Junee

One theory is that word Junee which originates from the Aboriginal word 'Junee' means "speak to me".{{NSW GNR|id = MaYbjzsyTR|title = Junee|access-date = 3 August 2013}}

Another theory is that it is an Aboriginal word "Choo-nee" meaning "frog".{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55185386 |title=PLACE NAMES. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly|date=13 May 1964 |access-date=22 February 2011 |page=61 |volume=31 |issue=50 |location=Australia |via=National Library of Australia}}

The Wiradjuri people are the traditional owners of the local area prior to European settlement. Leopold de Salis (1816–1898), pastoralist and later politician was one of the first squatters to open up the Riverina region to grazing.Sutherland J (1999), A Short History of the Riverina Wheat Industry, New South Wales Heritage Office He established the 'Junee' pastoral run in 1845. Leopold held the licence for this run for a total of three years. Other run licencees followed until Thomas Hammond and Richard Gwynne bought the licence in 1857. The Junee run progressively reduced in area as selectors took up land but Hammond lived on it until his death in 1899, the remaining property having been named "Wyoming" in 1887. A post office opened in 1862 and a village called 'Junee' was gazetted in 1863 on the wool road to Sydney. That same year, Ben Hall and his bushranging gang raided the village.{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/junee--culture-and-history-20081121-6d7u.html |title=Junee - Culture and History |date=21 November 2008 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-date=30 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121230181151/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/junee--culture-and-history-20081121-6d7u.html}}

File:CountryLink XPT 2018 at Junee 01.jpg with a CountryLink XPT at the platform in 2009]]

In 1866 Junee's population was recorded as twelve but the discovery of reef and alluvial gold during the 1860s triggered a gold rush. The main sites- Junee Reefs (to the north), was mined on and off until after World War 1, as well as Wantiool and Eurongilly (to the east) until the 1880s.

By 1878 with the southward expansion of the Main South line in New South Wales, the main railway line between Sydney and Melbourne passed 8 kilometres east of the village. Junee's Post Office was renamed Old Junee in 1885 (Junee railway station).{{Cite web | work = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123418/https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&country= |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead | url =https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&country= | access-date = 2009-06-11}}{{better source needed|date=August 2024|reason=Generic URL provided, not to specific Junee entry.}} Loftus was the original name of the locality being farm land and as the settlers moved in for the rail line it was renamed. Junee Railway Station Post Office opened on 6 July 1878, was renamed Junee Junction in 1881 and later still, Junee in 1893.

The Main South line between Sydney and Melbourne runs through Junee, as does the Olympic Highway, named for the route of the 1956 Summer Olympics Torch Relay.

The advent of rail transport in 1878 provided the impetus for an economic boom providing local agricultural producers with affordable direct access to markets in Sydney. In 1952 the largest wheat terminal in the Southern Hemisphere was constructed at Junee, adjacent to the South West Railway, providing both rail and road transport.

Rail transport makes an important contribution to the local economy with Regional Rail Logistics{{update inline|date=April 2021|reason=RRL disappeared a long time ago; current operator is Qube}} operating a containerised freight service that delivers various goods from Junee to Sydney,{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/new-rail-service-a-boost-for-riverina/1383756.aspx|title=New rail service a boost for Riverina |work=The Daily Advertiser |date=7 November 2012 |orig-date=10 December 2008 |publisher=dailyadvertiser.com.au |access-date=2009-01-08 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240821113059/https://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/726275/new-rail-service-a-boost-for-riverina/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}} with interstate freight trains also passing through the town.

On 1 January 1981, Junee Municipal Council amalgamated with the surrounding "Illabo Shire Council', creating Junee Shire Council.

Junee has as a rather dry humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), lying about {{convert|75|mm|in|0|disp=or}} above semi-arid classification. It features hot and dry summers and cool, moderately cloudy winters. The highest temperature recorded at Junee was {{convert|46.1|°C|°F|1|disp=or}} on 31 January 1968; the lowest recorded was {{convert|−5.0|°C|°F|disp=or}} on 1 July 1971 and 6 August 1974. The average annual rainfall is {{convert|530.6|mm|in|2|disp=or}} spread across 88 days (with the majority in winter). It can snow on rare occasions, with the last snowfall in August 2019.

