Berrigan, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Berrigan is a town located on the Riverina Highway
in the Riverina
region of New South Wales
, Australia
. Berrigan is in the Berrigan Shire
Local Government Area and is the location of the Berrigan Shire Council offices. At the 2006 census
, Berrigan had a population of 899.
Because of its location near the border with Victoria, Berrigan was one of the pioneers in the push for an Australian Federation
. It was at the suggestion of the Berrigan Australian Natives Association
that the first meeting of the Federation League was held. Due to its centrality, the meeting was held in Corowa
.
It is also the birthplace of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service
.
, 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) to the west. Oaklands
has a Central School, that is a part of the Riverina Access Partnership.
(the town has a team competing in the Picola & District Football League
), netball
, golf
, bowls
, and tennis
. Horse racing
is also popular, with the Berrigan Gold Cup — held on the same day as the Victoria Derby
— attracting a large crowd.
festival is held annually in early September. Also held annually is the Berrigan Agricultural Show - Sunday of the October long weekend. It is also close to the Murray River
communities of Barooga
and Tocumwal
.
Once a thriving town with four pub
s and the golf club, it has since been reduced to two pubs and the club.
Berrigan is home to a single curlew
(bird), which lives in the 18-hole golf course; the bird can often be seen inside the clubhouse while patrons are eating and drinking. Many efforts to find a suitable mate for this bird have been fruitless.
The aging population is well catered for in such a small town, with world class hospice and respite facilities provided. While the town thrives on the farming income generated in the district, it is a very modern, and family-friendly town.
Riverina Highway
Riverina Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia.Westwards, the highway stretches from Hume Weir, immediately east of Albury to Deniliquin...
in the Riverina
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...
. Berrigan is in the Berrigan Shire
Berrigan Shire Council
Berrigan Shire is a Local Government Area in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.The shire lies on the New South Wales State border with Victoria formed by the Murray River. It is on the Newell and Riverina Highways...
Local Government Area and is the location of the Berrigan Shire Council offices. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Berrigan had a population of 899.
History
Berrigan Post Office opened on 11 May 1884.Because of its location near the border with Victoria, Berrigan was one of the pioneers in the push for an Australian Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
. It was at the suggestion of the Berrigan Australian Natives Association
Australian Natives Association
The Australian Natives' Association , a mutual society was founded in Melbourne, Australia in April 1871. The Association played a leading role in the movement for Australian federation in the last 20 years of the 19th century. In 1900 it had a membership of 17,000, mainly in Victoria.The ANA...
that the first meeting of the Federation League was held. Due to its centrality, the meeting was held in Corowa
Corowa, New South Wales
Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. Corowa is the administrative centre of Corowa Shire...
.
It is also the birthplace of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service
New South Wales Rural Fire Service
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the NSW Government. The NSW RFS is responsible for the general administration of rural fire management affairs including administration of the Rural Fire Fighting Fund, co-ordination with local...
.
Education
Berrigan has both a state and Catholic primary school. The nearest high school is in FinleyFinley, New South Wales
Finley is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest town in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Finley had a population of 2,054 people....
, 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) to the west. Oaklands
Oaklands, New South Wales
Oaklands is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia. The town is located 615 kilometres south west of the state capital, Sydney and 105 kilometres north west of Albury. Oaklands is in the Urana Shire Local government area and at the 2006 census, had a population of...
has a Central School, that is a part of the Riverina Access Partnership.
Sport
Popular sports in Berrigan include Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
(the town has a team competing in the Picola & District Football League
Picola & District Football League
The Picola & District Football Netball League is an Australian rules football league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League.The league covers a large area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales from Shepparton in the south to Jerilderie in the north and consists of teams...
), netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
is also popular, with the Berrigan Gold Cup — held on the same day as the Victoria Derby
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first day of Melbourne's annual Spring Racing Carnival, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. A Group One race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf course at a...
— attracting a large crowd.
Other attractions
The Berrigan CanolaCanola
Canola refers to a cultivar of either Rapeseed or Field Mustard . Its seeds are used to produce edible oil suitable for consumption by humans and livestock. The oil is also suitable for use as biodiesel.Originally, Canola was bred naturally from rapeseed in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur R...
festival is held annually in early September. Also held annually is the Berrigan Agricultural Show - Sunday of the October long weekend. It is also close to the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
communities of Barooga
Barooga, New South Wales
Barooga is a border town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated just north of the Murray River which forms the border withVictoria. It is located in the Berrigan Shire Council Local Government Area...
and Tocumwal
Tocumwal, New South Wales
Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway, part of the main road route between...
.
Once a thriving town with four pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s and the golf club, it has since been reduced to two pubs and the club.
Berrigan is home to a single curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
(bird), which lives in the 18-hole golf course; the bird can often be seen inside the clubhouse while patrons are eating and drinking. Many efforts to find a suitable mate for this bird have been fruitless.
The aging population is well catered for in such a small town, with world class hospice and respite facilities provided. While the town thrives on the farming income generated in the district, it is a very modern, and family-friendly town.
See also
- Berrigan Shire CouncilBerrigan Shire CouncilBerrigan Shire is a Local Government Area in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.The shire lies on the New South Wales State border with Victoria formed by the Murray River. It is on the Newell and Riverina Highways...
- Berrigan Football ClubBerrigan Football ClubThe Berrigan Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Picola & District Football League. The club is based in the small town of Berrigan located in the Riverina district of New South Wales....