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'Bourke' is a town and Local Government Area (see Bourke Shire Council) in the north of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located approximately 800 kilometres north-west of Sydney, on the south bank of the Darling River, which is known as the Barwon River upstream from Bourke. At the 2001 census, Bourke had a population of 2,555, 33.2% Indigenous Australians.^[1]

Contents

History

Description

Cultural Significance

Media

References

External links

History

The site of Bourke was first reached by British settlers in the 1820s and the town originally called Prattenville, was later named after Governor Richard Bourke of New South Wales in the 1830s. The railway reached Bourke in 1885 and closed in 1990 after flooding caused significant damage to the line.
In 1895 a heatwave killed 47 people in Bourke over a 13 day period. In that time the daily maximum temperature averaged 47°C (116.6°F).[1]

Description

Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway, with additional sealed roads from town to the north (Cunnamulla), east (towards Brewarrina, Moree and Goondiwindi) and south (Cobar). The town is also served by a local airport and has Countrylink bus service to other regional centres, like Dubbo. It was also formerly the largest inland port in the world for exporting wool on the Darling River. The countryside around Bourke is used mainly for sheep farming with some irrigated fruit and cotton crops near the river.

Cultural Significance

Bourke is considered to represent the edge of the settled agricultural districts and the gateway to the Outback which lies north and west of Bourke. This is reflected in the traditional Australian expression "back o' Bourke", referring to the Outback.
Bourke was mentioned in the trial of Bradley John Murdoch on November 24 2005, as the place where murder victim Peter Falconio was allegedly seen, 8 days after his disappearance from near Barrow Creek, Northern Territory.

Media

Additionally, the town is served by 7 FM and 2 AM stations, and 4 TV stations. There are two regional radio stations based in Bourke. 2 WEB broadcasts on 585 AM. 2CUZ FM is the regional Indigenous radio station in Bourke. It broadcasts locally on 106.5 FM. Both station broadcast to a myriad of communities in the region. The local paper, The Western Herald, is also published on a weekly basis (every Thursday) year-round, except during a short break at Christmas.

References

1. Bourke (Urban Centre/Locality)

External links

★ Bourke Shire Council website

★ Bourke Tourism Information website

★ Kamilaroi Highway