{{Weather box

|location = Junee Treatment Works (1907–1975, rainfall 1891–2022); {{convert|280|m|ft|0|}} AMSL; 34.85° S, 147.57° E

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|collapsed =

|Jan record high C= 46.1

|Feb record high C= 44.4

|Mar record high C= 40.6

|Apr record high C= 32.8

|May record high C= 25.6

|Jun record high C= 21.6

|Jul record high C= 23.0

|Aug record high C= 26.1

|Sep record high C= 33.3

|Oct record high C= 35.0

|Nov record high C= 38.3

|Dec record high C= 40.6

|Jan high C= 32.4

|Feb high C= 31.6

|Mar high C= 28.4

|Apr high C= 22.8

|May high C= 17.9

|Jun high C= 13.9

|Jul high C= 13.2

|Aug high C= 15.1

|Sep high C= 18.9

|Oct high C= 22.7

|Nov high C= 27.0

|Dec high C= 30.8

|Jan low C = 15.5

|Feb low C = 15.6

|Mar low C = 12.9

|Apr low C = 8.6

|May low C = 5.5

|Jun low C = 3.3

|Jul low C = 2.3

|Aug low C = 3.2

|Sep low C = 5.0

|Oct low C = 7.4

|Nov low C = 10.2

|Dec low C = 13.5

|Jan record low C= 5.6

|Feb record low C= 7.0

|Mar record low C= 3.9

|Apr record low C= 0.6

|May record low C= -2.8

|Jun record low C= -4.0

|Jul record low C= -5.0

|Aug record low C= -5.0

|Sep record low C= -3.3

|Oct record low C= -2.8

|Nov record low C= 1.7

|Dec record low C= 3.8

|Jan precipitation mm= 40.8

|Feb precipitation mm= 37.2

|Mar precipitation mm= 40.9

|Apr precipitation mm= 40.6

|May precipitation mm= 42.9

|Jun precipitation mm= 49.8

|Jul precipitation mm= 47.0

|Aug precipitation mm= 46.8

|Sep precipitation mm= 44.2

|Oct precipitation mm= 50.9

|Nov precipitation mm= 44.7

|Dec precipitation mm= 41.4

|year precipitation mm = 530.6

|precipitation colour= green

|Jan precipitation days= 4.9

|Feb precipitation days= 4.6

|Mar precipitation days= 4.5

|Apr precipitation days= 5.5

|May precipitation days= 7.8

|Jun precipitation days= 9.5

|Jul precipitation days= 11.2

|Aug precipitation days= 11.0

|Sep precipitation days= 8.8

|Oct precipitation days= 8.2

|Nov precipitation days= 6.3

|Dec precipitation days= 5.4

|unit precipitation days= 0.2 mm

|Jan afthumidity =

|Feb afthumidity =

|Mar afthumidity =

|Apr afthumidity =

|May afthumidity =

|Jun afthumidity =

|Jul afthumidity =

|Aug afthumidity =

|Sep afthumidity =

|Oct afthumidity =

|Nov afthumidity =

|Dec afthumidity =

|source 1= Bureau of Meteorology (1891–2022){{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_073019_All.shtml |title= Junee, NSW Climate (1891–2022) |publisher= Australian Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=1 May 2022 }}

}}

File:Junee Post Office on Lorne Street in Junee.jpg

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

• 119 Lorne Street: Junee Post Office{{cite NSW SHR|5051271|Junee Post Office|hr=01425|fn=H00/00204|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• Main Southern railway: Junee railway station{{cite NSW SHR|5012059|Junee Railway Station, yard, locomotive depot|hr=01173|access-date=18 May 2018}}
• The Broadway: Athenium Theatre{{cite NSW SHR|5053909|Athenium Theatre|hr=01687|access-date=18 May 2018}}

• Statue of rugby league commentator Ray Warren at Dobbyn Park, erected 6 August 2011{{Cite web|url=http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/sport/display/95386-ray-warren|title=Ray Warren |publisher=Monument Australia|website=monumentaustralia.org.au|access-date=2020-02-01|archive-date=21 August 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821112427/https://www.monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/sport/display/95386-ray-warren|location=Olympic Highway, Dobbyn Park, Junee}}
• Monte Cristo Homestead, for many years owned by the Ryan family, who did much restoration work.
• Junee Licorice Factory and restaurant, confectionery manufacturer and tourism drawcard.

