Traditional Owners

The original inhabitants of the Carrathool area were the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people.

Settlement history

European settlement dates from the 1830s, with land used mainly for sheep and cattle grazing. Population was minimal until the 1880s, when Carrathool developed as a rail-head and port for steamers. Further growth took place from the 1910s, when irrigation made land cultivation possible, with the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area opened in 1912. Gradual growth took place during the 1920s, aided by the opening of railway lines and the expansion of wheat growing. The population of the Shire declined slightly from the 1970s through to the mid 1990s, and then increased slightly between 1996 and 2001 to about 3,300 persons. The population then declined slightly, falling to about 2,900 persons in 2006.

Land use

Carrathool Shire is a predominantly rural area, with two-thirds of the population living in the township of Hillston and the smaller villages of Carrathool, Goolgowi, Merriwagga and Rankins Springs. The Shire encompasses a total land area of about 19,000 square kilometres. Rural land is used largely for agriculture and horticulture, particularly sheep and cattle grazing and cotton and rice growing, with some citrus growing, and other fruit, nut and vegetable growing.

Transport

The Shire is served by the Cobb Highway, the Mid Western Highway and Kidman Way.

Major features

• Major features of the Shire include Cocoparra National Park,
• Willandra National Park,
• Conapaira Ranges,
• Cocopara Nature Reserve,
• Langtree Nature Reserve,
• Loughnan Nature Reserve,
• Nombinnie Nature Reserve,
• Pulletop Nature Reserve,
• various state forests,
• Lake Brewster,
• Lake Woorabinda,
• The Lachlan River,
• The Murrumbidgee River,
• Hillston District Hospital,
• Hillston Cotton Gin,
• Hillston Historical Society Museum,
• Red Dust & Paddy Melons Gallery,
• Carrathool Racecourse,
• Goolgowi Golf Club,
• Goolgowi Recreation Ground,
• Goolgowi Swimming Pool,
• Hillston Swimming Pool,
• Hughie Cameron Park,
• Rankin Springs Golf Club,
• Rankin Springs Recreational Ground and Pinkers Beach.

Included areas