WarrumbungleAstronomy Shire Capital of Australia A History of Condobolin...........................................................................3 A History of Coonabarabran...................................................................3 A History of Coolah ...................................................................................4 A History of Dunedoo ...............................................................................5 A History of Baradine ...............................................................................5 Things you need to know ........................................................................6 All that The Warrumbungle Shire has to Offer .................................7 Communications............................................................................................7 Migrant Support .............................................................................................7 Transport ........................................................................................................8 Main Industry of the Warrumbungles Region..............................................9 Accommodation...........................................................................................10 Real Estate....................................................................................................12 Childcare ......................................................................................................13 Education .....................................................................................................14 Higher Education .........................................................................................15 Employment Agencies ................................................................................16 Attractions/ Things to Do ............................................................................17 Sporting Clubs/Associations......................................................................19 Community Groups/Associations ..............................................................21 Churches/Religious Services......................................................................22 Retail, Services and Trades ........................................................................23 Cafes/Restaurants .......................................................................................24 CAFÉS...........................................................................................................24 RESTAURANTS............................................................................................24 1 A Better Life TAKEAWAYS................................................................................................25 Clubs/Hotels.................................................................................................25 The Country Careers Program.............................................................26 Health Service Details .................................................................................27 History on Coonabarabran hospital/MPS .................................................27 History on Baradine hospital/MPS ............................................................28 History on Coolah hospital/MPS................................................................29 History on Dunedoo hospital/MPS ............................................................32 GWAHS Learning & Development Division......................................33 The Institute of Rural Clinical Services and Teaching (IRCST)34 AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements ................................................................................35 Created by: Catherine Deverell Country Careers Coordinator May 2008 A Better Life WarrumbungleAstronomy Shire Capital of Australia A History of Coonabarabran Coonabarabran is known as the 'Gateway to the Warrumbungles', a mountain range which arcs around the town to the west, north and east. Much of it is a popular national park. Wool and wheat are the economic mainstays of the town though it has capitalised on tourism provided by its proximity to the Warrumbungles. There is also a strong timber industry based in the Pilliga Scrub to the north-west. The town's name derives from the language of the Kamilaroi people who inhabited the area prior to white settlement, though its meaning is now highly uncertain. The first European to discover the Castlereagh River was George Evans, a member of John Oxley's 1818 party which passed 25 km to the north during the expedition which led to the European discovery of the Liverpool Plains. The 'Cooleburbaran' sheep run was established in 1836 and, in the late 1840s, became known as 'Coolabarabyan' when it was owned by James Weston who grew wheat and established a mill. By 1848 a man named William Field owned the land opposite on the northern bank of the river. The two men had selected land around a river crossing on the 'Old Wool Road' which joined the inland to the river port of Morpeth. When settlement of Queensland proceeded, the wool trade from the north also crossed the river at this point. Both men realised the potential of the site and each established a store and hotel on opposite sides of the crossing. Other buildings developed, including a blacksmith's, a Presbyterian school and a post office which opened in 1850. A small police force was posted to the town as early as 1857. A survey of the townsite was conducted in 1859 and land sales proceeded in 1860 when the first courthouse and lock-up were built. Australia's only Chinese bushranger, Sam Poo, was active in the district in 1865 but was caught and hung that year after killing a police officer. A public school was built in 1870. The following year the population was still only 163 but it more than doubled in the 1870s. All of the major religious denominations built churches in the course of the decade. Cobb and Co established a coach service through the town in 1876. A shire hall, sawmill and newspaper were established the next year, and a new sandstone courthouse was built in 1878. Further expansion occurred in the 1880s with improved roads and services, new and more specialised stores, banks, the establishment of the local agricultural show and a bridge over the Castlereagh in 1885 (replaced in 1926), though drought followed by a plague of kangaroos and emus caused economic hardship. After weathering the depression of the 1890s the town became a quiet service centre. A tourist orientation seemed to be in operation by 1904 when Coonabarabran became 3 A Better Life The Warrumbungles Astronomy Capital of Australia known as the 'Katoomba of the north west'. This development was enhanced, along with local primary industry, when the railway arrived in 1917. Australian novelist Kylie Tennant re-met and married her husband while he was teaching at Coonabarabran in 1932. Her novel Tiburon (1935) depicts the town during the Great Depression. The park beside the Castlereagh River A History of CoolahCoolahCoolah Coolah is the gateway to Coolah Tops National Park. The sub-alpine park combines tall eucalypt forests, waterfalls, giant grass trees, scenic forest drives and panoramic views. The wildlife is abundant and includes the greater glider, a 1 m-long nocturnal possum, which can glide for up to 100 m. Coolah is situated by the Coolaburragundy River, 89 km north-east of Mudgee and 352 km from Sydney. Prior to white settlement the area the Coolah valley was occupied by the Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri peoples. In 1823 explorer Allan Cunningham became the first known European in the district when he came across Pandora's Pass, the route over the Warrumbungle Range on to the Liverpool Plains. The district was surveyed in 1832 and squatters soon followed, in search of fresh pastures. The Black Stump Wine Saloon was established about 10 km north of Coolah at a junction where the road split, heading north-east to Gunnedah and north-west to Coonabarabran. The pub was apparently named after the nearby Black Stump Run and Black Stump Creek. As if to strengthen the claim it is said the Aboriginal name for the area means 'place where the fire went out and left a black stump'. For these reasons locals argue that the Coolah area lies at the origin of the Australian saying 'beyond the black stump', meaning beyond the limits of civilisation, though it has other contenders. The townsite of Coolah was first occupied in the 1840s. By 1848 there was a slab blacksmith's and a slab hotel. Local sandstone was used to construct more substantial buildings in the 1870s. The railway did not arrive until 1910. Before that time, travellers en route to Sydney had to journey by a horse-drawn vehicle to Mudgee, by Cobb & Co coach to Penrith and then by rail to the city. 4 A Better Life The Warrumbungles Astronomy Capital of Australia A History of DunedooDunedooDunedoo Dunedoo was named after an Aboriginal word meaning "swan". These birds were once common on nearby lagoons. Part of the 1978 movie, "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith", was filmed in the old picture theatre at Caborra, near Dunedoo. Dunedoo is a small town set amidst gentle rolling hills and wide valleys adjacent the Talbragar River. It is 60 km north of Mudgee, 325 km north-west of Sydney. It functions as a service centre to the surrounding district which has as its main industry the production of wheat, cattle, mixed farming, timber, fat lambs and wool. Prior to white settlement the area was occupied by the Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri peoples. In 1823 explorer Allan