Narromine is located near the Macquarie River at the eastern edge of the vast western plains of NSW. It is 39 km west of Dubbo and 458 km north-west of Sydney, at the junction of the Mitchell and Newell Highways, 235 metres above sea-level. The current population is 3500. The Narromine silo, owned by the New South Wales Grain Corporation, dominates the town. Wheat, citrus, fruit, vegetables, fat lambs, wool and especially cotton are the economic focus of the shire.
Narromine is considered the best gliding area in Australia and one of the three best in the world. With no airspace restrictions pilots from around the world visit Narromine, and the State & National Gliding Championships are held here on a regular basis. In October 2005 we saw the launch of the replica of the Wright Flyer built from scratch by a few dedicated locals and can now be seen showcased around Australia. Narromine's rich aviation history has resulted in the construction of the Narromine Aviation Museum, a popular place to stop and visit while passing through town.
Narromine offers excellent opportunities for fishing, water-skiing and other water sports on the Macquarie River. It is ideal for picnics with the children in the Rotary Park that has space to run, equipment to play on and bbq's to cook on as well as having public amenities on hand. Sunset is an especially favourite time with the local galah's and cockatoo's coming home to roost in the trees.
Narromine promotes itself as the 'Town of Champions' due to the fact that a number of well-known sportspersons were born here, including sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, cricketer Glenn McGrath and footballer David Gillespie.
The area was occupied by tribes of the Wiradjuri people prior to white settlement. John Oxley passed through the district in 1818 during his exploration of the Macquarie River. Squatters entered the area in the 1830s and settled along the river. 'Narramine' station was taken up in 1835. For many years it was held by William Charles Wentworth, who was one of the first party of Europeans to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.
It was named after a Wiradjuri word said to mean, 'place of many lizards' or 'place of honey'. The latter may be a reference to the fact that the local Aborigines were particularly adept at tracking native bees to their nests by catching them, sticking a portion of down to their backs and releasing them. Thomas Mitchell marvelled both at their ingenuity in this respect and at the seemingly endless supplies of honey available, which they frequently supplied to his party. These bees apparently had no sting and were rendered extinct either by competition or interbreeding with introduced species.
A coach containing the commissioner for crown lands, John Grenfell (after whom the town of Grenfell was named), was held up by bushrangers in 1866. When he refused to bail up and drew his pistol, shots were exchanged and the bushrangers fled unrewarded though Grenfell was wounded and died the next day.
Although a government reserve had been made in 1849 but there was little in the way of a settlement until the railway arrived in 1882. At that time, William O'Neil was the owner of 'Narramine' and he had established a hotel at the junction of the road to Trangie (now the Mitchell Highway) and the road to Warren.
The township developed around the railway on land resumed from O'Neil. It was laid out and gazetted in 1883. The streets were named after early pastoral holdings in the area. A pump station and pump attendant's house were built near the hotel to supply water to the trains at what was the last natural watering place before Bourke.
The first school opened in 1883. Narramine (sic) was declared a village in 1885. In 1890 a police station was built and O'Neil established a store near the railway. It closed in 1996 and has been converted into the present Bi-Lo supermarket.
The first newspaper was established in 1896 and the spelling of the town was changed from 'Narramine' to 'Narromine' owing to a misspelling by the paper's editor. The first bridge over the river was built in 1897. The following year the town was declared a municipality and a courthouse and lock-up were built adjoining the police station.
Wheat-growing and mixed farming developed as the larger properties were subdivided for closer settlement. Despite initial scepticism, the establishment of a citrus orchard in 1913 signified the start of another major local industry.
The Narromine aerodrome, constructed after World War I, is home to the oldest country aero club in the Australia. Over 2000 pilots lived and trained in Narromine during World War II. Visitors have included Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Chuck Yeager and Nancy Bird Walton. It was used as a training station for pilots in World War II.
Burrendong Dam, built 1946-67, facilitated irrigation schemes which have greatly aided local agriculture.
Narromine was the subject of Banjo Paterson's humorous poem 'The City of the Dreadful Thirst' which evokes the townsfolk's incurable sense of thirst which no amount of drinking will cure.
Narromine is currently home to the annual National Ultra-Light Fly-In Festival (NATFLY) which takes place every Easter weekend. Other annual events include the National Gliding Championships in January, the Easter Fishing Competition, the Tomingley Picnic Races in April, the Mungery Muster B&S Ball in August, the Narromine Agricultural Show and the Mungery Picnic Races in September, the Chute Out Bullride in November and the NSW Gliding Championship in December.
Information provided by Narromine Shire Council