GRIFFITH

town, south-central New South Wales, Australia, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. Surveyed in 1916 and designed by the U.S. architect Walter Burley Griffin, it was proclaimed a town in 1918 and named after Arthur Griffith, then state minister for public works. It was subsequently the site of a large post-World War II soldier (veterans) settlement program. The town serves an area of intensive farming (cattle, wheat, rice, sheep, fruits, grapes, and vegetables). Secondary industries include fruit and vegetable packing, wine making, rice milling, and engineering works. Gypsum deposits are worked locally. Griffith has air, rail, and road connections to Sydney (296 mi east). Pop. (1981) 13,187.