Orana is a region in central northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. it had an estimated population of 113,824 people. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2015. It has an area of and is the largest region in New South Wales, comprising approximately 25% of that state. The major localities include

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...

and

Cobar Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier H ...

. The Orana region encompasses twelve local-government areas: the

Dubbo Regional Council The Dubbo Regional Council is a local government area located in the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the City of Dubbo and Wellington Council as part of a ...

, the Mid-Western Regional Council, and the Shires of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Cobar, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett, Warren and Warrumbungle.Orana Region Business Enterprise Centre
Dubbo City Online website, accessed 11 November 2006 This region corresponds approximately with the

Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...

North Western Statistical Division.

Etymology

The term 'Orana' is said to mean "welcome" in an Aboriginal language, perhaps that of the local

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

group. Orana was popularised as an Australian Aboriginal word in the carol ''Orana to Christmas Day'', released in 1948, though its true origins are obscure. Linguist David Nash suggests that Orana's true origin may be a

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n language, noting that ''Kia orāna'' is a common greeting on

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

, the largest of the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

and ''Ia Orana'' in Tahitian means "hello". He says the word was first ascribed as Aboriginal in the 1920s and specifically Wiradjuri only from the 1970s, and does not fit the usual form of Wiradjuri words.

Economy

Agriculture is the predominant industry in the Orana region, with 86% of the area under agricultural land use.Regional Overview
ORANA Development & Employment Council (ODEC), accessed on th

website 12 November 2006 This land makes up 27% of the total agricultural land in New South Wales. The output equals approximately 658 million or 11.7% of the state's agricultural production. Agriculture industry jobs provide over 20 percent of the employment in the region. Wine made from the small number of vineyards in the Orana region may be labelled as Western Plains.

References

{{coord missing, New South Wales Regions of New South Wales Central West (New South Wales) Newell Highway