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Uranquinty New South Wales
Uranquinty memorial to the Wives and Children of Refugees who worked on the Snowy Mountain Scheme
Population:	641 (2001 Census) [1]
Postcode:	2652
Location:	15 km from Wagga Wagga
LGA:	City of Wagga Wagga
State District:	Wagga Wagga
Federal Division:	Riverina

Uranquinty is a small town approximately 15km south of Wagga Wagga in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The population of the town is 641.

Uranquinty was used as the railway village when the railway line was being built from Wagga Wagga to Albury.

Uranquinty has a distinquished record in relation to World War II. At the end of 1940 Uranquinty was chosen as the 5th Service Flying School (5 SFTS) for intermediate and advanced training of Empire Air Trainees. The site chosen for 5 SFTS was especially suitable because it was on the main Sydney to Melbourne railway line and comprised just over 1000 acres of land that was owned by the Lewington family. Possession of this land was taken under National Security (General) Regulation 54 which existed during the War years ^[2]

The Uranquinty Migrant Centre was established as a result of the Displaced Persons Immigration Scheme that had been embarked upon by Prime Minister Chifley's government at the end of the Second World War as was a part of the Populate or Perish catchcry of the times.

Public Memorial to Uranquinty's link with WWII refugees - Olympic Swimmers John Konrads & Ilsa Konrads are in the bottom left corner

Under Arthur Calwell, Australia's first Minister for Immigration, displaced persons still in camps within Germany, Austria and France were chosen to fill the need for a constant supply of labour to the country. Reception and training centres were established in now disused army and RAAF camps in rural and remote areas such as Uranquinty from 1948, particularly because by then married displaced persons with their families were being allowed entry into Australia. Places like Uranquinty had the space to provide accommodation for the wives and children. Many of these displaced persons worked on the relatively nearby Snowy Mountains Scheme.

One such family that arrived were the Latvian-born Konrads family, two of whom would learn to swim in Uranquinty because their father was afraid they might drown in the numerous dams and creeks in the area. Those two, John and Ilsa Konrads, would set between them 38 individual world records and go on to become Olympic medalists for their adopted country.

A public memorial in the centre of Uranquinty, situated directly on the Olympic Highway, displays information boards and other memorials to the history of displaced persons who stayed in the area during these years.

Construction of the $400 million gas fired power plant at Uranquinty is planned to start in August 2006.

Uranquinty is located on the Sydney to Melbourne railway line. The station is still listed as in use but trains only stop at the station if a special request is made by a passenger wishing to disembark or embark at that station.^[3]

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
2. ^ Details of these facts are displayed on a number of elaborate information boards that currently exist (2007) at the Uranquinty roadside barbeque area in the centre of the town.
3. ^ Uranquinty Railway Station

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Uranquinty, New South Wales

Coordinates: 35°10′60″S, 147°15′0″E