained ownership in 1941 and arranged with Ernest Wetherell of Broken Hill's Barrier Daily Truth to take over the printing and distribution of Western Grazier , with J. Brand as
258-456: A municipality in February 1883, with Edmond O'Donnell elected its first mayor. The first major project of the municipality was the construction of water supply system for the township. A July 1884 report stated that Wilcannia had a population "of about 1200", and was described as a township "of well-laid-out streets and good buildings", situated "in the centre of a large sheep country". In addition to
301-399: A position he held for three years. The first issue which is available to the public via Trove is dated Wednesday, 1 January 1896, is listed as Volume XVII No, 1571 and consisted of 4 pages, priced 3d., at which time the paper was published twice weekly; on Saturday and Wednesday by Albert John Esau (1863 – 24 December 1940). Esau, son of Dr. Esau of Woodside, South Australia , purchased
344-405: A site for the town of Wilcannia. Despite the official proclamation, the older name for the settlement persisted. In March 1867, a correspondent from the town wrote that: "the township of Mount Murchison is fast springing into importance, owing to the splendid country surrounding it, and which is fast being taken up for pastoral pursuits. We have public houses, stores, butchers' shops, boarding houses,
387-467: Is 35 °C and in winter is 18 °C. The highest temperature recorded in Wilcannia was 50.1 °C (122.2 °F) on 11 January 1939. This was during a severe statewide heatwave from which many towns still retain their highest temperature readings. On 9 November 1950, a severe thunderstorm with damaging winds and large hail the size of cricket balls struck the town. Two people were injured, dozens of homes lost their roofs and nearly every house in town
430-459: Is 37 years of age. Residents have reported that water quality in Wilcannia is unsafe, leading locals to rely on boxed water transported from Broken Hill , nearly 200 kilometres (120 mi) away. In 2021 the town was one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales , and the government's refusal to ban tourists from the area to preserve the health of its struggling residents
473-601: Is centred on Menindee. The relative ease of access to water from the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Storage Scheme enables producers to grow a large variety of crops and fruits. Opal mining has been the predominant mining industry within the Shire. Opal was discovered in White Cliffs in 1884 and the first commercial opal field commenced operation in 1890, reaching its peak in 1899. Western Grazier The Western Grazier
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#1732852394719516-486: Is community radio station Wilcannia River Radio , broadcasting on 103.1 MHz, which has provided factual information and aired discussions about matters such as COVID-19 , climate change , and other matters. Other radio stations include Outback Radio 2WEB on 99.9 MHz, ABC Radio National , and ABC Western Plains . From the 2016 Census , Wilcannia had a population of 549 with 407 (74.4%) people being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, mostly from
559-555: Is located adjacent to the Barrier Highway . Central Darling Shire was constituted in 1959 and at 53,511 square kilometres (20,661 sq mi), it is the largest incorporated local government area in New South Wales. The Central Darling Shire Council has been under administration since 2014 with an Administrator taking the place of the mayor and councillors. The Shire includes the towns of Ivanhoe , Menindee , Sunset Strip , Tilpa , Wilcannia and White Cliffs . According to
602-548: Is located within the Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion (IBRA classification, Department of Environment), consisting of landscapes adapted to flooding. Common species include river red gum , yellow box , oldman saltbush , and lignum . The surrounding area is very sparsely settled by pastoralists who have large land holdings, used primarily to run sheep . These holdings fall in the Western Division and
645-466: Is said to be derived from an indigenous term for either "gap in the bank where floodwaters escape" or "wild dog". Neither meaning has been linguistically verified. In 1835, explorer Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to reach the region, when he traced the Darling River to what is now Menindee . In late January 1859, Captain Francis Cadell , in charge of the river boat Albury , entered
688-557: The Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003-04 there: In 2014 the council placed under administration for a period of three months. Following a public inquiry, councillors were removed from office and an administrator originally appointed for three months had his term extended and at September 2018 was still acting in this capacity. It was expected that the council be removed from administration in September 2020, however as of 2024,
731-447: The Barkindji nation. Wilcannia has 223 private dwellings. The town was listed as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas of New South Wales according to the 2015 Dropping Off The Edge report. Predominantly populated by Aboriginal Australians , Wilcannia has received national and international attention for government deprivation of its community's needs, and the low life expectancy of its residents. For Indigenous men, that figure
