Whitton

Population: 400

The sign tells you Whitton is an older town. In fact, it was the first in the area. Most towns in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation region are a direct result of the irrigation. Not this town. It was the main service town for the south western farming area of New South Wales.

Sadly for Whitton we have to say "was." The town has well and truly been eclipsed by Griffith and Leeton. But the town refuses to say die. Afterall, it is conveniently located between Leeton and Griffith. So any new resident has the option of working in either of those two towns.

We could say that this, once upon a time, was a railway town. And a lot of railway traffic did pass through here. A local historian reported that a passenger train came through town once a day. It has now been over 20 years since any train has travelled to or through town, which brings us to .....

.......a Whitton odditty. When driving into town from either Griffith or Leeton, a driver is required by law to stop at the rail crossing and wait for passing trains. Problem is, since trains stopped using this line over 20 years ago, it has been reclaimed by nature. Trees grow in the tracks. Cattle graze on the tracks. There is barbed wire fences across the tracks. But you still have to bring your car to a complete halt and look out for trains!

Here are a few images from the town (click for larger image):

Main street	Time to hang up boots	Park and water tower
Pub	Rice Bowl Hotel	Whims

The townsfolk are quite rightly proud of the town's history. They have attempted to preserve the past in the museum. This museum is largely outdoors, so you can get glimpses of the past by just driving past the museum, which is how we took these photos (click for larger image):

Back to Leeton.

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Do you have more information or photos from Whitton you would like to contribute? Please let us know.