Wilcannia - Places to See

Historic Wilcannia

Historic Wilcannia is a reminder that often first impressions are very wrong. It is possible to pass through the town and completely miss its fine repository of interesting and historical buildings, often built of locally-quarried sandstone. The visitors' centre can furnish you with a pamphlet which will lead you around the town's heritage trail: 18 sites with informative signposts that connect physical locations with their historic significance. A book is also for sale which provides a more comprehensive account of the sites. There are two other signposted locations in Tilpa, 124 km north-east of Wilcannia.

If you head south down Myers St to the river¹s edge you will get an excellent view of the old centre­lift bridge which was built in 1896 and is now classified by the National Trust. It replaced a punt which was capable of moving 4000 sheep a day across the river. The wharf, dating from the 1870s, can be seen from the bridge.

Turn south into Reid Street just near the bridge and you will notice the beautiful 1880 post office and its attached residence which continue to serve the local community. The Club Hotel on the other side of Reid St dates from 1879 and is built on the site of the town¹s first hotel which burnt down. On the other side of the highway is the Knox and Downs Store (1899) and, further east along Reid St, on the river-side of the road, is the Athenaeum Library (1883) now the town's Pioneer Museum. It is well worth a visit if only to purchase the excellent Wilcannia Historical Society Guide Book which provides detailed histories of all the town¹s major buildings.

Continue east along Reid St over Byrne St and, to the right, is the London Bank building (1890) now used as the Central Darling Shire Offices.

Now head west along Reid St, back across Myers St. At the Cleaton St intersection is the Court House Hotel (1879) and, just beyond it, the old warehouse (1878) which backed onto the river. Across the road is the impressive courthouse (1880), which is next to the old maximum security prison, now the police station (1881), and the police residence (1880), all built of locally quarried sandstone and designed by James Barnet.

The Wilcannia courthouse (1880) was the scene of one of the most unusual literary arguments ever witnessed in Australia. On 25 April 1885 the court heard a case which involved cruelty to animals. One of the police magistrates was Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, the son of Charles Dickens, and one of the prosecution witnesses was Frederick James Anthony Trollope, the son of the novelist Anthony Trollope. Edward had managed Mt Murchison Station from 1876 to 1881. He was later elected to the NSW parliament.

Head north along Cleaton St and at the corner with Hood St is one of the town's oldest buildings, Wilcannia Central School which is a delightful example of the old (the original school building was completed in 1874) and the new with a great acknowledgement of the large part played by Aborigines in the life of the town. The murals on the side of the school (they can be seen from the main gate in Hood Street) have been designed to show Aboriginal students that the school is not some kind of white, alien environment.

Return along Cleaton St and turn left into Woore St. At the corner of Myers St and Woore St is St James Church of England (1883) and further east along Woore St is the Roman Catholic Convent (1894), now a private residence.

Remember, many of the local roads are gravel and can be hazardous or impassable after wet weather. Phone (08) 8091 5155 for an up-to-date report on their condition.