Revelling in the Riverina: Episode 7 – Back to the good old days
REVELLING in the Riverina
The vintage years
Episode 7
Back to the good old days
Barellan, NSW (Barellan United, the ‘Two Blues’ – Farrer Football Netball League)
Stage 7: Griffith to Barellan
Burley Griffin Way takes us eastwards from Griffith through the villages of Yenda and Binya to the ‘good old days’ town of Barellan just over 50 km away. The route, which links the MIA with Yass, is named after the American landscape architect who designed Canberra and also left his mark on the towns of Leeton and Griffith. Settle back for a drive through Yenda’s wine and beer making country, dotted with rice farms and orchards, before we pass the Callitris pine forest on the western edge of Binya.
In episodes 7 and 8 we are well informed about the football history of the towns and villages encountered on this section of our road trip by local football identity George Flagg who wrote Australian Football Along the Line (1992).
After a quiet ale at the Yenda Brewery we hop back into the Falcon for the cruise towards Barellan. The next stop on our itinerary is the Binya Recreation Ground, just 14 clicks down the road.
Binya enjoyed its vintage years in the 1930s, winning five consecutive Barellan-Ardlethan District Football Association premierships in succession (1934-38). In episode 8, on our way to Ariah Park, we will call in to visit the vacant home grounds of Binya’s old, but long gone, football foes and friends – Moombooldool and Kamarah.
When searching for abandoned footy grounds on satellite imagery it is the presence of old cricket pitches that gives the game away. Even though fallowed paddocks and bush may have encroached upon their verges, the oval shaped clearings – with a strip of concrete in the centre – are hard to miss when viewed from high above.
Binya Recreation Reserve
(Google Earth)
It’s time to dream of a Riverina summer day and listen to a favourite Griffith football son, Grant Luhrs, singing his celebration of backyard cricket – ‘Take Me to the Backyard’:
Barellan is the home town of Australian tennis champion Evonne Goolagong-Cawley. Entering the small wheatbelt settlement from the west we soon spot the ‘The Big Tennis Racquet’ adjacent to the Barellan town sign. The 20:1 scale model replica wooden Dunlop racquet was erected in Barellan’s centenary year, 2009, honouring Evonne’s association with Barellan and her seven grand slam career.
A sculpture of cartoon character ‘Saltbush Bill’ can be found just down the road in Evonne Goolagong Park. The sculpture of Eric Joliffe’s jovial bush battler is a reminder to all of the value in keeping a sense of humour in a world where all sorts of trouble can be just around the corner.
The annual Good Old Days Festival at Barellan celebrates Australia’s pioneer heritage, drawing visitors from far and wide to immerse themselves in all things rustic and rural. Attendees can grab a billy tea or a Barellan beer and witness everything from butter churning and blade shearing to bullock teamwork and blacksmithing before finishing the day with a camp oven dinner under the stars.
Barellan was the centre of a bush footy league, the Barellan and District Association/League, for six decades (1911-71). A football club was formed at Barellan in 1910 and initially played in the Ariah Park FA. Later in the club’s long association with the B&DFL it absorbed a clutch of neighbouring clubs – Binya in 1955, then next, Kamarah-Moombooldool and Sandy Creek in 1970 and played under the banner Barellan United. That concentration of clubs effectively ended the league. After the B&DFL folded in 1971, Barellan participated in the Central Riverina League until the upheaval in the Riverina football landscape in 1982. Since then the Two Blues have been members of the Riverina FL, the Riverina District FL, the Northern Riverina FL and the Farrer League, where they currently reside. Twenty premierships have been claimed by the various iterations of the Barellan Football Club. Barellan’s remarkable run of five flags in a row between 1994 and 1998 in the NRFL represents its most successful era. It was also a very successful period for the perennially-strong Barellan netball club who won A Grade premierships in 1994, ‘95 and ‘96.
In the first of the five vintage years Barellan United enjoyed a 72 point win over Ungarie at Tullibigeal. In 1995 the club was opposed to Ungarie once more and took the flag with a 28 point win. Girral-West Wyalong were their opponents in 1996 at Lake Cargelligo which resulted in an 18 point victory for the Two Blues. Barellan’s fourth flag on the trot was achieved in a narrow win over Girral-West Wyalong once more. Making it five from five the Two Blues took out the 1998 NRFL premiership with a 25 point victory over Ungarie.
Ungarie then claimed revenge over Barellan United and won the next three grand finals. One more premiership came Barellan’s way, as a result of a four point win over Lake Cargelligo in 2011.
After 21 years in the NRFL Barellan realized its future lay in a more professional competition and returned to the fold of the Farrer League. The club’s move in 2015 encouraged local payers who had strayed to stronger leagues, to return to play with the Two Blues.
