Dirranbandi

Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia.

Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne, Queensland, Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland with New South Wales. In the 2016 census, Dirranbandi had a population of 640 people.

Gamilaraay (also known as Gamilaroi, Kamilaroi, Comilroy) is a language from South-West Queensland and North-West New South Wales. The Gamilaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Balonne Shire Council, including the towns of Dirranbandi, Thallon, Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of Mungindi and Boomi extending to Moree, Tamworth and Coonabarabran in NSW.Yuwaalaraay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalaraay country. The Yuwaalaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Hebel extending to Walgett and Collarenebri in New South Wales.

Yuwaalayaay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalayaay country. It is closely related to the Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay languages. The Yuwaalayaay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Goodooga extending to Walgett and the Narran Lakes in New South Wales.

Dirranbandi is located on the traditional lands of the Kooma people. However people in Dirranbandi recognise themselves as Gamilaroi.The town reserve was surveyed in March 1885 by surveyor Claudius Buchanan Whish. He is believed to have named the town using an Aboriginal word, meaning either broken forest country or chorus of frogs at night. The name may be derived from a Yuwaaliyaay dialect placename, Dhurrunbandaay, relating to dhurrun.gal ("hairy caterpillars") and baanda-y ("move in single file"). There is also a Yuwaalaraay noun, dhirrinbaa, meaning "bad weather camp, on high ground", possibly from dhirrin ("high ground") and -baa ("place of, time of").One hundred housing allotments were first set aside, followed by land for a police station, a state school, and post office.Dirranbandi Provisional School opened on 9 June 1902, but closed in April 1905. It reopened on 20 January 1908 and became Dirranbandi State School on 1 January 1909. On 29 January 1963, a secondary department to Year 10 was added.The South Western railway reached Dirranbandi on 22 May 1913. The town was served by the Dirranbandi railway station in Railway Street (28.5864°S 148.2272°E? / -28.5864; 148.2272? (Dirranbandi railway station)). Kundilam railway station served the rural areas 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the town (28.5981°S 148.3264°E? / -28.5981; 148.3264? (Bonathorne railway station)). The name Kundilam is an Aboriginal word meaning scrub berry. On 28 June 1917 Kundilam railway renamed Bonathorne railway station, named after the adjacent Bonathorne pastoral station of Alfred Allen Moore (the Bonathorne pastoral station still exists as at 8 May 2020). Noondoo railway station was approx 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of the town (28.6097°S 148.4297°E? / -28.6097; 148.4297? (Noondoo railway station)); it was named by the Queensland Railways Department on 29 October eafter the Noondoo pastoral station which in turn is an Aboriginal name either for the spring near the homestead or the shrub growing near the spring. Hawkston railway station was located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the town (28.6214°S 148.5333°E? / -28.6214; 148.5333? (Hawkston railway station)).The Catholic church in Dirranbandi was expected to be opened by Archbishop James Duhig on Sunday 25 April 1926, but it was not until 13 May 1928 that he was able to officially open St Therese's Catholic Church.In September 1934 Mr A. Clayton was contracted to build an Anglican church in Dirranbandi to the design of Brisbane architect, S. W. Prior. It was intended to be serviced by the Bush Brotherhood. By February 1935 it was open for services, but it was not until Saturday 15 February 1936 that Bishop Horace Dixon was able to come to Dirranbandi dedicate the church as St Mark's Anglican Church.Dirranbandi had the honour of being the destination for the last mail train to operate in Australia. The Thallon-to-Dirranbandi section of the line was closed on 2 September 2010.The Culgoa Floodplain National Park lies 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the south-west. The town experienced serious flooding in February–March 2010 and January 2011.At the 2011 census, Dirranbandi had a population of 711.In the 2016 census, Dirranbandi had a population of 640 people.