Quirindi



Quirindi ( or ) is a small town on the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Liverpool Plains Shire. At the, Quirindi had a population of 2,602. It is the nearest link to Gunnedah to the northwest and Tamworth to the north. The local economy is based on agriculture, with broadacre farming dominant on the black soil plains to the west and livestock grazing in the hilly eastern part of the district.

The town is on the Kamilaroi Highway 15 km northwest of its junction with the New England Highway at Willow Tree.

History
The indigenous Gamilaroi people lived in the area for many thousands of years. The name Quirindi comes from the Gamilaraay language, with a number of meanings having been attributed it, which include "nest in the hills", "place where fish breed" and "dead tree on mountain top". Early spellings of the name included "Cuerindi" and "Kuwherindi".

Quirindi Post Office opened on 1 January 1858. The town was gazetted on 19 February 1884.

Heritage listings
Quirindi has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
 * Main Northern railway: Quirindi railway station

Sport
Quirindi sporting facilities include several sporting ovals catering for athletics, cricket (Falcons), Rugby League (Quirindi Grasshoppers), Rugby Union (Quirindi Lions), soccer (Qurindi Football Club- QFC formed in 2011), basketball and netball. Other sporting complexes include the racecourse, polo grounds, rodeo, campdrafting, an 18-hole golf course, two tennis clubs, three bowling greens, gun club and swimming complex.

Local Teams/Events

 * Quirindi Falcons Cricket Club
 * Quirindi Lions RUFC
 * Quirindi Lions FC (Soccer)

One major issue faced by Quirindi's sporting scene was the demise of the local rugby league club, the Quirindi Grasshoppers, who have been in recess since 2017 after years of financial problems. This has left the town without a team in its most popular sport, and forces local players to either travel to play for Murrurundi or Werris Creek, or give up the game they love entirely.

Quirindi Jockey Club plays host to seven race meetings each year including the Boxing Day Races which attracts thousands of people each year.

A motorcycle club is located 5 km north-east of Quirindi on the Borah Creek Road, with a 1.2 km motorcross track named Stu Johnson Park.

Quirindi annual events

 * Quirindi Rural Heritage Festival- 1st weekend in May
 * Quirindi Show- September
 * Boxing Day Races- December
 * Prime Stock Show / Hook and Hoof- August
 * Nick Tooth Memorial Rugby Tens Tournament
 * Sunflowers on the Plains - January

Surrounding towns
Werris Creek is 20 km north of Quirindi, following the path of the explorer Thomas Mitchell.

Wallabadah is located 15 km east of Quirindi on the New England Highway.

Spring Ridge is about 50 km west of Quirindi.

Transport
Quirindi railway station is located on the Main North railway line, 392 km from Sydney. The station opened in 1877, and continues to be served by daily rail services operated by a NSW TrainLink Xplorer train to and from Sydney and Armidale/Moree.

Quirindi Airport is the local airfield, though most commercial flights in the region use Tamworth Regional Airport.

Tamworth Buslines operates a bus service between Quirindi and Tamworth.

Notable people

 * Ellen Savage, sole surviving nurse from the sinking of the AHS Centaur, advocate for career nursing
 * Sir John Oscar Cramer, Australian politician and founding member of Liberal Party
 * Ben Smith, former Parramatta Eels NRL player
 * Andy Saunders, former NRL player for Canterbury Bulldogs
 * Tony Windsor, politician