Narromine, New South Wales

Narromine is a town located about 40km west of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the centre of Narromine Shire. At the 2011 census, Narromine had a population of 3,789. The area is a popular area for gliding and the growing of citrus fruits. The Macquarie River passes through the town. The main road from Dubbo to the west also passes through, this being the Mitchell Highway named after the early explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell. The area is characterised by hot summers and mild winters.HistoryThe town name comes from a pastoral property, which in turn came from an Aboriginal word for 'honey person'. The first European to visit the district was John Oxley who traced the course of the Macquarie River in 1818.The Main West railway line extension between Dubbo to Nevertire, which included Narromine was officially opened on 20 October 1882. The town was established after the railway opened, the first structures in the town being the railway platforms. The township was gazetted in 1883, and the railway station opened on 1 May 1883. It was renamed to its current spelling in October 1889. Narramine Post Office opened on 20 October 1882 and was renamed Narromine in 1900. The village of Narramine was proclaimed in 1885, and numerous buildings followed, including the police station built in 1890, the store (1890) and the Royal Hotel (1890). A bridge over the Macquarie River was built in 1897. After federation, the population of Narromine was 2,228 in the 1911 census, and in 1947 the population was 1,816.