Menindee, New South Wales

Menindee is situated a small village with 633 inhabitants in the west of New South Wales, Australia, 622 km northeast of Adelaide and 112 kilometers south-east of Broken Hill. The city is located in the Central Darling Shire, on the banks of the Darling River.

History

The first Europeans who came to this area was in 1835, the discoverer of Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, the Charles Sturt followed 1844. The first settlement European -born Australians at Darling River Tom founded Pain, who in 1853 built a hotel here. This is now known as Maiden's Menindee Hotel and is considered the second oldest hotel in New South Wales. In the years 1860/61 it was the explorers Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills as a base station on their expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria, which ended fatally for both the Cooper Creek.

Among other things, due to the settlement of a dealer in 1856 Menindee developed into an important port of call for the steamers on the Darling River. A post office was opened in the known at the time as Perry settlement in 1861. Received its current name of the city in 1863, then still written Menindie. Menindee grew up in the 1870s, as further north mineral resources have been discovered and the economic activity began to focus on Wilcannia.

Economy

The inhabitants of the village earn their living mostly from agriculture and tourism. There are hotels and caravan parks on Kinchega National Park and Lake Cawndilla. In the town there are shops and a petrol station.

Menindee Lakes

A series of lakes bordered to the north and west of the city. The four largest hot Lake Menindee, Lake Cawndilla, Pamamaroo Lake and Lake Wetherell. That resulted from a geological depression, but sooner leading only at high water lakes are now used as water reservoirs. Weirs on the Darling River north-east of Menindee direct the water in the Lake District. The construction of the water storage tank was started in 1949. It was not until 1968, the work was completed.

In the Menindee Lakes flood peaks can be temporarily stored and released gradually to agriculture for irrigation for grapes, melons, apricots, tomatoes and oranges. The 120 km distant town of Broken Hill are the lakes for drinking water. The reservoirs are also used for water skiing, sailing, swimming and fishing. Beginning of 2005 and 2008 were the lakes dry due to the drought and the high demand for water.

On a causeway between two lakes, the railway line of the Indian - Pacific Express operates through ', and it propelled Outback Xplorer connects Sydney and Broken Hill twice a week. At the western end of the village of Kinchega National Park, Lake Menindee and Lake Cawndilla is includes.