Griffith, New South Wales

Griffith is a city and Local Government Area in south-western New South Wales, Australia at (). Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the first New South Wales minister of Public Works. Griffith was proclaimed a city in 1987.

The entire area of the City of Griffith has an approximate population of 28,000 and a catchment population of approximately 50,000. Griffith's population is estimated to reach 35,000 by 2030. Griffith has officially been declared as "Australia's Fastest Growing Inland City" with an annual growth rate of 2.4%.

It can be accessed by road from Sydney and Canberra via Hume Highway and Burley Griffin Way and from Melbourne via the Newell Highway and either by using the Kidman Way or the Irrigation Way.

History

Griffith was established in 1916 as part of the Australian Federal Government's Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) project to supply irrigation from the Murrumbidgee river in western New South Wales to be used for farming. Principally fruit especially citrus and rice farming.

From its earliest days, the MIA was populated by Italian workers, some of whom were initially employed by Australian farmers to run steamboats on the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers. Approximately 60% of today's Griffith population claim Italian background. These include the initial settlement of Italians from the boat crews and other Italians who came out to Australia in the Depression, or from a second wave of immigrant Italians who came to Griffith in the late 1950s and early 1960s after Australia opened its immigration to Europeans other than the English.

In the 1970's, Griffith was often associated with drug distribution (particularly marijuana) and organized crime. However, Griffith is now associated with good wine and food, primarily as a result of the large Italian population. Griffith's multi-cultural population is now absorbing new national groups, including a significant Sikh Indian community and large Tongan community. Only a small proportion (approximately 25%) claims Anglo-Saxon ancestory. The city is sister city with the Italian town of Treviso in the Veneto area. Many Italians in Griffith are from the Veneto region or the Calabria region of Italy.

Griffith is the cathedral city of the Anglican Diocese of Riverina. The foundation stone of the Parish Church of St Alban the Martyr was dedicated in 1954. It was proclaimed as a cathedral in 1984.

Climate

align="bottom" style="padding:0 0;margin:0 0;"| *Source*: Griffith Airport Weather Summaries, 1960 - 2005, Weatherzone (Bureau of Meteorology data)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Notes: Temperatures are in degrees Celsius. Precipitation is in millimetres. Griffith Airport Latitude: -34.2487S Longitude: 146.0695E Elevation: 134.0m ASL

Commerce

Griffith is the regional service centre for the vast Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area - the most productive agricultural and agribusiness region in New South Wales, if not Australia. Thanks to irrigation Griffith is rich in agriculture and it is only appropriate that the city is known as Australia's "Wine and Food Country". Fine wines, international standard restaurants, an incredible range of fresh produce and opportunities to visit farms are only a small part of the varied experiences available.

Development

Griffith is a growing city and is evident by the many developments occurring. Griffith has been criticised for progressing too quickly but Griffith City Council believes that the statistics of future growth are enough to justify the developments. Griffith's commercial sector is one of the largest for its size in Australia. Griffith is currently seeking a private hospital and university campus to be built in the city. There are several motel and hotel developments also occurring within the city. Residential development is a reflection of the city's 2.4% growth rate and industrial growth remains strong with many large companies and company expansions.

Commercial

Griffith has experienced strong commercial growth in recent years. Griffith's main streets are Banna Avenue and Yambil Streets but commercial growth has occurred throughout the city. Shopping centre developments include:

Griffith is home to many national retailers including Woolworths, Big W, Coles, The Reject Shop, Go-Lo and Best and Less. Major Homemaker retailers include Harvey Norman, The Warehouse, Magnet Mart, Fantastic Furniture, Barbeques Galore, Super Cheap Auto and Repco. Major fast food outlets of Griffith include McDonalds, KFC, Eagle Boys, Subway and Red Rooster. Griffith has several retail developments in the pipeline such as a Bunnings Warehouse store on Jondaryan Avenue and the city's second Woolworths supermarket located on the former Exies on Burrell site.

All the developments listed have occurred over the last decade which is a reflection of Griffith's phenomenal growth over recent years.

Industrial

Griffith is home to the Riverina's largest employer, Barrter Enterprises. Griffith also has several wineries and the Summertime Juice Factory.

Residential

Griffith's urban sprawl is very extensive due to the rapidly growing population. The entire suburb of Collina has been constructed to the north west of the city. Other housing development has occurred in North Griffith, Mayfair and Pioneer.

Education

Griffith is the third largest centre for education in the Riverina after Wagga Wagga and Leeton. Griffith is home to three high schools:

Wade High School
Griffith High School
Marion Catholic College (formerly Catholic High School)

Griffith also has 13 primary schools and variouas day care and pre-school facilities. Griffith has one of the largest campuses of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute. There has been recent plans to construct a fifth campus of Charles Sturt University in Griffith. Griffith City Council believes this will further aid the city's growth.

Transport

Griffith is a major junction for the Kidman Way, Burley Griffin Way and Irrigation Way. Griffith is located 550km west of Sydney via Burley Griffin Way and Irrigation Way and 450km north of Melbourne via the Kidman Way. Griffith has daily bus services to the major metropolitan areas and a special Xplorer service to Sydney on weekends. Griffith Airport operates daily flights to Sydney as well as a proposed route to Melbourne.

Countrylink Southern
Leeton	↔	Griffith

Attractions

Griffith has many attractions which make the city very enticing for tourists. These include Pioneer Park, a 510 seat Regional Theatre, the Italian museum, the Griffith Regional Art Gallery, and craft and antique shops. Many of the Griffith wineries also have wine tasting at the cellar door, notably De Bortoli Wines, McWilliams, West End Wines, Miranda Wines and Riverina Wines. Griffith is famous for its botrytis including Debortoli's Noble One and its fortified wine such as McWilliams' Hanwood Port. Ecotourism is also available in Griffith. Scenic Hill has various walking trails, lookouts and is home to the famous Hermit's Cave. Nericon Swamp is one of only 40 world listed habitats for migratory birds. Nearby Cocoparra National Park offers walking trails and there are opportunities to explore along the Murrumbidgee River and Lake Wyangan.

Notes and References

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