Condobolin

Image:CondobolinNSWShireHallBuilt1910.jpg

Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri people.

Australian Heritage magazine suggested that Condobolin evolved from the "Aboriginal" word Cundabullen – shallow crossing. The magazine stated that the crossing was located a short distance below the junction of the Lachlan River and the Goobang Creek.{{cite web|url=http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=NSW®ion=102&view=438#a|title=Condobolin|work=Historical Towns Directory|publisher=Hallmark Editions: Australian Heritage Magazine|access-date=3 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831152924/http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=NSW®ion=102&view=438#a|archive-date=31 August 2006|url-status=dead}} Others suggest that the town's name from the Wiradjuri word for 'hop bush', or 'hop brush'.{{cite web|year= 2005|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/New-South-Wales/Condobolin/2005/02/17/1108500193350.html|title=Condobolin|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=3 May 2006}}{{NSW GNR|id=JPIOoeWAGH |title=Condobolin|accessdate=3 August 2013}}

The area was explored by John Oxley in 1817 and Thomas Mitchell in 1836. The 'Condoublin' run was established by 1844. There had been squatters in the district since Mitchell's 1836 exploration. Closer settlement of the area began in 1880 when the large runs were broken up into smaller holdings.

The town of Condobolin was proclaimed in 1859. The railway arrived in 1898, and the town's population boomed, assisted by finds in 1885 of copper north of the town and in 1896 of gold in the district, north-west of the town. A major copper and gold mine was in operation at Condobolin from 1898 until around 1910. Agriculture is still a major influence on the town, production having expanded with the damming of the Lachlan River in 1935 by the Wyangala Dam. Wheat, barley, canola, wool, sheep and cattle are produced in the district. In more recent years irrigation has brought horticulture and cotton to the Lachlan River area.{{cite web|url=http://condobolin.ctcnsw.net.au/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=219&Itemid=57|title=About our area: History|work=CTC@Condobolin|publisher=Western Plains Regional Development Inc.: Community Technology Centre|access-date=3 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819050607/http://condobolin.ctcnsw.net.au/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=219&Itemid=57|archive-date=19 August 2006|url-status=dead}}

The Lachlan River saw paddle steamer traffic from the 1860s up until the 1920s.

The video clip for Shannon Noll's first single What About Me? was filmed in Condobolin.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

Condobolin has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• McDonnell Street: All Saints' Anglican Church, Condobolin{{cite NSW SHR|5055594|All Saints Anglican Church|hr=01787|fn=H05/00123/HAS|accessdate=18 May 2018}}
• Various monuments and war memorials.

Condobolin is very close to Mount Tilga, which is said by some to be the geographical centre of New South Wales. Geosciences Australia's Bicentennial project however suggests near the Five Ways, 33 km west north west of Tottenham as one possible centre and makes no reference to Mount Tilga.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/centre-aus-states-territories.jsp#nsw |title=Centre of Australia, States and Territories – Geoscience Australia |access-date=20 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212201201/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/centre-aus-states-territories.jsp#nsw |archive-date=12 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}

Condobolin is located at the junction of Lachlan River and Goobang Creek. It is {{convert|463|km|mi}} west of Australia's largest city, Sydney.

Close to Condobolin is the Overflow Station, the setting of the poem Clancy of the Overflow by Banjo Paterson. The poem is about a Queensland drover and a sheep shearer responsible for herding large mobs of sheep long distances to market.

Condobolin features a borderline hot semi-arid / cold semi-arid climate (BSh / BSk) with very hot summers and cool winters. Seasonal range is considerable: the average minimum / maximum temperature in January is {{convert|18.6|°C}} / {{convert|33.7|°C}}, while the average minimum / maximum in July is {{convert|3.7|°C}} / {{convert|15.2|°C}}. Rainfall is spread evenly throughout the year in scant amounts. The town is very sunny, receiving 156.6 clear days annually.{{ cite web | url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_050014_All.shtml | title=Condobolin climate}} There was at least one occurrence of snowfall in the district, on 5 July 1900, while the Melrose Plains nearer Tullamore saw a fall of snow some 26 years prior to that.{{ cite web | url=http://www.australianweathernews.com/snow/Russell_RainEtc_NSW_1900.pdf | title=5 July 1900 Snowstorm}}

