Weethalle ( ) is a town in the
Central West region of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. The town is in the
Bland Shire
Bland Shire is a Local government areas of New South Wales, local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. it covers an area of . As at the the population was 5,995. It is a member of the League of Extraordinary Comm ...
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
and on the
Mid-Western Highway
Mid-Western Highway, sometimes Mid Western Highway, is a state highway located in the central western and northern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links the Great Western, Mitchell, ...
, west of the state capital, Sydney, and north east of
Griffith
Griffith may refer to:
People
* Griffith (name)
* Griffith (surname)
* Griffith (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency
* Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Ridge, ...
. At the , Weethalle and the surrounding area had a population of 307.
The name "Weethalle" is said to be an
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands.
Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...
word for drink. Locals refer to the town as the Wee or the Peethalle.
History
The area now known as Weethalle lies on the traditional lands of the
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 ...
people.
The Weethalle area was set aside as
homestead farms for returned soldiers in 1921. The
Rankins Springs railway line
The Rankins Springs railway line is a closed railway line in southwestern New South Wales, Australia. The line branched from the Lake Cargelligo railway line, New South Wales, Lake Cargelligo line at the town of Barmedman, heading in a westerly ...
was extended to Weethalle in 1922. Land clearing commenced and by 1923 the first wheat from the area was delivered to the Weethalle railway station.
By 1924, a site was surveyed for a village to service the surrounding farms with town allotment sales taking place the following year. A "skeleton" town was in existence by 1926, with "buildings in all states of construction" and "built mostly of wood".
In the same year, a provisional school was established along with a branch of the
Commercial Banking Company of Sydney
The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank.
Hi ...
.
An observer in 1928 described the growth of Weethalle as "remarkable" with the town having "sprung up in the night".
In that year, a new hotel was built at a cost of £13,000. The hotel was the newest addition to a town that also boasted a bank, "2 stores ... butchers, bakers, hairdresser and tobacconist, several agents, a school, a doctor, a dance and picture hall, and a tri-weekly rail service."
[
]
Sport
The most popular sport in Weethalle is rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
. The town's team, the Weethalle Kangaroos, used to compete in the Group 17 Rugby League
Group 17 is a rugby league competition based in the Riverina and Central West regions of New South Wales, Australia. The competition collapsed in 2006 and reformed in 2018 as the Western Riverina Community Cup with six teams. It is currently s ...
competition. Nowadays, the town's players play for either West Wyalong or Rankins Springs.
Gallery
File:Weethalle Mid-Western Highway 003.JPG, Weethalle Mid-Western Highway
File:Weethalle Mid-Western Highway Signs.JPG, Weethalle Mid-Western Highway
File:Weethalle Pioneer Park.JPG, Pioneer Park
File:Weethalle Playground.JPG, park
File:Weethalle Police Station & Court House 002.JPG, Court House
File:Weethalle Post Office.JPG, Post Office
File:Weethalle Presbyterian Church.JPG, Presbyterian Church
File:Weethalle Roadhouse.JPG, Weethalle Roadhouse
File:Weethalle Showgrounds.JPG, Weethalle Showgrounds
File:Weethalle Sports Oval Entrance.JPG, Sports Ground
File:Weethalle Tennis Courts.JPG, Tennis Courts
File:Weethalle Town Entry Sign 001.JPG, Weethalle Town Entry
File:Weethalle CWA Rooms.JPG, CWA Rooms
File:Weethalle Building 001.JPG, Street in Weethalle
File:Weethalle Building 002.JPG, Weethalle Street
File:Weethalle CBC Bank Museum.JPG, Museum
File:Weethalle War Memorial.JPG, War memorial
File:Weethalle Wee St 001.JPG, Weethalle Wee St
File:Weethalle Railway Station 001.JPG, Railway Station
Wheatfield near Weethalle IMG 20211115 164812.jpg, Wheatfield near Weethalle
References
Further reading
*
External links
Weethalle
- Bland Shire Council
{{authority control
Towns in New South Wales
1924 establishments in Australia
Populated places established in 1924
Bland Shire