Parish of Houston

Houston
New South Wales
Houston parish, Alectown
Houston is located in New South Wales
Houston
Houston
Coordinates32°56′54″S 148°18′04″E / 32.94833°S 148.30111°E / -32.94833; 148.30111
Postcode(s)2870
Location
  • 382 km (237 mi) WNW of Sydney
  • 97 km (60 mi) SW of Dubbo
  • 24 km (15 mi) N of Parkes
LGA(s)Parkes Shire
CountyKennedy County
State electorate(s)Dubbo
Federal division(s)Calare

Houston Parish is a cadastral parish in Parkes Shire and Kennedy County, central New South Wales.[1] It lies on the southern boundary of Alectown township, and its most prominent landmark is the Parkes radio telescope. Houson Parish, New South Wales is about 300 km (186 mi) west-northwest of New South Wales's capital city of Sydney,[2] and is on the Goobang Creek.

Prior to European settlement, the Houston/Mcphail areas was inhabited by the Wiradjuri people. Major Thomas Mitchell and John Oxley were early explorers in the area. The area was first opened up in the 19th century gold rush of western New South Wales, with both companies and artisan mining striking rich veins at Mcphaile for about 20 years. A village soon sprung up but no evidence of the village remains today, and the main economic activity is wheat and sheep.

References

  1. ^ "Houston". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 March 2016. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Goonumbla weather". Weatherzone.com.au. Retrieved 4 March 2016.