{{About|the town|the local government area|Coonamble Shire}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox Australian place | type = town | name = Coonamble | state = nsw | image = Coonamble Castlereagh Street 001.JPG | caption = Castlereagh St, the main street of Coonamble | lga = [[Coonamble Shire Council|Coonamble]] | county = [[Leichhardt County|Leichhardt]] | region = [[Orana (New South Wales)|Orana]] | postcode = 2829 | est = | pop = 2,750 | pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}} | pop_footnotes = <ref name="abspop">{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC11044|name=Coonamble (State Suburb)|accessdate=24 August 2017|quick=on}}</ref> | elevation = 180 | coordinates = {{coord|30|57|0|S|148|24|0|E|display=inline,title}} | maxtemp = 26.6 | mintemp = 11.6 | rainfall = 504.9 | stategov = [[Electoral district of Barwon|Barwon]] | fedgov = [[Division of Parkes|Parkes]] | dist1 = 575 | dir1 = NW | location1 = Sydney | dist2 = 164 | dir2 = N | location2 = Dubbo | dist3 = 99 | dir3 = N | location3 = Gilgandra | dist4 = 117 | dir4 = NW | location4 = Coonabarabran | dist5 = 186 | dir5 = SW | location5 = Narrabri }} '''Coonamble''' is a town on the central-western plains of [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. It lies on the [[Castlereagh Highway]] 95 km (59 mi) north-west of [[Gilgandra]] and 115 km (71 mi) south-east of [[Walgett, New South Wales|Walgett]]. At the [[2016 Australian census|2016 census]], Coonamble had a population of 2,750.<ref name="abspop" /> It is the regional hub for wheat growing and sheep and wool. The name for the town is taken from the Gamilaraay word ''guna'' (faeces) and ''-bil'' (having much).<ref name="etymology of yuwaalaraay gamilaraay bird names">{{Cite web |last=Giacon |first=John |date=26 March 2011 |title=Etymology of Yuwaalaraay Gamilaraay Bird Names |url=http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds/2012-03/docxOnpgHOdf48.docx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222203525/http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds/2012-03/docxOnpgHOdf48.docx |archive-date=22 December 2013 |access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref>
[[Brigidine Sisters|Brigidine nuns]] from Ireland established a school in 1883.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kerri Genovese |title=The Brigidine new arrival story |url=http://amusine.typepad.com/new_arrivals/the-brigidine-new-arrival-story.html |access-date=2 April 2017}}</ref> Their architecturally distinguished convent was dismantled in 1990 and transported {{convert|600|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} to [[Pokolbin, New South Wales|Pokolbin]] in 1991,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Relocation of Brigidine Convent {{!}} Monument Australia |url=https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/culture/community/display/107892-relocation-of-brigidine-convent |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=monumentaustralia.org.au}}</ref> where it now houses The Convent resort.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Convent Hunter Valley: Our history |url=http://www.convent.com.au/the-convent-hunter-valley/our-history |access-date=2 April 2017}}</ref>
Although Coonamble had been a major sheep industry region in the 1980s to 2000, there has recently been an increasing interest in cattle rearing. The summers can have temperatures reaching up to {{convert|40|C}} and in winter, there are nights as cold as {{convert|0|C}}. Most recently Coonamble has gained media coverage due to their mass floods over Christmas 2009.
