Urana, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Urana is a small town in the Riverina
region of New South Wales
, Australia
.
Urana is located between Lockhart
and Jerilderie
, about 578 kilometres southwest of Sydney
. To the west lies Lake Urana and the Lake Urana Nature Reserve
. To the east lies a smaller lake, Lake Uranagang.
Urana in the major town and headquarters of Urana Shire. The shire includes the localities of Boree Creek
, Morundah
, Oaklands
and Rand
.
Urana Post Office opened on 1 January 1861.
In August 1863 near Urana the notorious bushranger
, Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan
, and his accomplice Clarke held up the Police Magistrate
based at Wagga Wagga
, Henry Baylis. A few days after this incident Baylis led a party of policemen to the bushrangers' camp; shots were exchanged and both Baylis and the bushranger Clarke were wounded. Morgan and Clarke both escaped on this occasion.
In 1866 Urana township consisted of two public houses, the Urana Hotel and the Royal Hotel. In addition there was a post-office, two large stores, and a police-station and lock-up.
A new court-house was erected at Urana in 1879. During 1882 a Roman Catholic church was completed, with Father Burmingham celebrating the first service on 7 January 1883.
The Rev. George Wilson Adam was the first Presbyterian minister of the separate parish of Urana (at that time administered from Victoria). Rev. Adams’ term extended from 1878 to 1887. His successor, Rev. Matthew Bell, was a part of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales; he was inducted in 1888 and resigned in 1904. During Rev. Bell’s tenure at Urana three wooden churches were built: one at Urana, and one each at the district preaching centres, Old Goree and Boree Creek.
Urana Shire Council was proclaimed in 1906.
and other grain crops.
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...
.
Urana is located between Lockhart
Lockhart, New South Wales
Lockhart is a town and a Local Government Area in the Riverina Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the location of the Lockhart Shire Council offices. At the 2006 census, Lockhart had a population of 837 people.-History:...
and Jerilderie
Jerilderie, New South Wales
Jerilderie is a town of 768 people in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the only town in the Jerilderie Shire Local Government Area....
, about 578 kilometres southwest of 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...
. To the west lies Lake Urana and the Lake Urana Nature Reserve
Lake Urana Nature Reserve
Lake Urana Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The reserve was created in 1996 and contains 303 hectares. It is on the western shore of Lake Urana, a shallow intermittent lake in a depression. It fills every 10 to 20 years and retains water for...
. To the east lies a smaller lake, Lake Uranagang.
Boree Creek, New South Wales
Boree Creek is a town in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located south west of the state capital, Sydney and west of the regional centre, Wagga Wagga. Boree Creek is situated in the Urana Shire Local Government Area but is closer to the town of Lockhart...
, Morundah
Morundah, New South Wales
Morundah is a small town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Newell Highway and in the Urana Shire Local Government Area. The town consists of a hotel, some silos and a few houses....
, 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...
and Rand
Rand, New South Wales
Rand is a town in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Urana Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Rand had a population of 210....
.
History
Urana was first settled by Europeans during the 1850s. In May 1859 a design for the "Town of Urana" by Surveyor Hayes was approved by the New South Wales Executive Council. The name Urana comes from the Aboriginal word 'airana', meaning a temporary shelter (usually consisting of a simple frame of branches covered with bark, leaves, or grass).Urana Post Office opened on 1 January 1861.
In August 1863 near Urana the notorious bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
, Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan
Dan Morgan (bushranger)
John Fuller was an Australian bushranger.Fuller was born in Appin, New South Wales, Australia around 1830 to George Fuller and Mary Owen. He was their illigitimate son and from the ages of 2 to 17 he lived with an adoptive father, John Roberts...
, and his accomplice Clarke held up the Police Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
based at Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
, Henry Baylis. A few days after this incident Baylis led a party of policemen to the bushrangers' camp; shots were exchanged and both Baylis and the bushranger Clarke were wounded. Morgan and Clarke both escaped on this occasion.
A new court-house was erected at Urana in 1879. During 1882 a Roman Catholic church was completed, with Father Burmingham celebrating the first service on 7 January 1883.
The Rev. George Wilson Adam was the first Presbyterian minister of the separate parish of Urana (at that time administered from Victoria). Rev. Adams’ term extended from 1878 to 1887. His successor, Rev. Matthew Bell, was a part of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales; he was inducted in 1888 and resigned in 1904. During Rev. Bell’s tenure at Urana three wooden churches were built: one at Urana, and one each at the district preaching centres, Old Goree and Boree Creek.
Urana Shire Council was proclaimed in 1906.
Agriculture
The Urana district is used for raising sheep and for growing wheatWheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and other grain crops.