Kikoira

Kikoira is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Bland Shire local government area 548 kilometres (341 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney.

Kikoira
New South Wales
Kikoira Hotel, now closed
Kikoira
Coordinates33°38′0″S 146°39′0″E
Postcode(s)2669
Location
  • 548 km (341 mi) W of Sydney
  • 128 km (80 mi) NE of Griffith
  • 65 km (40 mi) SE of Lake Cargelligo
LGA(s)Bland Shire
State electorate(s)Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)Riverina

The Kikoira area produces wheat and wool and between 1939 and 1970 was home to one of Australia's largest tin deposits.

Settlement

The Kikoira area was set apart for soldier settlement after World War I.[1] The railway came to Kikoira in 1929 with the completion of the Naradhan railway line.[2] Homestead farms along the railway line were available for sale to "farmer's sons, wheatgrowers and landseekers generally" later that year.[3] By 1931, the district had a rugby league team and a subsidised school had been established.[4] The New South Wales government built a 60,000 bushel silo for bulk handing of wheat at Kikoira in 1933.[5]

By around 1933, the first houses were established in the township and a public telephone was installed.[6][7] The Bank of New South Wales established a branch in the town in 1935 and a bush nursing hospital was built the following year.[6][8] The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 1937 that Kikoira–with neighbouring Ungarie, Tullibigeal and Weethalle–was experiencing a "building boom".[9] An Australian rules football team was formed in 1938.[10] The New South Wales Department of Education established a public school in the town in 1939.[11]

Tin mining

In 1938, John Gibson, a gold miner and prospector at nearby Weethalle, arrived at Kikoira in search of more gold. Instead of gold, Gibson found a rich tin deposit.[12][13] Gibson quickly developed a mine and by October that year, the mine was employing 21 workers.[14] A "mild rush" ensued with a large area around Kikoira pegged for mining claims by March 1939.[15]

The mine continued to grow and in 1940 it was employing 140 workers, producing more tin than any field in Australia outside of Tasmania.[16] The Sydney Morning Herald described the shanty town that grew up alongside what was called the Gibsonvale mine as a "scene unknown since the gold rush days". Miners who staked early claims became wealthy while other miners and their families were living in crude humpies made of bark and wheat bags.[17] The mining activity saw a "boom" in trade in Kikoira.[17] Victoria Cross winner Reg Rattey was working at the Gibsonvale mine when World War II broke out.[18]

Mining continued into the 1960s and 1970s. An alluvial tin treatment plant was built at Gibsonvale in 1968. The plant was designed to produce 35 long tons (36 t) of tin concentrate per month and had an estimated life of five years based on tin reserves on site.[19]

Mines in the area included:

  • The Hills Mine a tin mine:[20]
  • The Blairgowrie Mine is an underground gold mine.[21]
  • The Blackfellow Mine is an underground tin mine on Naradhan Rd [22]
  • Gibsonvale Kikoira Mine an open cut tin and underground tin off Naradhan Rd
  • Christmas Gift Mine is an open cut and underground tin mine just off the Kikoira Road[23]

Today

Kikoira station closed in 1975.[24] GrainCorp continue to run a grain receival point in the town. The Kikoira Hotel closed in 1990.[25]

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References
  1. "Land for Soldiers' Settlement". The Wyalong Advocate and Mining, Agricultural and Pastoral Gazette. NSW: National Library of Australia. 29 July 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  2. "NEW RAILWAY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 6 February 1929. p. 16. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  3. "HOMESTEAD FARMS". The Hillston Spectator and Lachlan River Advertiser. NSW: National Library of Australia. 30 May 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 12 January 2014..
  4. "KIKOIRA". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. NSW: National Library of Australia. 22 May 1931. p. 43. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  5. "Completion of Silo System Is Now Well in Sight". The Land. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 7 July 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  6. "Bush Nursing Progress of Two New Homes". The Land. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1936. p. 23. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  7. "KIKOIRA". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. NSW: National Library of Australia. 3 March 1933. p. 42. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  8. "YEAR'S PROFIT HIGHER". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 30 November 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  9. "BUILDING IN THE SOUTH-WEST". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 May 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  10. "CLUB AT KIKOIRA". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. NSW: National Library of Australia. 6 May 1938. p. 14. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  11. "THE SCHOOLS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 28 December 1939. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  12. "£15,550 BLOCK OF FLATS FOR 1/-". Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser. NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 February 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  13. "WEST WYALONG". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. NSW: National Library of Australia. 8 July 1938. p. 41. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  14. "KIKOIRA". The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. NSW: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1938. p. 41. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  15. "KIKOIRA TIN FIELD". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 28 March 1939. p. 12. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  16. "A.I.F. RECRUITS". Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser. NSW: National Library of Australia. 12 July 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  17. "RUSH TO TIN FIELD". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 10 March 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  18. Willey, Harry (2001). "Rattey VC: First VC to a Militia Battalion Member". Digger History. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  19. "Gibsonvale tin plant completed". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 13 August 1968. p. 17. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  20. Downes, P., NSW Metallic Mineral Occurrence Database. (NSW Department Of Mineral Resources, 1997) on Tggerabach Rd.
  21. Downes, P., NSW Metallic Mineral Occurrence Database. (Nsw Department Of Mineral Resources, 1997).
  22. Downes, P., NSW Metallic Mineral Occurrence Database. (NSW Department Of Mineral Resources, 1997).
  23. Heugh, J., Mirlis/Metallogenic Mine Data Sheets - Cargelligo-Narrandera 1:250k Sheet Area. (Geological Survey Of NSW, Department Of Mineral Resources, 1980).
  24. "Kikoira Station". nswrail.net. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  25. "Former Kikoira Hotel". G'Day Pubs. Retrieved 12 January 2014.

Further reading
  • Hoskinson, Vivienne (2000). Remember when: 75 years: a collection of memories of people who lived and worked at Kikoira and Gibsonvale. Kikoira.

Media related to Kikoira at Wikimedia Commons

Kikoira travel guide from Wikivoyage

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