774-624: The Western Grazier around 1891 and until 1897 was solely responsible for the paper's production and distribution, then took on Thomas Henry Bell as assistant. It was in that year that Esau was successfully sued for libel. Esau subsequently was proprietor of the Armidale Chronicle , where in 1899 he attracted another libel suit, which was settled out of court. In 1905 he founded the Corowa Chronicle , which he ran for around 23 years, and
817-586: The Commercial Bank, had recently opened branches, and four stock and station agents had started businesses "within the last three months". Wilcannia had a public school, but no churches. There were two doctors, "but as it is a very rare thing to find them otherwise than drunk, they are worse than useless". Early on Wilcannia had a significant Chinese community. "The Chinamen here are doing a very thriving trade, and they are extending themselves gradually, but very surely. They are taking root very firmly, especíally in
860-523: The Darling River at its junction with the Murray and, after eight days travel, reached the Mount Murchison pastoral station , held by Hugh and Bushby Jamieson. Flour and other stores were delivered to the station and one hundred bales of wool were loaded for the return journey. Cadell's pioneering journey was the beginning of river boat transport on the Darling River (when river conditions allowed). The site of
903-543: The Matron is having a very hard and anxious time". In December 1939 Wilcannia was described as "merely a shopping centre for the wide district, although people travelling into Queensland and lonely sections of New South Wales often rest there". Wilcannia is located where the Barrier Highway crosses the Darling River , 965 kilometres (600 mi) from Sydney . The environment is borderline semi-arid to desert with an annual rainfall of 255 millimetres (10.0 in). Wilcannia
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#1732852394719946-503: The Outback", which was first broadcast online on 16 January 2017. In March 2017 the BBC, in response to complaints about the biased and misleading view portrayed, investigated the claims and suspended the production company pending the outcome of the review. The BBC apologised for allowing the programme to go to air. In July 2017, ABC Radio National highlighted Wilcannia's positive social aspects in
989-400: The Wilcannia editor. Day of publication moved from Saturday to Friday; the cover price remained unchanged at 6d. With the war providing fresh headlines every day, and with most families personally involved, newspaper sales picked up dramatically. Post-war shortages combined with local factors to make the newspaper unprofitable and the newspaper ceased publication on 29 June 1951. Issues of
1032-462: The baking and refreshment line, and they seem to be patronised by everybody here. We have a China doctor, who is a "perfect cure," so people say that know all about it. Nearly all the cooks at the hotels are restaurants are Chinese; all the gardeners are Chinese to a man. We have another institution added to us in the shape of a Chinese laundry. He, the laundry man, performs his work very well, and gets paid very handsomely for it.” This same report claimed
1075-546: The buildings in the town as "on the whole being of a very poor description, principally small weatherboard places, many of them looking rather dilapidated". Three stores were operating in the township, as well as three public houses: the Mount Murchison Hotel, Wilcannia Hotel and Britannia Hotel. There were signs of increased commercial activity in the township: two banks, the Australian Joint Stock Bank and
1118-427: The council at the time of moving to Administration was as follows: The previous Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is: The principal economic activities within the Shire include pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, mining and tourism. Rural grazing properties represent the largest land use within the Shire, accounting for 97% of the entire area. Major horticultural and agricultural production
1161-411: The council remains under administration. Central Darling Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards , each electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of
1204-525: The future township developed as the location for the unloading and loading of river-borne cargo. The settlement was initially known as Mount Murchison, taking its name from the nearby pastoral run. As economic activity increased, the location attracted business and trades providing services and amenities to the surrounding stations. In June 1866, the New South Wales Department of Lands formally declared "portions of Crown Lands " to be set apart as
1247-508: The main road through Wilcannia. Its shape will resemble the foot of an emu , and it will function as a tourist centre as well as a gallery for local art and artefacts. Local people are being employed, as well as specialists in stonemasonry and rammed earth construction from South Australia and the NSW south coast. Baaka is the Paakantyi word for the Darling River . The only local radio station
1290-494: The majority are held as 99-year leases . Wilcannia has a hot desert climate ( BWh ) under the Köppen climate classification , featuring long, very hot and dry summers and short, cool to mild winters. The annual average rainfall is 266.1 millimetres (10.5 in) which would make it a semi-arid climate except that its high evapotranspiration , or its barrenness, makes it a desert climate. Mean maximum daily temperature in summer
