Griffith, New South Wales

Griffith is a small city and Local Government Area in south-western New South Wales, Australia. Like the Australian capital, Canberra, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the first New South Wales minister of Public Works. Griffith was proclaimed a city in 1987.

History

Griffith was established in 1916 as part of the Australian Federal Government's Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) project to supply irrigation from the Murrumbidgee river in western New South Wales to be used for farming. Principally fruit especially citrus and rice farming.

Related Topics:
Murrumbidgee

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From its earliest days, the MIA was populated by Italian workers some of whom were initially employed by Australian farmers to run steamboats on the Murrumbidgee and Murray River. Approximately 50% of today's Griffith population claim Italian background. These include the initial settlement of Italians from the boat crews and other Italians who came out to Australia in the Depression, or from a second wave of immigrant Italians who came to Griffith in the late 1950s and early 1960s after Australia opened its immigration to Europeans other than the English. In the 1970's, Griffith was often associated with drug distribution (particularly marijuana) and organized crime. However, Griffith is now associated with good wine and food, primarily as a result of the large Italian population. Griffith's multi-cultural population is now absorbing new national groups, including a significant Sikh Indian community and large Tongan community. Only a small proportion (approximately 25%) claims Anglo-Saxon ancestory. The city is sister city with the Italian town of Treviso in the Veneto area. Many Italians in Griffith are from the Veneto region or the Calabria region of Italy.

Related Topics:
Murrumbidgee - Murray River - Marijuana - Organized crime

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