Leeton, New South Wales, Australia

The War Memorial in Leeton
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leeton_War_Memorial.jpg
Author: Bidgee


Leeton is a town in the south-central part of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, in the Riverina region, one of the most bountiful farming regions in the state. Leeton Shire is a major producer of citrus, grapes, wheat and rice. It is even regarded as "Australia's Rice Capital". The town has a population of 7,000 people (2012 estimate). It is about 550 km west of Sydney and 450 km north of Melbourne.

Leeton was founded in the early part of the 20th century. It was named after Charles Alfred Lee, the Minister of Public Works in New South Wales from 1904 to 1910. Much of the town infrastructure dates from 1912, among them its landmark water tower and the Leeton Post Office. Plots of land were sold to settlers the following year.

Willimbong Shire, covering the Leeton area, was established on 1 January 1928. It was renamed Leeton Shire in 1946. Over the decades it evolved into the main hub for the surrounding farming region. A number of agriculture-related industries developed here, among them canning and meat processing. The town is also home to SunRice, the world's fifth largest ricefood exporter.

Roxy Theatre, an Art Deco-style theatre building in Leeton
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roxy_Theatre.jpg
Author: Bidgee

Visiting Leeton

There are daily flights to the Leeton-Narrandera Airport from Sydney. Alternatively you can also take the Greyhound Australia from Sydney or Adelaide. Going there by road, take the National Highway 31 from Sydney, then continue west on National Highway 20 until Narrandera, and continue north on Irrigation Way to reach Leeton.

Places of Interest in Leeton

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