WEST WYALONG

town, south-central New South Wales, Australia, in the fertile Riverina district. Founded as a gold-mining settlement in 1895, it was originally known as Main Camp to distinguish it from Wyalong (3 miles away). Proclaimed a town in 1900, it became a shire in 1906. Since the last mine closed in 1921, West Wyalong has become the service centre for a region of wheat, stock, and mixed farming and lumbering; it is also the business headquarters for the adjoining towns of Wyalong Central and South Wyalong. Industries include flour mills and sawmills, brick and plaster factories, and a eucalyptus-oil distillery. At the junction of the Newell and Mid Western highways, West Wyalong has rail and air links to Sydney (218 miles east). Pop. (1981) 3,778.