Moulamein, New South Wales

Moulamein is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the, Moulamein had a population of 330. Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina.The town is located between Balranald, Hay, Deniliquin and Swan Hill, at the junction of the Edward River and Billabong Creek. The name Moulamein is derived from a local Aboriginal word meaning "the meeting of the waters".The climate of this area is semi-arid, and the area is rich in birdlife such as waterfowl, wedge-tailed eagles and emus. This area also has quite a lot of kangaroos.HistorySome accounts of Moulamein’s history make unsourced statements such as: "settled as early as 1830 Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina". However it is highly unlikely the township was established as early as 1830 considering that this was about the time of Charles Sturt’s exploration along the Murrumbidgee River just to the north of this region.In about 1842 Augustus Morris came to the Riverina seeking grazing land in association with the entrepreneur and speculator Benjamin Boyd. Morris took up pastoral runs on the Edward River and explored the country surrounding the site of present-day Moulamein. Morris was apparently the first European to describe the confluence of the Edward River and Billabong Creek as "The Moulamein".