Ganmain is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Ganmain is located around 55 kilometres (34 mi) north west of Wagga Wagga, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Narrandera. Ganmain is in the Coolamon Shire local government area and had a population at the 2021 census of 793.

History

The town name is said to be an Aboriginal word meaning "Crown scenes on the Moon for tribal reasons" or "native decorated with scars".

Ganmain takes its name from Ganmain Run, a cattle station established in 1838, by settler James Devlin.

Boggy Creek Post Office opened on 10 December 1888, was renamed Derry in 1894 and Ganmain later the same year.

In 1973, the Ganmain Historical Society was opened by six local families.

Today

Ganmain is the self-proclaimed "Sheaf Hay centre of Australia" and has produced chaff for many leading racehorse trainers in Australia. The Big Haystack in Pioneer Park reflects this background.

The town has two primary schools, Ganmain Public School and St. Brendan's Catholic Primary School.

Sport

The most popular sport in Ganmain is Australian rules football, as it lies on the Canola Way, a geographical pocket stretching from Grong Grong and Marrar, in which Australian football retains a strong following, despite New South Wales being a largely rugby league supporting state. The local team, Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong, plays in the Riverina Football Netball League.

Notable people from Ganmain

• Former Catholic Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Francis Carroll.
• Former Sydney Swans Australian rules footballer, Dennis Carroll and North Melbourne's Frank Gumbleton.

External links

• Travelmate Archived 22 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine - Ganmain. Tourist information site.
• Coolamon Shire Council - Official website. Ganmain page.