==Population==
{{Historical populations |type= Australia |1921|2211 |1933|2717 |1947|2567 |1954|2910 |1961|3235 |1966|3410 |1971|3166 |1976|3054 |1981|3090 |1986|3058 |1991|2886 |1996|2754 |2001|2659 |2006|2549 |2011|2446 |2016|2409 |2021|2353 |source=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] data.<ref name="ABS Census data">{{Cite web |title=Statistics by Catalogue Number |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=ProductsbyCatalogue&Action=Expand&Num=2.2 |access-date=22 January 2024 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref><ref name="ABS Census data recent">{{Cite web |title=Search Census data |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/search-by-area |access-date=22 January 2024 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics}}</ref> }}
* In the 2016 Census, there were 2,750 people in Coonamble. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 34.2% of the population. * 80.0% of people were born in Australia and 83.0% of people only spoke English at home. * The most common responses for religion were Anglican 34.3% and Catholic 28.9%.<ref name=abspop/>
==Schools and churches== Coonamble has three schools: Coonamble Public School,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Coonamble Public School |url=https://coonamble-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/ |website=coonamble-p.schools.nsw.gov.au}}</ref> St Brigids Catholic School, and Coonamble High School.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Coonamble High School |url=https://coonamble-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/ |website=coonamble-h.schools.nsw.gov.au}}</ref>
It has a Catholic<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 October 2021 |title=The Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Coonamble |url=https://bathurst.catholic.org.au/parishes-and-mass-times/the-parish-of-our-lady-of-perpetual-help-coonamble/}}</ref> and an Anglican<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parish Profile Coonamble |url=https://www.bathurstanglican.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Coonamble-Parish-Profile.pdf |website=BathurstAnglican.org.au |format=pdf}}</ref> church.
==Rodeo== Coonamble hosts an annual rodeo that is attended by around 1,000 competitors and 4,000 spectators.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coonamble Rodeo and Campdraft - About the Rodeo |url=http://www.coonamblerodeoandcampdraft.com.au/CoonambleRodeoandCampdraft/rodeo.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607202316/http://www.coonamblerodeoandcampdraft.com.au/CoonambleRodeoandCampdraft/rodeo.html |archive-date=June 7, 2009 |access-date=September 2, 2009}}</ref>
==Radio station== Coonamble has its own local radio station, 2MTM 91.9FM, which has a wide variety of music from country to modern.
[[Outback Radio 2WEB]] broadcasts to the area on 91.1FM.
==Sports== The [[Coonamble Bears]] play in the [[Castlereagh Cup]] Rugby League competition. The [[Coonamble Rams]] play in the [[New South Wales Country Rugby Union|Western Plains Rugby Union competition]].
==Climate== Coonamble has a borderline [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]]/[[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: BSh/Cfa) with hot summers, mild winters, and erratic rainfall year-round, with a summer maximum. The town is sunny, with 148.7 clear days annually<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coonamble Comparison Climate Statistics (1907-2010) |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_051010_All.shtml |access-date=July 6, 2024 |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]}}</ref>
{{Weather box |location = Coonamble (30º58'48"S, 148º22'48"E, 180 m AMSL) (1907-2010 normals and extremes, rainfall 1878-2010) |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |Jan record high C = 47.8 |Feb record high C = 45.6 |Mar record high C = 44.4 |Apr record high C = 39.4 |May record high C = 32.8 |Jun record high C = 27.8 |Jul record high C = 26.7 |Aug record high C = 33.3 |Sep record high C = 37.3 |Oct record high C = 41.1 |Nov record high C = 46.1 |Dec record high C = 46.1 |Jan high C = 34.9 |Feb high C = 33.9 |Mar high C = 31.4 |Apr high C = 26.7 |May high C = 21.8 |Jun high C = 18.0 |Jul high C = 17.1 |Aug high C = 19.3 |Sep high C = 23.4 |Oct high C = 27.6 |Nov high C = 31.0 |Dec high C = 33.7 |Jan low C = 19.2 |Feb low C = 18.9 |Mar low C = 16.4 |Apr low C = 11.7 |May low C = 7.8 |Jun low C = 5.0 |Jul low C = 3.7 |Aug low C = 4.6 |Sep low C = 7.4 |Oct low C = 11.5 |Nov low C = 15.1 |Dec low C = 17.7 |Jan record low C = 9.2 |Feb record low C = 7.9 |Mar record low C = 5.4 |Apr record low C = 0.5 |May record low C = -2.3 |Jun record low C = -3.9 |Jul record low C = -4.4 |Aug record low C = -3.7 |Sep record low C = -0.4 |Oct record low C = 1.8 |Nov record low C = 4.2 |Dec record low C = 9.