The Gwydir Shire is in the centre of the ‘Fossickers Way’, a route which offers the traveller a relaxing alternative to the New England or Newell Highways. The Shire encompasses a diverse landscape that is both picturesque and productive and is approximately 560 km north of Sydney, 160 km north of Tamworth along the Fossickers Way and 85 km north-west of Inverell. The shire is 9,122 square kilometres in size and is situated north of Tamworth Regional Council and continues almost to the Queensland border.
The southern boundary of the shire is the Nandewar Range where the Gwydir and Namoi Valleys meet. The Horton Valley and Cobbadah District are home to some Australia’s most highly regarded beef cattle studs. These enterprising farmers use the latest artificial breeding and agronomic technology to produce beef of exceptional quality. Meat Sheep and merinos that grow high quality wool are also grazed in this area.
The Gwydir River enters the Gwydir Shire where it spills from the Copeton Dam and meanders in a westerly direction through the towns of Bingara and Gravesend. The Gwydir valley is well know for irrigated and dry land cropping as well as livestock production. In addition to the traditional crops of wheat, barley, oats and sorghum, there are olive groves, pecan nut plantations and freshwater fish farms in the Gravesend district.
Heading northwest from the timbered surrounds of the town of Warialda and the close-knit community of Coolatai, the countryside opens into an undulating vista of basalt farmland. This part of the Shire which include the villages of Crooble, Croppa Creek and North Star, is known as the ‘Golden Triangle’. Farmers using advanced farming techniques, such as minimum tillage and satellite guidance systems, produce a variety of high yielding crops such as wheat, barley sorghum, maize, chick peas, canola and cotton to name just a few. This area also has several cattle feed lots which supply grain fed beef to the Australian domestic market and export markets throughout the world.
Both Warialda and Bingara have Hospitals, Aged Care Hostels, Medical Centres, Caravan Parks, Swimming Pools, Pre-schools, Libraries, Tourist Information Centres, and a Mobile Pre-school based at North Star. Warialda is the centre for the Council’s Technical Services functions. Bingara is the centre for the Administrative functions. The two centres are being linked through the use of sophisticated communications equipment to ensure that the amalgamations primary objective is achieved which is to save the existing employment numbers within each of the main urban centres of Warialda and Bingara.
