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Collarenebri

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Overview

Collarenebri ( COLL-ə-REN-ə-bry) is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Highway. It is 16 km (9.9 mi) from Pokataroo which was the nearest railway town prior to closure of the rail service there. The town is 146 metres (479 ft) above sea level. Collarenebri is one of three towns ending in 'BRI' in Northern New South Wales, the others being Boggabri and Narrabri.

In the 2021 census, Collarenebri had a population of 638.

Collarenebri is an indigenous word of the Gamilaraay galariinbaraay, meaning 'place of flowers' or 'eucalyptus blossoms'.

Collarenebri is well known for its flowers

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia698 words

WBP editorial3

Beyond the Main Street: River‑side rhythms

The Barwon River shapes daily life here far more than any guidebook can convey. Early mornings you’ll hear the low thrum of paddle‑wheels as locals tend their small craft, a quiet tradition that sustains both irrigation and modest fishing. By late afternoon the riverbanks become informal meeting points; retirees spread folding chairs while teenagers launch water‑balloon skirmishes. Visiting during the river’s seasonal swell offers a glimpse of the area’s subtle hydrological dance: the water level retreats, exposing sandbars that become temporary pathways for kangaroos and emus. Catching this temporal rhythm lets you sense how the community negotiates a landscape that oscillates between aridity and flood, a nuance absent from the standard census snapshot.

A culinary caesura: the bush tucker influence

While the town’s grocery shelves stock the familiar, the true palate emerges in the roadside stalls that line the Gwydir Highway. Vendors, often elders from the local Gamilaraay community, serve up native pepperberries, witchetty grubs, and damper infused with native lemon myrtle. The preparation is modest—griddled over open fire—but the flavors echo the surrounding eucalyptus and mulga, marrying the land’s flora with its people’s heritage. Travelers who pause to sample these dishes gain insight into a food culture that has survived colonisation by adapting traditional ingredients to contemporary tastes. It’s an experience that extends beyond the usual café fare and speaks directly to the region’s botanical identity.

Connecting the dots: regional transport legacy

Collarenebri’s distance from the nearest active rail hub may seem a logistical footnote, yet it sketches a broader narrative of inland connectivity. The old Pokataroo line, though now silent, left behind a network of gravel tracks still used by outback tour operators and livestock hauliers. These routes intersect with the Gwydir Highway, creating a lattice that supports seasonal grain movements and occasional art‑truck caravans heading to the larger market towns of Walgett and Moree. Understanding this transport backdrop highlights how the town functions as a modest yet pivotal node in a sparsely populated corridor, where road and rail histories converge to underpin the local economy.

Introduction

Town in New South Wales, AustraliaTown in New South Wales, AustraliaCollarenebriTownMain street in 2008CollarenebriCoordinates: 29°33′0″S 148°35′0″E / 29.55000°S 148.58333°E / -29.55000; 148.58333CountryAustraliaStateNew South WalesLGAWalgett ShireLocation 707 km (439 mi) NW of Sydney 140 km (87 mi) W of Moree 75 km (47 mi) NE of Walgett 90 km (56 mi) SW of Mungindi Government • State electorateBarwon • Federal divisionParkesElevation146 m (479 ft)Population • Total650 (2016 census)Postcode2833 Sign on Rocky Ford Bridge over the Barwon River, Collarenebri, NSW Collarenebri (/kɒlərɛnəbraɪ/ COLL-ə-REN-ə-bry) is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Highway. It is 16 km (9.9 mi) from Pokataroo which was the nearest railway town prior to closure of the rail service there. The town is 146 metres (479 ft) above sea level. Collarenebri is one of three towns ending in 'BRI' in Northern New South Wales, the others being Boggabri and Narrabri. In the 2021 census, Collarenebri had a population of 638. Collarenebri is an indigenous word of the Gamilaraay galariinbaraay, meaning 'place of flowers' or 'eucalyptus blossoms'. Collarenebri is well known for its flowers

History

[edit] Yuwaalaraay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalaraay country. The Yuwaalaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Hebel extending to Walgett and Collarenebri in New South Wales. Originally spelt "Collarindabri", Collarenebri is located near a shallow rocky ford on the Barwon River, which provided a hard bottomed shallow river crossing for stock and pioneering travellers. The Gamilaroi Nation of Indigenous Australians resided in this region prior to white settlement. In 1860 William Earl settled near the Collarenebri crossing and established "The Squatters Arms" to capitalise on the increasing traffic through the area. Earl and his pub later became famous for having been held up by bushranger Captain Thunderbolt. Earl is credited with having established present day Collarenebri, with a prominent street and aged housing carrying his name. A number of his descendants still reside in the town.: 2  By the end of 1865, Collarenebri is described as having "two stores, a public house, with another nearly finished: the timber is also lying at Collarenebri for a Government punt; several small houses and a population of about 50 people stationary.": 3  The town of Collarenebri was later gazetted on 12 July 1867. By 1890 Collarenebri had become a growing town with a hospital, police station, school and a number of businesses. The cemetery at Collarenebri dates back to 1906. Collarenebri has long been recorded as a significant site for Aboriginal people living in the area. There are many artifacts and significant sites along the Barwon River. On Collymongle Station there are some very old aboriginal carved trees. There is a well maintained Aboriginal cemetery just outside the town which is unique to the area, with graves covered in crushed and melted glass and decorated with items that represent that person. Collarenebri continues to be a significant community for Aboriginal people. Many of the buildings in Collarenebri today date back to c. 1910. Collarenebri was among the last places in Australia to be converted from a manual switchboard to an automatic telephone exchange (in 1986). Volunteers run Collarenebri's live, local radio station YAAMA-FM 95.9 specialising in indigenous programming. Industries in the area include cotton and wheat farming, sheep and beef cattle breeding. Other activities include fossicking for gemstones such as topaz, agate and petrified wood. The Barwon River area is regarded as one of the best inland fishing locations in Australia.

Population

[edit] Historical populationYearPop.±%1966581—    1971608+4.6%1976599−1.5%1981602+0.5%1986623+3.5%1991617−1.0%1996544−11.8%2001495−9.0%2006478−3.4%2011386−19.2%2016435+12.7%2021425−2.3%Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. In the 2016 Census, there were 650 people in Collarenebri. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 42.1% of the population. 90.4% of people were born in Australia and 89.9% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Anglican 31.1%, No Religion 26.3% and Catholic 17.3%.