Dareton is a town in the far west 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...

. The town is located on the Silver City Highway

Silver City Highway

The Silver City Highway is a highway in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It runs from south to north close to the western border of New South Wales with South Australia...

, 1,025 kilometres west of the state capital, Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 and 20 kilometres from the regional centre, Mildura

Mildura, Victoria

Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...

, across the border in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. Part of the Wentworth Shire Local government area, 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,...

, Dareton had a population of 567.

Located on 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...

, the town is at the heart of the Coomealla Irrigation Area. Dareton was once home to an Aboriginal mission, this is now a residential area for Aboriginal people. Australian

Australian cricket team

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...

 Test cricket

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

 captain Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor (cricketer)

Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...

 spent part of his early life in Dareton.

History

Dareton had its genesis in 1922 with the recommendation to establish irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 in the area. Pioneering settlers moved to the district soon after, but it was not until after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and the establishment of soldier settler

Soldier settlement (Australia)

Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes administered by the State Governments after World Wars I and II.- World War I :...

 farms that Dareton began to prosper. Dareton is named for the then Water Conservation and Irrigation Commissioner Henry Dare, who was a strong advocate for the irrigation scheme.

Today

Dareton today is a producer of grapes and dried fruit. It boasts a championship golf course and is a popular location for fishing and camping.

A major local entity is the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club. It operates a large gambling and social facility, plus various sporting facilities (including a golf course). The club was immensely popular with South Australians and Victorians looking for a pokies venue when they were unavailable in those states.

Schools include Dareton Public School, Coomealla High School and the Coomealla Campus of the Riverina Institute

Riverina Institute

Riverina Institute is the group of TAFE NSW campuses that operate in Riverina and Sunraysia regions of New South Wales, Australia. They offer a large variety of courses at their numerous campuses throughout the region...

.

External links

• Wentworth Shire Council - Official website
• Visit Mildura - Dareton tourist site