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 60.9 |Feb precipitation mm = 55.1 |Mar precipitation mm = 44.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 35.9 |May precipitation mm = 39.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 37.0 |Jul precipitation mm = 36.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 32.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 32.4 |Oct precipitation mm = 41.5 |Nov precipitation mm = 43.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 47.0 |year precipitation mm = 504.9 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 4.5 |Feb precipitation days = 4.4 |Mar precipitation days = 3.7 |Apr precipitation days = 3.1 |May precipitation days = 3.7 |Jun precipitation days = 4.5 |Jul precipitation days = 4.2 |Aug precipitation days = 4.2 |Sep precipitation days = 3.9 |Oct precipitation days = 4.4 |Nov precipitation days = 4.2 |Dec precipitation days = 4.3 |year precipitation days = 49.1 |Jan afthumidity = 35 |Feb afthumidity = 38 |Mar afthumidity = 37 |Apr afthumidity = 40 |May afthumidity = 49 |Jun afthumidity = 54 |Jul afthumidity = 55 |Aug afthumidity = 44 |Sep afthumidity = 41 |Oct afthumidity = 34 |Nov afthumidity = 34 |Dec afthumidity = 33 |Jan dew point C = 13.6 |Feb dew point C = 14.4 |Mar dew point C = 11.9 |Apr dew point C = 9.4 |May dew point C = 8.4 |Jun dew point C = 7.1 |Jul dew point C = 6.3 |Aug dew point C = 4.8 |Sep dew point C = 6.4 |Oct dew point C = 7.1 |Nov dew point C = 9.4 |Dec dew point C = 11.4 |source 1 = [[Bureau of Meteorology]] (1907-2010 extremes)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coonamble Comparison Climate Statistics (1907-2010) |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_051010_All.shtml |access-date=July 6, 2024 |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]}}</ref> }}
==Heritage listings== Coonamble has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Dubbo–Coonamble railway: [[Coonamble railway station]]<ref name="nswshr-1117">{{cite NSW SHR|5011975|Coonamble Railway Station and Yard Group|hr=01117|accessdate=18 May 2018}}</ref>
== Notable people == * [[Ron Boden]], rugby league player * [[Alex Cullen (journalist)|Alex Cullen]], journalist * [[Ned Hanigan]], rugby player * [[Lancelot Hansen]], rugby league player * [[Eddie Murray (rugby league)|Eddie Murray]], rugby league player, notable Aboriginal death in custody<ref>{{Cite AuDB |id2=murray-edward-james-15079 |title=Edward James Murray |last=Peters-Little |first=Frances |last2=Luckhurst |first2=Simon |volume=18 |year=2012 |accessdate=25 October 2017}}</ref> * [[Mary Quirk]], politician<ref>{{Cite AuDB |id2=quirk-mary-lilly-may-11473 |title=Mary Lilly May Quirk |last=Blackley |first=Leanne L. |volume=16 |year=2002 |accessdate=25 October 2017 }}</ref> * [[Jesse Ramien]], rugby league player * [[Thomas Tyrrell (politician)|Thomas Tyrrell]], trade unionist and politician<ref>{{Cite AuDB |id2=tyrrell-thomas-james-jim-8895 |title=Thomas James (Jim) Tyrrell |last=Farrell |first=Frank |volume=12 |year=1990 |accessdate=25 October 2017 }}</ref> * [[Adriano Zumbo]], pâtissier and chef * [[Braidon Burns|Braiden Burns]], rugby league player * [[Max Jackson]], country singer
==See also==
* [[Coonamble railway line, New South Wales|Coonamble railway]] * [[Coonamble Airport]]
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Coonamble}} * [http://coonambleshire.nsw.gov.au/ Coonamble Shire Council] * [http://www.coonamble.org/ Coonamble on the Castlereagh] * [http://www.smh.com.au/news/New-South-Wales/Coonamble/2005/02/17/1108500193396.html The Sydney Morning Herald Travel: Coonamble] (February 8, 2004) * [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/busrpt/stories/s809402.htm ABC Radio National: Coonamble Open For Business] (15 March 2003) * [https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/coonamble-nsw Aussie Towns Coonamble NSW]
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[[Category:Towns in New South Wales]] [[Category:Towns in the Central West (New South Wales)]]