The history of Coonabarabran lies in the mind of John Whitehead. For his latest book, Mr Whitehead collected his published articles from the Coonabarabran Times for all to enjoy.

Beginning in 2021, the history buff was approached by the Coonabarabran Times for information on the Box Ridge Inn and its location.

From there, Mr Whitehead was encouraged to continue writing articles for the newspaper.

In the hope to provide additional information to Coonabarabran’s history, his most recent book is a collection of his published articles.

Having previously written 15 books, Mr Whitehead is not short on knowledge.

The biggest resource of information was derived from Joy Pickette and Mervyn Campbell’s comprehensive publication, ‘Coonabarabran. As It Was in the Beginning’.

Being a part of the town since 1966, his information was also supported by personal recollections and discoveries.

Mr Whitehead said he enjoyed writing articles for the Times.

“I have had 44 articles in there. They were nearly all my favourite pieces to write, however, if I had to choose one, it would be the naming of the Warrumbungle Range,” said Mr Whitehead.

“My inspiration comes from a place of plain curiosity, about what happens in our world historically.

“It is important to understand local history – there wasn’t anything before this book [Coonabarabran. As It Was in the Beginning] and someone has to write about it.”

Mr Whitehead has previously written books that examine the history of Warrumbungle Shire, Siding Spring Observatory and the Pilliga Forest.

He also tracked the movements of explorers and delved into the geology of the Warrumbungles.

Although he came to history later in life, Mr Whitehead found history books and their mapping fascinating.

The result of his fascinations and personal learnings provides the Shire with detailed discoveries of local history.

In the beginning

Mr Whitehead grew up in Orange, married, and studied engineering for seven years.

The engineering course was managed through self-study, allowing him to become disciplined and dedicated to his works.

He feels his diligence continues to motivate him to this day.

Mr Whitehead first moved to the area, employed as an assistant shire engineer, based in Gilgandra.

While living in Coonabarabran, he worked his way up to become the Shire engineer.

“Being the Shire engineer for 50 years, I was responsible for the development of Coonabarabran,” Mr Whitehead said.

“I’ve seen it change very much. Very few streets were sealed or had a kerb and gutter. Very few streets had drainage.

“Every time it rained, we had a pile of sand in the main street that came down from the showground. I cleared all that up. I helped design all the water supply for rest of the Shire too.”

Putting down roots

Once he found Coonabarabran, he felt at home.

He said although Coonabarabran had changed, the population had only slightly developed.

In 1966 Coonabarabran had a population of 3000 and currently sits at around 3200.

“This could be due to the isolation of the town, with its proximity to larger towns such as Gunnedah, Dubbo and Tamworth.

“Families also don’t have as many children as they used too.”

Mr Whitehead’s historical knowledge has led him through many years of exploration and successful publishings.

His latest book can be purchased at the Coonabarabran Newsagency, while his other books can be bought directly from
him. 

PHOTO: John Whitehead, pictured with his latest publication, ‘History Jottings from the Coonabarabran Times’.