Barellan

Postcode: 2665

Barellan is a small town in Narrandera Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It had 359 people in 2001, including 6 indigenous persons (1.7%) and 11 persons born overseas (3.1%). Barellan is a quiet Riverina wheat town on the Burley Griffin Way, with characteristic silos, and functions primarily as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural area.

The railway reached Barellan in 1908.

The Commercial Hotel, “a typically large and rather gracious hotel with an impressive upper verandah”, was built in 1924.

Barellan is notable as the birth-place of the tennis-player, Evonne Goolagong (now Evonne Cawley). There is a small plaque honouring her in the main street.

Evonne Goolagong was born on 31 July 1951 and attended Barellan Primary School. Although Aboriginal people faced widespread discrimination in rural Australia at this time, Evonne was able to play tennis in Barellan from childhood thanks to a kindly resident, Bill Kurtzman, who saw her peering through the fence at the local courts and encouraged her to come in and play. Goolagong left Barellan to attend Willoughby Girls High School in Sydney where she was able to further develop her tennis-playing skills.

For more information about this town, click here