AREA Covered:

Balranald.

Community Profile:

Balranald Shire is situated in the South West of New South Wales on the Murrumbidgee River 859 km from Sydney. Originally inhabited by the Wemba-Wemba Aboriginal group, who called the area 'Nap Nap', its main business centre of Balranald is located on the Murrumbidgee River.

Balranald itself has a population of approximately 1,500 with 3000 in the shire.

Industries

Balranald's main industries include the growing of grapes, irrigation and tourism.

Mungo National Park

Of significant interest in the Balranald shire is Mungo National Park. Aboriginal occupation of the Mungo National Park area extends back an estimated 50,000 - 60,000 years. Artefacts and remains have been well preserved amongst sediments in and around the lake beds of the region’s major ancient lake systems. The fossil records suggest an interaction of the aboriginal population with an environment that underwent rapid change as the lakes filled, reached peak capacity, intermittently drained and filled, and then finally dried out in response to climatic changes. They buried their dead in the sand dunes with the oldest funeral ceremonies recorded in the world, cremating and then covering the deceased with powdered ochre.

The Barking Frog

Balranald is well know for its Barking Frog or rather the Southern Bell Frog. It is also known as the Barking Frog because of the sound of its call.

The Barking Frog is a large, handsome frog that lives in semi-permanent wetlands in south-eastern Australia. It is closely related to the Green and Golden Bell Frog that halted work on the Olympic Village at Homebush bay. The frog is bright green in colour with splotches of gold, bronze and black along its back and bright turquoise on the back of its thighs and changes colour rapidly when subject to heat or bright lights often turning dark brown during the day. Once wide-spread and abundant the frog is highly endangered and listed on the NSW Endangered Species list. Scientists are still unsure why the frog began to disappear, but disease, habitat loss and threat of exotic species are likely causes. The Distribution of the Barking Frog in NSW is now restricted to a few areas along the Murrumbidgee and the lower Murrumbidgee flood plain around Balranald.

Tourism Links

• Balranald Shire Council
• Tourism NSW: Balranald
  

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