The History of Nyngan

The first recorded visit by Europeans to the Bogan River was by a party led by Major Thomas Mitchell, who set off from Parramatta on March 9, 1835. On May 10, 1835 Mitchell arrive in what was then known as Nyingen (Nyngan). He described this spot as a 'long pond with many birds, ducks and brolgas'.

Eleven years later in 1846, Major Mitchell returned to what he called Nyingen, only to find burnt relics of the previous settlement. At this time Canonba, a small village on Duck Creek some 30 kilometres north of Nyngan, was a thriving village but declined following the completion of the railway line to Nyngan in 1883.

A number of houses and buildings from Canonba were moved and re-erected in Nyngan. Today the only reminders of the township are a small graveyard and a large boulder bearing a plaque to mark the site of Canonba.

The Municipality of Nyngan was proclaimed on February 17, 1891 with Nyngan having a population of 1355, and in 1906 the Bogan Shire was incorporated. The Bogan Shire Council and the Nyngan Municipal Council amalgamated in 1972.

In 1983, Nyngan celebrated its centenary year with the unveiling of the Centenary Fountain.

The Floods of 1990

In April 1990, Nyngan and the surrounding district in the Shire of Bogan suffered the worst flooding the area has known since being settled.

Record heavy rains in the catchment of the Bogan saw floodwaters rise to alarming levels, threatening the town. Despite the best efforts of the townspeople and an army of volunteers, the levee was breached.

By the morning of April 24, Nyngan was under water and isolated in a vast inland sea. With damage estimated at $50 million and all services to the town cut, it was decided to airlift almost the entire population of Nyngan to safety until the flood receded and services could be restored.

Today, thanks to the assistance of the State and Federal governments and people from all over New South Wales and beyond, Nyngan has been fully restored. A new levee, one metre higher than the 1990 flood level now protects the town and the people of Nyngan.