#coonabarabran

Graffiti in Coonabarabran.

On my travels.

Denied citizenship by the country he died for, this Anzac Day Aboriginal war hero Bill Allen is being honoured in France

Outside the French town of Péronne on 31 August 1918, Private William Allen Irwin – a Gomeroi man from near Coonabarabran in New South Wales – was pinned down by German machine-gun fire alongside fellow Australian soldiers from the 33rd infantry battalion.

They had been ordered to wrest control of enemy-held positions in an area known as Road Wood during the battle of Mont St-Quentin.

In the face of heavy fire Allen rushed three machine-gun nests, capturing the weapons and crews. The job not done, he tried to capture a fourth, where he was fatally wounded. He died the next day.

Despite his bravery, for which he was posthumously awarded the distinguished conduct medal, Bill Allen was never recognised as a citizen of his own country.

The cosmos is buzzing with activity this March, and one of its most harmonious moments is nearly upon us—the March equinox. This cosmic event occurs at precisely 2:29 pm AEDT (1:29 pm AEST) on Thursday, March 20, 2025. That’s 3:29 am UTC for the stargazers beyond our Aussie borders. Let’s dive into what makes the March equinox a truly awe-inspiring event. What is the March Equinox? The March…

2020: The Breadknife, a trachyte dyke (formed 18-13 Ma), along with plug known as Belougery Spire, dominate the Warrumbungles landscape. Only the radial dykes emanating from Ship Rock are more spectacular.

Australian farmers battle worst drought in a century

As livestock starve and the soil becomes dust, New South Wales farmers battle a crippling drought that many locals are calling the worst since 1902.

In Warrumbungle Shire, where sharp peaks fall away to once fertile farmland, the small town of Coonabarabran is running out of water.

The town dam is down to just 23% capacity, forcing residents to live with level 6 water restrictions.

Harry Taylor, 6, picks up a lamb to try and feed it with cottonseed in Coonabarabran, Australia.

The young boy’s family farm is almost devoid of grass, with dust and weeds as the only constant across the property.

Ambrose Dolan and his wife Lisa run a cattle feeding operation outside of Coonabarabran.

Both of the couple's children, Brett and Emily, have returned home this year to help support their parent’s farm during the drought

Farmer Ash Whitney stands in the middle of a dried-up dam on his farm west of Gunnedah, Australia.

"I have been here all my life, and this drought is feeling like it will be around a while," said Whitney.

The New South Wales State government recently approved an emergency drought relief package of $445 million, of which at least $185 million is allocated for low interest loans to help eligible farms recover.

The package has been welcomed, though in the words of a local farmer "it barely touches the sides."