{{Weather box

|location = Condobolin Retirement Village (1907–1995, rainfall 1881–2025); 220 m AMSL; 33.08° S, 147.15° E

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan record high C = 46.8

|Feb record high C = 46.9

|Mar record high C = 40.9

|Apr record high C = 37.0

|May record high C = 33.6

|Jun record high C = 25.8

|Jul record high C = 24.8

|Aug record high C = 29.5

|Sep record high C = 37.1

|Oct record high C = 41.2

|Nov record high C = 45.0

|Dec record high C = 46.4

|year record high C = 46.9

|Jan high C = 33.7

|Feb high C = 33.0

|Mar high C = 29.8

|Apr high C = 24.7

|May high C = 19.8

|Jun high C = 15.8

|Jul high C = 15.2

|Aug high C = 17.4

|Sep high C = 21.2

|Oct high C = 25.4

|Nov high C = 29.1

|Dec high C = 32.3

|year high C =

|Jan low C = 18.6

|Feb low C = 18.4

|Mar low C = 15.4

|Apr low C = 10.8

|May low C = 7.3

|Jun low C = 4.6

|Jul low C = 3.7

|Aug low C = 4.9

|Sep low C = 7.3

|Oct low C = 10.8

|Nov low C = 14.2

|Dec low C = 16.9

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = 7.3

|Feb record low C = 5.7

|Mar record low C = 3.9

|Apr record low C = -1.2

|May record low C = -4.8

|Jun record low C = -6.1

|Jul record low C = -8.1

|Aug record low C = -5.5

|Sep record low C = -3.9

|Oct record low C = -0.5

|Nov record low C = 1.2

|Dec record low C = 5.3

|year record low C = -8.1

|Jan precipitation mm = 44.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 37.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 39.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 33.8

|May precipitation mm = 34.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 37.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 33.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 35.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 31.6

|Oct precipitation mm = 41.6

|Nov precipitation mm = 37.9

|Dec precipitation mm = 40.3

|year precipitation mm = 448.2

|Jan precipitation days = 4.4

|Feb precipitation days = 4.1

|Mar precipitation days = 4.5

|Apr precipitation days = 4.6

|May precipitation days = 5.8

|Jun precipitation days = 7.6

|Jul precipitation days = 7.6

|Aug precipitation days = 7.2

|Sep precipitation days = 6.0

|Oct precipitation days = 6.1

|Nov precipitation days = 5.0

|Dec precipitation days = 4.9

|year precipitation days = 67.8

|humidity colour = green

|Jan afthumidity = 36

|Feb afthumidity = 38

|Mar afthumidity = 40

|Apr afthumidity = 44

|May afthumidity = 55

|Jun afthumidity = 62

|Jul afthumidity = 60

|Aug afthumidity = 53

|Sep afthumidity = 47

|Oct afthumidity = 42

|Nov afthumidity = 38

|Dec afthumidity = 34

|year afthumidity = 46

|source 1 = Condobolin Retirement Village (general data, 1881–2025){{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_050014_All.shtml

| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Condobolin Retirement Village (general climate) |accessdate = 9 March 2025}}

|source 2 = Condobolin Airport AWS (extreme temperatures, 1993–2025){{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_050137_All.shtml

| publisher = Bureau of Meteorology |title = Condobolin Airport AWS (extremes) |accessdate = 9 March 2025}}

|date= March 2025

}}

{{Historical populations

|type= Australia

|1921|1470

|1933|2572

|1947|2616

|1954|2840

|1961|3150

|1966|3593

|1971|3216

|1976|3273

|1981|3355

|1986|3229

|1991|3163

|1996|3100

|2001|3050

|2006|2847

|2011|2755

|2016|2864

|2021|2579

|source=Australian Bureau of Statistics data.{{cite web |title=Statistics by Catalogue Number |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=ProductsbyCatalogue&Action=Expand&Num=2.2 |access-date=8 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Search Census data |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/search-by-area |access-date=1 March 2024}}

}}

At the {{CensusAU|2021}}, Condobolin recorded a population of 3,486; a fall from the 3,743 recorded in 2011.{{Census 2011 AUS|id=SSC10577|name=Condobolin (State Suburb)|accessdate=7 April 2015|quick=on}} The median age was 38. 22.1% of residents reported being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; the median age among this group was 21.