1333-527: The mid-1890s. In 1895 a bridge was constructed at Wilcannia and opened to traffic in January 1896. The bridge consisted of five spans, a total length of 310 feet (94.5 metres) with a centre lift span "to permit of steamers passing when the river is high". In January 1917 it was reported that the Wilcannia Hospital was "without a doctor". The hospital was "full of patients, some diphtheria cases among them, and
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1376-470: The pandemic was told that community leaders warned authorities a year earlier about how Wilcannia's overcrowding situation could lead to a crisis if the virus entered the town. [REDACTED] Media related to Wilcannia, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons Central Darling Shire Central Darling Shire is a local government area in the Far West region of New South Wales , Australia . The Shire
1419-463: The population of Wilcania at the time to be around 1,000 people with 70 of these being Chinese. In December 1880, a second local newspaper, the Western Grazier , began publication in Wilcannia. By early 1881 patients were being treated in the newly built local hospital. At the census of 1881 the population of Wilcannia was recorded as 1,424 (976 males and 448 females). Wilcannia was incorporated as
1462-425: The well-constructed Post and Telegraph Office, several of the stores ("notably Frew, Wright, and Co., J. Palmer and Co., and Cramsie, Bowden, and Co.") were described as "not only extensive but of considerable architectural beauty". It was explained that a quarry of freestone "of excellent quality", within two miles (3 km) of the township "has been largely used for building purposes". The only local industry of note
1505-424: Was a brewery. Wilcannia was the location of a customs station on the Darling River. It was described as a "large and important centre of trade, where in 1881 £13,100 was collected as Customs revenue". The river trade during the 1880s was so extensive at Wilcannia that its Customs House was "probably the largest inland Customs Station in New South Wales". When river conditions permitted travel by steamers Wilcannia
1548-409: Was a major port on the Darling River. A visitor to the town described the river scene in 1890: At the time of the 1891 census the municipality of Wilcannia had a non-Aboriginal population of 1,287 (775 males and 512 females). In 1907, the number of Aboriginal people living at Wilcannia was 18. Vehicles and stock were crossed over the Darling River at Wilcannia by a punt operated by Charles Smith until
1591-551: Was a newspaper published from 1880 until 1951, covering the central Darling River region of New South Wales . It was published in Wilcannia until 1940, when it moved to Broken Hill . Wilcannia's first newspaper was the Wilcannia Times , a bi-weekly founded in 1873 by William Webb (March 1848 – 15 November 1910), and ceased publication in 1888. The Western Grazier was established on 2 December 1880 by James Smith Reid . Reid
1634-687: Was an Irish printer-journalist who had previously established several mining journals in Queensland , including The Miner in Charters Towers and Thornborough . After the establishment of The Western Grazier Reid went on to in Silverton , where he founded the bi-weekly Silver Age , whose printing presses were used to print the first prospectus of BHP . Reid and his brothers were to amass considerable wealth from their mining interests. In 1886, Thomas William Heney became editor of The Western Grazier ,
1677-515: Was combined with the Post Office on 16 March 1878 in a temporary location. The "handsome building" shown here was constructed from freestone in 1880 and was occupied on 27 June. In 1871, the population of Wilcannia was 264, consisting of 176 males and 88 females. In January 1874, the township's first newspaper, the Wilcannia Times , began publication. An account of Wilcannia in December 1874 described
1720-530: Was criticised. In September 2021, the New Matilda website published an investigation into allegations of discrimination against Wilcannia residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing leaked documents from Central Darling Shire Council . The town's social issues were highlighted in the first episode of a two-part BBC3 documentary made by Reggie Yates , Reggie Yates: Hidden Australia , entitled "Episode 1: Black in
1763-591: Was damaged due to the large hail. Wilcannia Central School includes a pre-school and caters for students up to Year 12 (with the last two years through distance education ). At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards , Wilcannia Central School's Sarah Donnelley won Music Teacher of the Year . The Maari Ma wellness centre is being renovated as of August 2023. Construction work began on the Baaka Cultural Centre in August 2023, on
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1806-513: Was involved in many other regional newspapers. He later had a stationery shop in Singleton, New South Wales where he became insolvent in 1937. He died in Adelaide at the end of 1940 after being struck by a tram . Thomas Henry Bell took over publication of the paper in October 1898, and ran it for 14 years, during which time it became a weekly, published on Saturday, with the price doubled to 6d. Bell
1849-541: Was succeeded in 1900 by John Atkinson (ca.1857 – 16 February 1923), who had returned to Wilcannia in 1899 to take charge of the Lion Brewery, and was dubbed the " Pooh Bah of Wilcannia" for the way he entered into all facets of the town's life. Editorship passed to longtime employee of the Western Grazier , Robert Varcoe "Bob" Patterson (ca.1863 – 2 October 1939) 1n 1909, but continued as proprietor until 1911, when ownership passed to Lewis Downs (ca.1860 – 8 February 1943),
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