After a good morning on the road, we decided to stop for lunch in Coleambally, New South Wales. As it turns out, we had stumbled upon the newest town in New South Wales. Not that you'd necessarily know it at first glance.
While enjoying our sandwiches, we noticed a sign detailing Coleambally's history.
It seems the entire town was explicitly built to take advantage of irrigation and the Murray-Darling Basin scheme. Who knew such a recent town could have such a deliberately planned history? The entire Coleambally Irrigation Area was started in the 1950s, apparently with enough potential farmers being made available through a land ballot.
We were also intrigued to learn that Coleambally's distinctive wire-shaped water tower is located in the center of town. While we didn't see the tower on this visit, the sign also mentioned the tower was constructed of four machines imported from the United States in 1935 to excavate the main irrigation channels in the Murray Valley and the Coleambally Irrigation Area in the early 1960s.
After lunch, we took a short stroll to stretch our legs. We spotted a wonderfully restored vintage car parked near one of the local businesses.
It added a touch of old-world charm to this otherwise modern, planned community. It struck us as wonderfully ironic that the newest town in NSW has an appreciation for the classics.