It is time to recognize the induction of Maurice Goolagong into the NSW Australian Football Hall of Fame. Maurice grew up in Barellan – the place where he learned to kick a footy and develop his amazing skills as a sharp-shooter. Goolagong, who played his senior football in the NSW Central Coast region, was a brilliant full-forward who became the first player to kick 1000 goals in the Black Diamond Football League. In one season he kicked 112 goals and only 13 behinds, resulting in an exceptional goal-kicking accuracy of almost 90%. He put his remarkable accuracy down to a practice routine as a youngster of trying to hit the posts, each in turn, from out on the 50 metre arc. Maurice is the nephew of Evonne Goolagong.
Barellan United in 2024
In round 9 North Wagga Saints 15.18 (108) defeated Barellan Two Blues 6.9 (45) at the Barellan Recreation Ground on Saturday 1st June.
The Two Blues are yet to register a win in 2024. Not surprisingly, the lack of an under 18s team is hurting the club.
Riverina Spotto:
pizza finished and 12 to go
| the last post | Irish pub | a slice of pizza |
| faithful canine | sheep and dog | the family club |
| 22 yards | two felines | 31.12.74 |
| truckie’s stop | submarine | a shearing team |
| all among the wool | one pub town | Sherrin |
| three bees | square | footy hub |
Next episode: Stage 8 – to Ariah Park
Previous episodes of Revelling In The Riverina, and more from Peter Clark can be read Here.
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About Peter Clark
is a lifetime Geelong supporter. Hailing from the Riverina, he is now entrenched on the NSW South Coast. His passion for footy was ignited by attending Ovens and Murray League matches in the 1960's with his father. After years of watching, playing and coaching, now it is time for some serious writing about his favourite subjects… footy, especially country footy, and cricket.
Excellent, once again, Peter.
I am enjoying being along for the ride.
Thanks Peter for reviving memories of playing Barellan United in the old Central Riverina league back in the late 70s/early 80s.
My first game for the Riverina College (now CSU) Bushpigs after moving down down to work at the College from UNE was at the Barellan Sportsground – a grand final replay from the previous season when the Pigs won their first-ever premiership!
And we won again!
I recall the ground being very expansive but a bit denuded of grass after a typically hot western Riveina summer and they had Goolagongs running loose everywhere – this was before big Maurie played – my opponent was the fella that taught Maurie how to kick,,local legend, Maxie Jamieson.
We never beat Barellan again until our last-ever home match at the South Campus Oval late in 1981 on a boggy track – under Adonis-like figure Arch Wilkie they went onto to win the last-ever CRL flag.
As Barellan had the largest supporter-base in the league we had to ensure the ground was secure to maximise gate takings by erecting temporary fences on campus.- all adroitly undertaken by us farm boys.
The Barellan folks were terrific people and always stayed to imbibe in the student hospitality – kegs in the old Student Union building.
Good to see Barellan back playing the Bushpigs in the Farrer League..
Riverina Rocket,
Thanks for your reminisces of Bushpigs, Barellan and CRL days.
Did you put on a band to entertain the good folk of Barellan after games?
I see in the old CRL Footy Records that David Jones was running around for the Bushpigs in the era you mentioned. First met him at ANU in the early ’70s and again when he was lecturing at RCAE in ’79.
CSU v Barellan United is coming up later in the month. Must have a match report.
Riverina I remember playing against Barellan in 1983 for North Wagga. They were a very physical side and it was rumoured that quite a few played rugby league the next day. It was great to see Laurie Pendrick inducted into the NSW Hall of Fame also. I first met him in 1983 whilst studying at the RAAF base then he coached me to 2 x flags at Coorparoo in the QAFL in 84 and 86. He too played the extra game of League when he was young. Thoroughly enjoy reading your updates from a special part of the sporting world. Cheers
The Barellan folks loved coming to Wagga.
The women folk could go shopping at department stores, the young fellas could go to the disco at the Wagga Leagues Club after games or even go on to a night club! No netball in those days.
Meanwhile the couples and older folk would make their way out to the Red Steer Hotel and cook their own steaks – almost all well-done as is the country way – pilied high with salad.
So no band afterwards. After the kegs were heartily consumed the Pigs went up to the Tolland Hotel.
The impish David Jones, a geography lecturer, was first rover for the seniors and coach of the 2nds. Very widely read, he took copious notes, but his game plan was simple – see-ball, get-ball, kick-ball.
The first grade coach was the College carpenter Peter Ponting.
Will furnish a match report from Ardlethan when the Bushpigs play the Northern Jets on 13 July.
Are you going to the old tin mining town in this series?
Thanks for another ripping yarn Peter
You are in select company Ian – coached by Lozza, – one of the Riverina’s very best all time footballers.
Rocket, thanks for completing the picture of another day and night of Wagga footy traditions.
Yes, Ardlethan is on the tour next week.
Swish, have you been to the sporting capital of the NSW bush – Wagga?