Balranald, New South Wales

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Balranald, pop. 1476 (2001), is a town and local government area in the south west of New South Wales, Australia. Balranald is located in a remote, semi-desert area. The activities include sheep farming, woodcutting, charcoal production and some areas of irrigated crop growing along the rivers.

The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River. Although a town in New South Wales, Balranald receives Victorian state television stations, with a range of Sydney, and Melbourne newspapers available.

Although now closed, Balranald was once connected to the Victorian Rail system via a line to Echuca.

Balranald Shire is the location of World Heritage listed Mungo National Park.

Balranald was one of the stops of the Burke and Wills expedition on their ill-fated search for the great inland sea.

It has been claimed that the first telephone in Australia was used at nearby Yanga Station, to communicate between the homestead and the shearing sheds. This was introduced courtesy of the nephew of Alexander Graham Bell.

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