Boggabilla New South Wales
The Wobbly Boot Hotel at Boggabilla
Boggabilla
Coordinates	28°36′0″S 150°21′0″E / 28.60000°S 150.35000°E / -28.60000; 150.35000
Population	529 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	2409
Location	703 km (437 mi) NW of Sydney 357 km (222 mi) SW of Brisbane 115 km (71 mi) NE of Moree 9 km (6 mi) SE of Goondiwindi
LGA(s)	Moree Plains Shire
State electorate(s)	Northern Tablelands
Federal division(s)	Parkes

Boggabilla /ˈbɒɡəbɪlə/ is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 529, of which 43.5% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.^[1]

The name Boggabilla comes from Gamilaraay bagaaybila, literally "full of creeks".^[2] The same "creek" element is found in the name of Boggabri.

Geography

Boggabilla is located on the southern bank of the Macintyre River, north of Moree. The Newell Highway passes through Boggabilla and is met by the Bruxner Way at a junction in the centre of town. Surrounding localities include Toomelah Station 15 km (9.3 mi) to the east, while the larger town of Goondiwindi is 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest, across the border in Queensland.

History

The Boggabilla region is situated roughly on the border of two large language groups of Aboriginal Australians, the Bigambul and the northern clans of the Gamilaraay. British colonisation had a devastating effect on these people, with many being killed in frontier conflict and the Bigambul language now being extinct.^[3][4]

The first British to enter the region were squatter pastoralists who started to take land in the early 1840s. Around 1843, George Yeomans and Otto Baldwin formed the Boggabilla pastoral station. They and their stockmen skirmished with the local Aboriginal men over occupation of the land and it wasn't until the arrival of the government funded Native Police force under Commandant Frederick Walker in 1849 that armed Aboriginal resistance around Boggabilla was put down.^[5][4]

The township of Boggabilla was formed and allotments were first offered for sale in 1863.^[6]

Demographics

According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 529 in Boggabilla.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 43.5% of the population.
• About 63.5% of people were born in Australia and 65.4% of people only spoke English at home.
• 56.2% identified as Christian and 28.5% identified as having no religious affiliation.^[1]

Transport

Boggabilla used to have a railway service, but this has been cut back to North Star, New South Wales, where the last silo is located. Also, an airport and shuttle services are available to Sydney from Moree located 110 km south of Boggabilla. Daily bus services run both north and south.

Health

The nurses at Boggabilla Health Centre provide services such as preschool screening and immunisation. ^[7]

Education

Boggabilla Central School has preparatory, primary, and secondary grades) and a TAFE (a campus of TAFE NSW).