North Star

North Star is a small village in the Gwydir Shire, located in northern New South Wales near the Queensland border.

North Star is a small village in the Gwydir Shire, located in northern New South Wales near the Queensland border. At the 2006 census, North Star had a population of 327 peoplein the surrounding area, with a population of around 50 in the actual village.

European settlement of North Star began in around 1888, when five brothers of the Sutton family took up land holdings in the area. The surrounding lands were cultivated for grazing sheep, by 1910 the Wilby Woolshed was operational, bringing in business from surrounding districts. The first wheat crops were planted in 1908.

A post office was established in 1916, and the opening of the Boggabilla railway line in 1932 brought new services and opportunities for the town. The silo and loading facilities were constructed in 1955 and the complex was expanded in 1965. North Star experienced strong population growth during this period, peaking in the 1970s but more recently has experienced decline due to falling profit margins for wheat farmers, and new technologies.