Deniliquin

Deniliquin
New South Wales

Deniliquin town centre
Deniliquin
Coordinates 35°32′0″S 144°58′0″E / 35.53333°S 144.96667°E / -35.53333; 144.96667Coordinates: 35°32′0″S 144°58′0″E / 35.53333°S 144.96667°E / -35.53333; 144.96667
Population 7,494 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 2710
Elevation 93.0 m (305 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Deniliquin Council
County Townsend
State electorate(s) Murray
Federal Division(s) Farrer
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
23.5 °C
74 °F		 9.2 °C
49 °F		 405.7 mm
16 in

Deniliquin, /dəˈnɪlᵻkwᵻn/[2] known locally as "Deni", is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales close to the border with Victoria.

Deniliquin is located at the intersection of the Riverina and Cobb Highway approximately 725 kilometres (450 mi) south west of the state capital, Sydney and 285 kilometres (177 mi) north of Melbourne. The town is divided in two parts by the Edward River, an anabranch of the Murray River, with the main business district located on the south bank.

The town services a productive agricultural district with prominent rice, wool and timber industries. At the 2011 census, the population of Deniliquin was 7,494.[1]

History

Prior to European settlement, the Aboriginal inhabitants of the Deniliquin area were the Barapa Baraba people.[3]

In 1843 the entrepreneur and speculator Benjamin Boyd acquired land in the vicinity of present-day Deniliquin (probably via his agent Augustus Morris). The location was known as The Sandhills, but Boyd (or Morris) named it Deniliquin after 'Denilakoon', a local Aborigine famed for his wrestling prowess.[4] An inn and a punt were established on the site in the period 1845-47 and the town site was surveyed in 1848 and gazetted in 1850.[3] Deniliquin Post Office opened on 1 January 1850.[5]

In 1853, William John Wills of the Burke and Wills expedition worked as a shepherd at the Royal Bank sheep station near Deniliquin.

As Deniliquin was established on the convergence of major stock routes between the colonies of Queensland, New South Wales and the Victorian gold rush centres of Victoria, it soon became an important river crossing and the first bridge was built over the Edward River in 1861. The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company built a private railway in 1879 to connect with Moama, across the Murray River from the busy river port of Echuca, connected by rail to Melbourne.[3]

A water trough on a sheep farm 50 km north of the town

Wool growing quickly became a major industry and the area around Deniliquin was home to several Merino studs.[3] In 1861, George Hall Peppin and his two sons, experienced English sheep breeders, established a Merino stud at Wanganella station, north of Deniliquin. There, the brothers developed the Peppin Merino, able to thrive in drier inland regions. Today, as many as 70 per cent of Merinos in Australia are said to be directly descended from these sheep.[6]

In the 1860s, Deniliquin was the centre of a short-lived campaign by wealthy pastoralists including Peppin, George Desailly, Robert Landale and William Brodribb for secession from New South Wales and the creation of a new Riverina colony. This campaign was supported by David Jones, the proprietor of the local newspaper the Pastoral Times.[7][8]

On 19 December 1868, Deniliquin was constituted as The Municipality of Deniliquin, and the first Municipal Election was held on 23 February 1869. In 1993 the enactment of the Local Government Act (NSW) saw the name of the council changed from the Municipality of Deniliquin to the Deniliquin Council.[9]

Large-scale irrigation schemes came to the Deniliquin area with the establishment of the Deniboota and Denimein Irrigation Districts in 1938 and the Berriquin Irrigation District in 1939, using water diverted from the Murray River at Lake Mulwala through the Mulwala Canal. An ample and reliable water supply led to the development of water intensive industries such as rice growing.[10]

During the Second World War, RAAF Station Deniliquin was home to No. 7 Service Flying Training School RAAF. It was also a final disbanding site for squadrons returning from active duty against the Japanese in the Pacific. No. 22 Squadron RAAF[11] and No. 30 Squadron RAAF[12] were disbanded here in 1946, and in 1945 and 1946 it was also a base for No. 78 Squadron RAAF before it was finally disbanded in Williamtown.[13]

In April 2006 the Herald Sun reported on their front cover that the Edward River was dry, with an accompanying photograph showing a dry creek.[14] This was later revealed to be erroneous; the photograph was of an unknown channel on a farm within 60 kilometres (37 mi) of Deniliquin, while the Edward River is in fact still running. Deniliquin Council and members of the Deniliquin community have since attempted to rectify the damage to local tourism by improving the profile of Deniliquin in various media outlets.[15]

Industry

Deniliquin Court house

Deniliquin is a service centre for the surrounding agricultural region. The region includes both dryland and irrigated areas. The dryland areas support grazing, in particular beef cattle and wool growing. Deniliquin is home to many famous Merino studs and the saltbush plains produce quality medium class wool.

