| Ariah Park New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 Coolamon Street, the main street of Ariah Park | |
  Ariah Park | |
| Coordinates | 34°19′0″S147°13′0″E / 34.31667°S 147.21667°E /-34.31667; 147.21667 |
| Population | 493 (2016 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 2665 |
| Elevation | 316 m (1,037 ft) |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Temora Shire |
| County | Bourke |
| State electorate(s) | Cootamundra |
| Federal division(s) | Riverina |
Ariah Park (/ˈɛəriə/) is a small town in theRiverina region ofNew South Wales,Australia, 35 kilometres (22 mi) west ofTemora and 65 kilometres (40 mi) south ofWest Wyalong. The town is within theTemora Shire nearBurley Griffin Way. OnCensus night 2011, Ariah Park had a population of 268 people.[3] The town is listed by theNational Trust as a Conservation Area.
The town's name came from resident Sam Harrison who purchased a portion of the Wellman Estate and then named that portionAriah Park (pronounced 'area').[4] The name is derived from the anglicisation of the Wiradjuri (local Aboriginal language) word "narriyar", meaning "hot".
Tourist information makes reference to the town being known for its 'wowsers, bowsers and peppercorn trees'. Awowser is an Australian word describing a "mealy-mouthed hypocrite, a pious prude, one who condemns or seeks to curtail the pleasures of others or who works to have their own rigid morality enforced on all who prefers not to consume alcohol". Abowser refers to the everyday machine used to pump petrol or diesel into a vehicle, of which many antique examples can be seen on the main street. Thepeppercorn tree is a common variety of which many specimens populate the main street.
The settlement was first established in1850.[5] Ariah Park was connected to theMain Southern railway line via Temora in 1906.[6] The village was gazetted the year after this connection and flourished at the expense of the nearby settlement of Broken Dam. Ariah Park Post Office had opened earlier on 26 August 1903.[7] The peppercorn trees were planted in 1916 and railway silos built in 1919.[5]
The district producessheep andwheat.New South Wales Government Railways launched its first bulk-wheat loading operation in the town in1916.[8]
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Media related toAriah Park at Wikimedia Commons