According to the {{CensusAU|2021}}, there were {{formatnum:4882}} people in Junee.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 9.4% of the population.
• 81.5% of people were born in Australia; the next most common countries of birth included China (excluding Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Taiwan) 1.9%, England 1.3%, New Zealand 1.0%, Fiji 0.8%, and Malaysia 0.8%. 70.9% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages spoken at home included Mandarin 2.1%, Fijian 0.7%, Malay 0.6%, Chinese, not further defined 0.3%, and Cantonese 0.2%.
• 25.2% of respondents in this area identified a religious connection with Catholicism, followed by No Religion at 23.8%, Anglican at 17.4%, and Prebysterian and Reformed 2.6%; a further 22.3% of respondents for this area elected not to disclose their religious status.

{{Historical populations

|type= Australia

|1921|3560

|1933|4213

|1947|4010

|1954|4064

|1961|3980

|1966|3906

|1971|3772

|1976|4005

|1981|3993

|1986|3720

|1991|3673

|1996|3681

|2001|3589

|2006|3744

|2011|4400

|2016|4762

|2021|4882

|source=Australian Bureau of Statistics data.{{cite web |title=21. Historical Censuses (Pre 1996) |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821111437/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=ProductsbyCatalogue&Action=Expand&Num=2.2 |url-status=live |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=10 May 2024}}{{Census 2016 AUS |id=UCL115084 |name=Junee |quick=on}}{{Census 2011 AUS |id=UCL115089 |name=Junee |quick=on}}{{Census 2006 AUS |id=UCL142000 |name=Junee |quick=on}}{{Census 2001 AUS |id=UCL142000 |name=Junee |quick=on}}

}}

The most popular sport in Junee is rugby league. The town's team, the Junee Diesels, compete in the Group 9 Rugby League competition, in which they have won two premierships. The club is notable for having produced New South Wales and Australian captain Laurie Daley.

The town had now defunct Australian rules and rugby union teams, known as the Bulldogs and Rams.{{cite web |date=9 June 1911 |title=Football. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/143072428 |access-date=4 February 2023 |publisher=Daily Advertiser |location=Wagga Wagga, NSW |page=3}}

• Laurie Daley, rugby league footballer and New South Wales and Australian captain{{cite web | url = http://rl1908.com/rugby-league/Laurie-Daley.htm | title = Laurie Daley – His Debut Season | publisher = RL1908.com | access-date = 2007-02-09}}
• Bernie Fraser, former governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/profile-bernie-fraser-20080319-gds5om.html |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821094723/https://www.smh.com.au/business/profile-bernie-fraser-20080319-gds5om.html |url-status=live |date=19 March 2008 |title=Profile Bernie Fraser |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |first=Lucinda |last=Schmidt |quote=His strong instincts for a fair go for everyone come from his upbringing in the southern NSW town of Junee, where his father was an unskilled worker and sometimes unemployed.}}
• Bill Heffernan, former Senator for New South Wales, representing the Liberal Party{{cite web | title = Biography for HEFFERNAN, the Hon. William (Bill) Daniel | publisher = Australian Government | work = Parliament of Australia | url = http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=(Id:handbook/allmps/c16);rec=0; |quote=Born: 3.3.1943, Junee, Australia |archive-date=21 August 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821094241/https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=(Id:handbook/allmps/c16);rec=0; | access-date = 2009-07-05}}
• Lawrence Legend, motorcycle stuntman{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
• Ray Warren, sports commentator{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
• James Harrison, blood donor

Junee is served by:

• Junee Independent newspaper
• Radio 1RPH transmitter (99.5FM)

• Jail Break Inn Fire

File:Ray Warren.jpg|Ray Warren statue

File:Junee Roundhouse Museum.jpg|Roundhouse

File:Junee Liquorice Factory.JPG|Licorice Factory

File:Monte Cristo Homestead.jpg|Monte Cristo

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.junee.nsw.gov.au/ Junee Shire Council]
• [http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/wagga-wagga-area/junee Junee -VisitNSW.com]

{{Riverina}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Towns in the Riverina

Category:Towns in New South Wales

Category:Junee Shire

Category:Junee, New South Wales