Nyngan is a charming and prosperous town on the Bogan River 583 km north-west of Sydney.
The town is sustained by the rich sheep and cattle grazing and wheat harvests which occur on the properties in the district. The town's pain and fame, particularly in recent times, has been connected to the Bogan River. The river is actually an unreliable water source and in 1942 a reliable canal from the Macquarie River was established. Still in 1990 the town became famous around Australia when the Bogan experienced a once-in-a-century flood.
The townspeople laid 260 000 sandbags on top of the established levee but the waters inundated the entire town, causing $50 million worth of damage. Two thousand people were airlifted by helicopter out of the town.
Today there is an easy charm about the town. It is worth stopping on the banks of the Bogan and thinking about how the river has washed across the entire town. It is equally interesting to drive along Bogan Street and be reminded of the historic nature of the town.
The post office, court house, town hall, Anglican and Catholic churches and a number of private homes are a reminder that once Nyngan was a major rail centre for the whole of north-west New South Wales.