The irrigated areas produce a range of high yield crops. Rice was a major crop until the recent drought. The largest rice mill in the southern hemisphere is in Deniliquin, producing large packs and bulk rice for export markets.[16] The rice mill closed in December 2007 and will reopen in April 2011.[17][18]

Deniliquin is also the headquarters of Murray Irrigation Limited, an irrigator owned private company and one of the largest privately owned irrigation supply companies in the world. Murray Irrigation manages the operations of the Berriquin, Deniboota, Denimein and Wakool Irrigation Areas in the Murray Valley. These areas produce 50% of Australia’s rice crop, 20% of NSW milk production, 75% of NSW processing tomatoes and 40% of NSW potatoes.[19]

Sawmills in the area process timber harvested from the River red gum forests lining the Edward and Murray floodplains.[20]

As the largest town in the south western Riverina, there is a range of government and commercial services to residents of the town and the surrounding area.

Climate

Deniliquin has a semi-arid climate with dry summers and mild winters. The town's highest temperature of 49.5 °C (121 °F) was reached on 12 January 1878 and is one of the highest ever recorded in Australia.[21][22]

Climate data for Deniliquin
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 49.5
(121.1)		 47.2
(117)		 45.0
(113)		 41.7
(107.1)		 31.1
(88)		 25.6
(78.1)		 25.9
(78.6)		 29.8
(85.6)		 35.0
(95)		 40.8
(105.4)		 44.2
(111.6)		 47.8
(118)		 49.5
(121.1)
Average high °C (°F) 32.5
(90.5)		 32.0
(89.6)		 28.7
(83.7)		 23.5
(74.3)		 18.6
(65.5)		 15.1
(59.2)		 14.4
(57.9)		 16.4
(61.5)		 19.7
(67.5)		 23.6
(74.5)		 27.5
(81.5)		 30.6
(87.1)		 23.6
(74.5)
Average low °C (°F) 15.7
(60.3)		 15.7
(60.3)		 13.3
(55.9)		 9.5
(49.1)		 6.5
(43.7)		 4.5
(40.1)		 3.4
(38.1)		 4.4
(39.9)		 6.2
(43.2)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.7
(53.1)		 14.1
(57.4)		 9.5
(49.1)
Record low °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)		 4.5
(40.1)		 0.6
(33.1)		 0.0
(32)		 −3.9
(25)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −6.1
(21)		 −6.1
(21)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 0.6
(33.1)		 2.2
(36)		 −6.1
(21)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 28.2
(1.11)		 28.2
(1.11)		 32.1
(1.264)		 30.2
(1.189)		 38.0
(1.496)		 39.8
(1.567)		 34.9
(1.374)		 36.7
(1.445)		 37.7
(1.484)		 39.3
(1.547)		 29.9
(1.177)		 29.7
(1.169)		 404.8
(15.937)
Average precipitation days 3.8 3.6 4.1 5.1 7.4 9.1 9.6 9.5 8.4 7.4 5.3 4.6 77.9
Average relative humidity (%) 30 33 37 44 56 63 62 55 48 40 34 31 44.4
Source: [23]

Notable residents

Notable people from the Deniliquin area include:

Education

Deniliquin is well serviced by the education sector. The town has 3 public primary schools (Deniliquin South PS, Deniliquin North P.S, Edward PS), 1 Catholic primary school (St Michael's PS), 1 public high school (Deniliquin HS) and 1 independent K-10 school (Deniliquin Christian School)

It has a TAFE NSW Campus, which is part of the Riverina Institute of TAFE.[24]

Deniliquin is also the base for the NSW Department of Education South West Riverina regional office.

Sport

Sporting clubs in the area include:

Deni Play on the Plains Festival

Two Utes at the Deni Ute muster 2002

Deniliquin is home to the Play on the Plains Festival held each September/October on the New South Wales Labour Day long weekend. The festival includes the famous 'Deniliquin Ute Muster'[25]

The Deni Play On The Plains Festival has set the following world records:[25]

Music

Central Hotel

Deniliquin has had many local bands, some notable one's being the Lincolns, Mannik, the Stormtroopers and the Lexies. Attempts been made to encourage other bands to come to Deniliquin to perform, with varying success. Solo performers who came from Deniliquin include Shane McGrath, Michael Gorham and Joel Sulman, with local artists often showcased at the Deniliquin Ute Muster. [26]

Music festivals

Deniliquin has been home to many music festivals. These include:

Held over the Easter long weekend and has bought acts such as Status Quo, Santana, Jason Mraz (2013) and will hold in 2014 John Mayer, Elvis Costello, local artist Michael Gorham and previous local blues artist Joel Sulman. It won Best Inland Festival for 2013 and continues to grow as the time gets closer to launch!

