Museum officially opened, Historic Bicycles Walk launched and Helen Baldwin exhibition delights visitors

History, art and community spirit came together in spectacular fashion on Friday night as the Burren Junction School of Arts Hall hosted one of the biggest community celebrations the town has seen in many years.

Visitors travelled from across north-west New South Wales to join local residents for the official opening of the Burren Junction Museum, the launch of the Burren Junction Historic Bicycles Walk and a special exhibition of paintings by renowned Australian artist Helen Baldwin, alongside works by talented local and regional artists.

The evening marked the culmination of almost two years of planning, research and volunteer effort by members of the Burren Junction Progress Association and the wider community.

Numerous Australian bus and coach operators have announced the start of new services as part of a revamped New South Wales TrainLink network.

CDC secured four new seven-year contracts covering nine routes across Victoria, regional NSW and Canberra.

These contracts form part of an uplift to NSW TrainLink coach services announced by the NSW government in May. Commencing on July 1, CDC, alongside other operators, has started running services across the NSW TrainLink coach network.

CDC’s Victorian business CDC Victoria will operate one of the new contracts, covering one route with four services, strengthening connections between Broken Hill, Mildura and surrounding regional communities. Operating between Broken Hill and Mildura, these services will run twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays from commencement, as part of the new seven-year contract.

CDC’s regional NSW operations, through CDC NSW and CDC Canberra, will operate the other three contracts covering eight routes in regional NSW across the Far North Coast, North West Slopes and Southern NSW, including key corridors such as Tweed Heads to Casino, Ballina and Moree to Grafton, Queanbeyan and Young to Yass, Goulburn and Jindabyne to Canberra as well as Narrabri, Burren Junction and Wee Waa.

WEE Waa Lions Club hosted its changeover dinner on 23 June, with special tributes to the late Noel Holland, a Wee Waa Lion, and the late Rob Gilbert, a Narrabri Lion.

A minute’s silence was held in recognition of both men, honouring their decades of service to the community, their loyalty to Lions and their unwavering dedication to the volunteer activities and initiatives the groups have supported over the years.

Narrabri Lions Rod Onus and John McPherson attended the dinner, held at Wee Waa Bowling Club, showing support for their neighbouring club and playing a few friendly tricks and jokes to keep the Wee Waarians on their toes.

YOUNG, bright and curious minds from across the region were buzzing with excitement at the 2026 National Science and Engineering Challenge, held at The Crossing Theatre last week.
The popular annual event aims to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders and address the skills shortage in science and engineering.

Engaging hundreds of North West primary and high school students, from Gunnedah to Moree, Narrabri to Burren Junction, the three-day event offers students hands-on, competitive science and engineering activities.

The Narrabri Courier, Gunnedah Times and Wee Waa News will return on June 11, a month after publishing what many believed would be their final editions.

The three newspapers, which ceased publication on May 7, have been acquired by Times News Group and are expected to resume serving their communities in the coming weeks.

The announcement brings an abrupt end to fears that Narrabri, Gunnedah and Wee Waa could lose their local newspapers permanently.

For generations, the three mastheads have reported on everything from droughts and floods to council decisions, sporting triumphs, agricultural developments and community milestones.