85.0% of respondents reported being born in Australia; substantially higher than the national average of 66.7%. 79.8% of residents reported having both parents born in Australia, compared to the national average of 47.3%. 88.8% of respondents spoke only English at home.

Christianity was the largest religious group in Condobolin at 78.6% of stated responses on religion. This included the denominations of Catholic (27.0%), Anglican (23.6%) and Presbyterian and Reformed (6.4%). 17.8% reported having no religion, lower than the national average of 29.6%. 10.8% of residents did not state a response to the optional question on religion.

The most popular sport in Condobolin is rugby league. The local club, the Condobolin Rams, play in the Woodbridge Cup competition, in which the club won the 2021 Premiership. Historically, the club is part of the Group 11 Rugby League district.

Condobolin formerly had an Australian rules team in the Northern Riverina League.

Condobolin is home to a two-day cross country navigational rally, known as the "Condo 750". The Condo 750 runs over a variety of private and public roads and tracks and attracts competitors from all over Australia. It is a CAMS and MA sanctioned event. The course is made up of competitive sections known as selective sections which are timed over private tracks around the various sheep and cattle stations, these range in length from {{convert|20|to|70|km|mi}}. Non-competitive road sections on public roads join the sections, these range from {{convert|0.2|to|30|km|mi}}. The total length of the course is over {{convert|750|km|mi}}.

Each year, the local show society runs the annual Condobolin Show in late August over two days. The event features livestock, showjumping, cookery competitions, entertainment, fireworks, and car-boot picnics around the main arena.{{Cite web |title=Condobolin Annual Show {{!}} NSW Holidays & Accommodation, Things to Do, Attractions and Events |url=https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/parkes-area/condobolin/events/condobolin-annual-show |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.visitnsw.com |language=en-AU}}

Condobolin railway station opened in 1898{{cite web | title = Condoblin railway station| url = http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Condobolin&line=NSW:broken_hill:0 | publisher= nswrail.net | access-date = 2008-04-07}} and lies on the Broken Hill railway line. The station is served by the twice-weekly Indian Pacific train, as well as NSW TrainLink's Broken Hill Outback Xplorer train. This train heads to Broken Hill on Mondays (Stopping at 2:01pm) and to Sydney on Tuesdays (Stopping at 1:41pm).

• Don Athaldo (born in Condobolin), strongman{{cite book |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/athaldo-don-9396 |title=Athaldo, Don (1894–1965) |author=Richard White |website=adb.anu.edu.au |publisher= National Centre of Biography |accessdate=23 February 2021}}
• William Beech, inventor periscope rifle holder WW1.
• Kevin Gilbert, poet, author, playwright, activist{{cite journal|title=Kevin Gilbert and Living Black [Truncated version of a longer essay based on the Kevin Gilbert Manuscript Collection held at the National Library of Australia.]|journal=Journal of Australian Studies|publication-date=June 1995|issue=45|pages=1–14|issn=1444-3058 |author=McMillan, Pauline|url=http://www.kooriweb.org/foley/resources/pdfs/181.pdf|publisher=The Koori History website|access-date=28 December 2014}}
• Percy Knight, Former NSWRL Player for Balmain Tigers and Canberra Raiders
• Bill Leak, cartoonist
• Eris O'Brien, archbishop
• Shannon Noll, singer

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• [http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/parkes-area/condobolin Condoblin – VisitNSW]

{{Lachlan Shire}}

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Category:Towns in New South Wales

Category:Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)

Category:Lachlan Shire

Category:Populated places established in 1859

Category:Mining towns in New South Wales