Aerial picture of the town

Media

The local newspaper is the Deniliquin Pastoral Times. It is published on Tuesdays and Fridays and – on each of these days – has a circulation of 2787, with an estimated readership of 10,260.[32] Other newspapers circulated throughout the Deniliquin region include The Herald Sun, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph.

There are three local radio stations: 102.5FM (classic rock), 1521 2QN (classic hits) and 106.1FM (country music narrowcast), while ABC Local Radio's ABC Riverina service (broadcast from Wagga Wagga) is available on AM675. Other stations broadcasting throughout the region include Radio National, SBS Radio and 2KY Racing Radio.

Locally available TV stations include ABC Television (ABC1), SBS Television (SBS ONE), Prime7, WIN Television, Southern Cross Ten, 7Two, 7mate, GO!, GEM, ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24, SBS HD, SBS Two, One HD and Eleven. WIN Television produces a half-hour-long regional news bulletin which screens from Monday to Friday at 7pm.

In 2008 the thriller, The Clinic, was filmed in Deniliquin. The producers used many of the town’s locations while shooting, including the Peppin Motor Inn, Warbreccan Homestead, Deniliquin abbotoirs and the largest rice mill in the Southern Hemisphere.

External links

Media related to Deniliquin at Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Deniliquin (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Walkabout Australian Travel Guide - Deniliquin". Fairfax. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  4. ↑ Reed, A. W., Place-names of New South Wales: Their Origins and Meanings, (Reed: 1969).
  5. ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  6. ↑ "Merino Sheep in Australia". The Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders Limited. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  7. ↑ Hogg, Robert (2004). "jas review: Leighton Frappell, Lords of the Saltbush Plains: Frontier Squatters and the Pastoral Independence Movement 1865-1866". API Review of Books. Curtin University of Technology. Archived from the original on 21 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  8. ↑ "Peppin, George Hall (1800-1872)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  9. ↑ "About Deniliquin Council". Deniliquin Council. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  10. ↑ Meyer, Wayne (2005). "The Irrigation Industry in the Murray and Murrumbidgee Basins" (PDF). CRC for Irrigation Futures Technical Report No. 03/05. CRC for Irrigation Futures. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  11. ↑ Australian War Memorial website No. 22 Squadron Retrieved February 10, 2015
  12. ↑ Australian War Memorial website No. 30 Squadron Retrieved February 10, 2015
  13. ↑ Australian War Memorial website No. 78 Squadron Retrieved February 10, 2015
  14. ↑ "Country News". McPherson Media. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  15. ↑ "Deniliquin tries to counteract photo bungle". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  16. ↑ "SunRice Deniliquin". Ricegrowers Limited. Archived from the original on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  17. ↑ "Deniliquin buckles under Murray Darling crisis Deniliquin". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  18. ↑ Wood, Patrick (3 November 2010). "Deniliquin SunRice to reopen mill despite takeover bid". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  19. ↑ "Taking up the challenge ~ Responsible irrigation management" (PDF). Murray Irrigation Limited. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  20. ↑ "Managing Murray's mighty river red gums". Bush Telegraph Magazine. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  21. ↑ "Rainfall and Temperature Records". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Australia: Highest Temperature". Arizona State University. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "Climate statistics for". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  24. ↑ TAFE NSW, Deniliquin Campus Archived 30 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  25. 1 2 "Deniliquin Ute Muster Play On The Plains Festival". Deni-Play on the Plains Festival Limited. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  26. ↑ Meme, Deni. "Touring". Monday, January 14, 2013. AuspOp. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  27. ↑ "Visit Hay - Real People, Real Experiences". Hay Tourism & Development Inc. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  28. ↑ "The Music Council Of Australia: Way Out West". The Music Council Of Australia. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  29. ↑ "What's On In Deniliquin". Deniliquin Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  30. ↑ "National Youth Week 2007". Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  31. ↑ "Deniliquin Spring Blues Festival". Deniliquin Spring Blues Festival. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  32. ↑ "Deniliquin Pastoral Times". Rural Press Sales. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
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