Barellan, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Barellan is a small village in Narrandera Shire in the Riverina
region of New South Wales
, Australia
. On Census night 2006, Barellan had a population of 366 people. It is a quiet Riverina wheat town on the Burley Griffin Way
, with characteristic silos, and functions primarily as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural area.
The Commercial Hotel, "a typically large and rather gracious hotel with an impressive upper verandah", was built in 1924.
Barellan was also the first town to have a CWA (Country Women's Association
) rest house built. It was built in 1924, the same year as the hotel.
Barellan celebrated its centenary in 2009.
(now Evonne Cawley). There is a small plaque honouring her in the main street. Evonne Goolagong was born in nearby Griffith on 31 July 1951 and attended Barellan Primary School. Although Aboriginal people faced widespread discrimination in rural Australia at this time, Evonne was able to play tennis in Barellan from childhood thanks to a kindly resident, Bill Kurtzman, who saw her peering through the fence at the local courts and encouraged her to come in and play. Goolagong left Barellan to attend Willoughby Girls High School
in Sydney where she was able to further develop her tennis-playing skills.
of the wooden Dunlop
racquet during Barellan's centenary celebrations on 3 October 2009.
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On Census night 2006, Barellan had a population of 366 people. It is a quiet Riverina wheat town on the Burley Griffin Way
Burley Griffin Way
Burley Griffin Way is a New South Wales state route, is located in south eastern Australia. Named after the American architect, Walter Burley Griffin, designer of the cities of Canberra and Griffith, the highway links the two cities via Yass and the Barton Highway.It provides a major link between...
, with characteristic silos, and functions primarily as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural area.
History
The railway reached Barellan in 1908 and the Post Office opened shortly after on 1 April 1909.The Commercial Hotel, "a typically large and rather gracious hotel with an impressive upper verandah", was built in 1924.
Barellan was also the first town to have a CWA (Country Women's Association
Country Women's Association
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
) rest house built. It was built in 1924, the same year as the hotel.
Barellan celebrated its centenary in 2009.
Evonne Goolagong
Barellan is notable as the childhood home of the tennis-player, Evonne GoolagongEvonne Goolagong
Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley, AO, MBE is a former World No. 1 Australian female tennis player. She was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s, when she won 14 Grand Slam titles: seven in singles , six in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles.-Early life:Goolagong is the...
(now Evonne Cawley). There is a small plaque honouring her in the main street. Evonne Goolagong was born in nearby Griffith on 31 July 1951 and attended Barellan Primary School. Although Aboriginal people faced widespread discrimination in rural Australia at this time, Evonne was able to play tennis in Barellan from childhood thanks to a kindly resident, Bill Kurtzman, who saw her peering through the fence at the local courts and encouraged her to come in and play. Goolagong left Barellan to attend Willoughby Girls High School
Willoughby Girls High School
Willoughby Girls' High School is a public, secondary, day school for girls, located in Willoughby, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
in Sydney where she was able to further develop her tennis-playing skills.
The Big Tennis Racquet
A 13.8 metres (45.3 ft) long replica of a tennis racquet used by Evonne Goolagong has been built in Evonne Goolagong Park. Goolagong unveiled the exact scale modelScale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
of the wooden Dunlop
Dunlop Sport
Dunlop Sport is a tennis, squash, golf, badminton, clothing, travel and bicycle equipment brand, that specializes in sporting goods.After Dunlop Holdings was acquired by BTR plc in 1985, Dunlop Sport was combined with the Slazenger brand which Dunlop had acquired in 1959 to form Dunlop Slazenger...
racquet during Barellan's centenary celebrations on 3 October 2009.