View source for Kyalite

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type     = town
| name     = Kyalite
| state    = nsw
| image    = Kyalite Hotel 003.JPG
| caption  = Wakool Hotel at Kyalite
| lga      = [[Balranald Shire]], [[Murray River Council]]
| postcode = 2734
| pop      = <!-- leave blank to retrieve population from Wikidata -->
| pop_year = <!-- leave blank to retrieve population from Wikidata -->
| pop_footnotes = <!-- leave blank to retrieve population from Wikidata -->
| est      =
| elevation= 68
| maxtemp  =
| mintemp  =
| coordinates = {{coord|34|57|0|S|143|29|6|E|display=inline,title}}
| rainfall =
| county = [[Caira County, New South Wales|Caira]]
| local_map = yes
| zoom = 9
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Murray|Murray]]
| fedgov   = [[Division of Farrer|Farrer]]
| dist1    = 883
| dir1     = W
| location1= Sydney
| dist2    = 405
| dir2     = NW
| location2= Melbourne
| dist3    = 56
| dir3     = N
| location3= Swan Hill
| dist4    = 37
| dir4     = N
| location4= Balranald
}}
'''Kyalite''' is a locality on the [[Wakool River]] in the [[Riverina]] district of the Australian state of [[New South Wales]]. It is part of [[Balranald Shire]] and is approximately {{convert|890|km|mi}} south west of the state capital [[Sydney]] and {{convert|400|km|mi}} north west of [[Melbourne]].  Kyalite was formerly known as Wakool Crossing. At the [[Census in Australia#2021|2021 census]], Kyalite had a population of 87.<ref name=Census2021Y>{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL12230|name=Kyalite  |accessdate=27 December 2023|quick=on}}</ref>
==History==
Kyalite lies within the traditional country of the [[Mathi Mathi people|Muthi Muthi]] Aboriginal people.
===Wakool Crossing===
The village of Wakool Crossing (the site of present-day Kyalite) was founded by Henry Talbett, who in about 1848 established a punt service across the Wakool River at the location.  When he became established Talbett brought out his family from Ireland, including his parents and siblings. His brother John came to Wakool Crossing with his family and assisted Henry Talbett to construct an inn and a general store on land Henry had purchased near his punt.<ref>Feldtmann, Arthur, ''The Balranald Story'', 1976 (a souvenir of the 'Back to Balranald' celebration - 28 September to 5 October 1976).</ref>  The punt was operated by Harry and Agnes Edwards.  Agnes was named "Queen Aggie" in a ceremony in nearby Swan Hill to mark the British coronation.  Their descendants include musician [[Kutcha Edwards]].
In 1854 John Talbett was the licensee of the Wakool Inn.<ref name="Buttsand">Butts and Certificates of Publicans' Licenses.</ref>
In 1860 Henry Talbett was the licensee of the Wakool Inn.<ref name="Buttsand" />&nbsp;
Henry Talbett held the licence of the Wakool Hotel between 1865 and at least 1870.
In 1882 Talbett sold the hotel to Thomas Spinks who held the licence until his death in January 1890.
In 1890 the publican of the Wakool Hotel was listed as John James, a co-executor of Thomas's will and father in law of Thomas's daughter, Hannah.
From 1891 to 1893 it was John Spinks, he was Thomas's only son.<ref>Lists of Hotel Licensees, ''NSW Government Gazettes''; Feldtmann, ''op. cit''.</ref>
The original hotel was burnt down and re-built in 1890 by the Spinks family.
The hotel licence was transferred from John Spinks to Lewis James, the husband of Hannah, in August 1893.
The property was later owned by a Mr. Peppin (Pappin) whose family still reside in the region.
Wakool Crossing Post Office opened on 1&nbsp;June 1911 and was renamed Kyalite in 1927.<ref name = "PostOffice">{{Citation
| last = Premier Postal History  | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&country= | access-date = 2009-06-11 }}</ref>
The railway reached Kyalite in 1928, when it became a station on the [[Stony Crossing railway line|railway line]] from [[Kerang, Victoria]], across the [[Murray River]] to [[Stony Crossing, New South Wales]]. The line was not a success and trains ceased running north of the Murray in 1943.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Robert S.|title=The railways of Victoria 1854-2004|date=2007|publisher=Melbourne University Publishing|location=Carlton, Vic.|isbn=9780522851342|page=134}}</ref>
In 1976 Kyalite was described in the following terms: "It… consists of a Post Office, Public Hall, General Store (with petrol pumps), Hotel, tennis courts, cricket oval, about five private houses and has 66 persons on the Electoral Roll".<ref>Feldtmann, ''op. cit''.</ref>
==Burke and Wills==
{{main|Burke and Wills expedition}}
On 13 September 1860 the [[Burke and Wills]] expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria arrived at Wakool Crossing and dined at Henry Talbett's hotel. The next day they crossed the Wakool River by Talbett’s punt and [[Robert O'Hara Burke|Burke]] paid £9.6.0 "for portage, provisions &c.".<ref>Despatch written by Robert O'Hara Burke (expedition leader) from Balranald, 16 September 1860.</ref>
==Murder of policeman==
On 13 July 1979, while working as a Detective Senior Constable, [[Bob Lane (Australian footballer)|Bob Lane]], of the [[Victoria Police]], accompanied a suspect from [[Piangil, Victoria|Piangil]] to a campsite across the state border at Kyalite. While searching the suspect's bus, the suspect, Daniel Bernard Chapman, shot Lane twice in the head with a rifle that he had hidden, killing him instantly. Following a massive manhunt<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ballard|first1=Steve|title=Force Erupts In Fury|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=urRYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zpIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4278%2C43306|publisher=The Age|date=Jul 16, 1979}}</ref> involving both Victorian and New South Wales police,<ref>{{cite news|title=WANTED: Teenage pair sought|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PPlYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=luYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3212%2C5355485|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=Jul 15, 1979}}</ref>  Chapman was apprehended seven days later<ref>{{cite news|last1=Murdoch|first1=Lidsay|title=Man charged|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vbRYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zpIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6418%2C1504976|publisher=The Age|date=Jul 20, 1979}}</ref> after he had dumped the police car in the river, and was sentenced to life in prison.<ref name=blues>{{cite web |url=http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=16 |title=Bob Lane: Blues Honour Policeman |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2006 |website=Blueseum |access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Man gets life for shooting detective|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0YARAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6838%2C211792|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=Jul 2, 1980}}</ref> He was released just 13 years later.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=John |title=Indefinite, Inhumane, Inequitable |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UNSWLJ/2006/41.html#Footnote4 |publisher=University of New South Wales Law Journal}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Kyalite, New South Wales}}
{{Balranald Shire}}
{{Localities in Murray River Council}}
{{Riverina}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Towns in the Riverina]]
[[Category:Towns in New South Wales]]
[[Category:Murray River Council]]
[[Category:Balranald Shire]]