Urana

Urana /jəˈrænə/ is a small town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Federation Council local government area.

Urana
New South Wales
Memorial Hall, Urana
Urana
Coordinates35°19′0″S 146°16′0″E
Population298 (2016 census)[1]
Established6 May 1859[2]
Postcode(s)2645
Elevation125.0 m (410 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Federation Council
CountyUrana
State electorate(s)Albury
Federal Division(s)Farrer
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
23.6 °C
74 °F		 9.6 °C
49 °F		 442.2 mm
17.4 in

Urana is located between Lockhart and Jerilderie, about 561 kilometres (349 mi) southwest of the state capital, Sydney. To the west lies Lake Urana and the Lake Urana Nature Reserve. To the east lies a smaller lake, Lake Uranagong.

Urana was the major town and headquarters of the former Urana Shire. The shire included the localities of Boree Creek, Morundah, Oaklands and Rand. The Urana district is used for raising sheep and for growing wheat and other grain crops.

In the 2016 census, there were 298 people in Urana, of these 56.3% were male and 43.7% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.7% of the population.[1]

History

Urana was first settled by Europeans during the 1850s. In May 1859 a design for the "Town of Urana" by Surveyor Hayes was approved by the New South Wales Executive Council.  The name Urana comes from the Aboriginal word 'airana', meaning a temporary shelter (usually consisting of a simple frame of branches covered with bark, leaves, or grass).[3]

Urana Post Office opened on 1 January 1861.[4]

In August 1863 near Urana the notorious bushranger, Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan, and his accomplice Clarke held up the Police Magistrate based at Wagga Wagga, Henry Baylis.  A few days after this incident Baylis led a party of policemen to the bushrangers' camp; shots were exchanged and both Baylis and the bushranger Clarke were wounded.  Morgan and Clarke both escaped on this occasion.[5]

In 1866 Urana township consisted of two public houses, the Urana Hotel and the Royal Hotel.  In addition there was a post-office, two large stores, and a police-station and lock-up. A new court-house was erected at Urana in 1879.  During 1882 a Roman Catholic church was completed, with Father Burmingham celebrating the first service on 7 January 1883.[3]

The Rev. George Wilson Adam was the first Presbyterian minister of the separate parish of Urana (at that time administered from Victoria).  Rev. Adams’ term extended from 1878 to 1887. His successor, Rev. Matthew Bell, was a part of the Presbyterian Church of New South Wales; he was inducted in 1888 and resigned in 1904.  During Rev. Bell’s tenure at Urana three wooden churches were built: one at Urana, and one each at the district preaching centres, Old Goree and Boree Creek.[6]

Urana Shire Council was proclaimed in 1906 and dissolved in 2016, to become part of the Federation Council.

Heritage listings

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

Climate
Climate data for Urana
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 32.9
(91.2)		 32.4
(90.3)		 29.2
(84.6)		 23.6
(74.5)		 18.7
(65.7)		 14.8
(58.6)		 14.2
(57.6)		 16.0
(60.8)		 19.8
(67.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 27.7
(81.9)		 31.1
(88.0)		 23.7
(74.7)
Average low °C (°F) 16.3
(61.3)		 16.3
(61.3)		 14.0
(57.2)		 9.4
(48.9)		 6.1
(43.0)		 3.6
(38.5)		 3.2
(37.8)		 4.1
(39.4)		 6.3
(43.3)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.8
(53.2)		 14.6
(58.3)		 9.5
(49.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 31.8
(1.25)		 34.1
(1.34)		 34.6
(1.36)		 32.1
(1.26)		 41.3
(1.63)		 44.8
(1.76)		 39.1
(1.54)		 39.9
(1.57)		 38.2
(1.50)		 41.2
(1.62)		 32.4
(1.28)		 32.4
(1.28)		 442.0
(17.40)
Source: [8]

Notable residents

Notable people from Urana include:

  • Rugby league player Norm Provan
  • Singer Billy Field
  • AFL Football Player Billy Brownless was born at the Urana Hospital
  • The Queen's milliner Fred Fox
  • Sculpture 'Itsy Bitsy' by local artist Andrew Whitehead on the water tower.
  • Hotel Urana, the only remaining pub in Urana.
  • The flat Urana plain
  • Historic post office
  • JM Smith office
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Media related to Urana at Wikimedia Commons

Preceding station   NSW Branch lines   Following station
Uranagong
towards Oaklands
Oaklands Line
(closed section)
Cullivel
towards The Rock

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Urana (UCL)". 2016 Census QuickStats.
  2. "Urana decked out for its 150th". The Weekend Advertiser. 9 May 2009. p. 4.
  3. Jervis, James (1952). "The Western Riverina: A History of Its Development". Royal Australian Historical Society Journal and Proceedings. XXXVIII: 242–3.
  4. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  5. "'Baylis, Henry (1826 - 1905)', Australian Dictionary of Biography (online edition)". Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2006.
  6. Cameron, Rev. James, M.A., D.D. (1905). Centenary History of the Presbyterian Church in New South Wales (Urana details). Sydney: Angus & Robertson. pp. 297–306. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2007.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Urana Soldiers' Memorial Hall". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01966. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  8. "Climate statistics for". Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
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