Burren Junction

Burren Junction
New South Wales

Burren Junction wheat silo
Burren Junction
Coordinates 30°07′S 148°58′E / 30.117°S 148.967°E / -30.117; 148.967Coordinates: 30°07′S 148°58′E / 30.117°S 148.967°E / -30.117; 148.967
Population 130 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 2386
Elevation 163 m (535 ft)
Location 51 km (32 mi) W of Wee Waa
LGA(s)
State electorate(s) Barwon
Federal Division(s) Parkes

Burren Junction is a New South Wales village 51 km west of Wee Waa, on the Kamilaroi Highway to Walgett. The name is from the local Aboriginal word for boomerang or 'big creek'.[2] Burren Junction grew from a railway encampment which came from the extension of the north-western rail line in 1902. Burren Junction Post Office opened on 16 May 1904.[3]

Burren Junction is in the Walgett Shire local government area and Jamison County. The village sits at an elevation of 163 metres and has a population of 130.[1] Wheat and cotton growing are the main agricultural industries along with some sheep and beef cattle breeding.

The town has two churches, RSL and Sporting Club, sports ground, plus a hotel. The Burren Junction Bore is a hot mineral water pool complex that is floodlit to provide day and night bathing that is popular with tourists but now shunned by the locals who consider it ruined by the Walgett Council after their so-called 'upgrade'. The bore baths at Lightning Ridge remain the same.[4]

There is also a pool, park and tennis court used for recreation. The tennis court is in poor condition, with only one of the three in passable condition. There used to be lots of tennis competitions in Burren Junction, however, they have long stopped. One method used to get the courts dry when it had rained, at the old competitions, was to fly a helicopter above the courts.

A Bachelor and Spinster Ball was held each year in Burren Junction, with people travelling from all over Australia to enjoy a night of fun and entertainment but had to be cancelled due to excessive insurance costs.

In 2006 the first Australian record of a grey-headed lapwing was made at Burren Junction, this migratory bird native to Eurasia was observed by passing birdwatchers in a field near the silos. The sighting attracted large numbers of birdwatching visitors from all over Australia for the duration of the bird's presence.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Burren Junction (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  2. "Burren Junction". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  3. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  4. Burren Junction Bore Baths Upgrade Retrieved on 6 October 2008

"Lightning Ridge, Walgett and District", Walgett Shire Council, 2000

External links

Media related to Burren Junction at Wikimedia Commons

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