Come By Chance, New South Wales

Come By Chance New South Wales
Come By Chance
Coordinates	30°19′0″S 148°28′0″E
Population	125 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)	2832
Elevation	145 m (476 ft)
Location	606 km (377 mi) NW of Sydney 142 km (88 mi) W of Narrabri 55 km (34 mi) SE of Walgett 78 km (48 mi) N of Coonamble
LGA(s)	Walgett Shire
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal division(s)	Parkes

Come By Chance is a locality in the Pilliga district of northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres (60 mi) north of Coonabarabran. It is in the Walgett Shire. At the 2006 census, Come By Chance had a population of 187.[2] By the time of the 2016 census this had fallen to 125.[1]

History

Come By Chance is located on the lands of the Ngiyampaa nation.

George and William Colless purchased a sheep station in the area in 1862, naming it "Come by Chance" to reflect their surprise at being able to make such a purchase in this area. The town was later named after this property.[3] It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[4]

Events

Each year it attracts several thousand spectators to the Come-By-Chance Picnic Race Meeting.

In popular culture

The town features in Banjo Paterson's wistful ballad Come-by-Chance:

But my languid mood forsook me, when I found a name that took me,
Quite by chance I came across it — `Come-by-Chance' was what I read;
No location was assigned it, not a thing to help one find it,
Just an N which stood for northward, and the rest was all unsaid.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "2016 Community Profiles: Come by Chance (SSC)". 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Come By Chance (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
3. "Come by Chance". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
4. Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. ix. ISBN 9781440507397. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2016.

External links

• Come-by-Chance - e-text of ballad