Come By Chance

Come by Chance never fails to feature on lists of unusual place names.

The town, which has a population of around 125, sits on the Baradine Creek, which is known locally as the Bungle Gully Creek. The early settlers put down roots here in the 1850s but the town didn’t earn its name until after George and William Colless arrived in 1862.

The brothers had initially thought that all the land in the area had already been sold, so were amazed to come across a block of land that had missed allocation after the 1861 Lands Act settlement. After having bought the land, they gave it a name that they thought reflected their good fortune, Come By Chance Station, the wider township adopted the name that had been given to the Colless sheep station.

Today a 40-minute drive southeast of Walgett, the small community mostly serves a quiet existence - except when the Come by Chance Picnic Races are held. In the lead up to the annual event, the tiny settlement buzzes with excitement, anticipation building and finally releasing with a whole town celebration.  

Many visitors to Come By Chance also take the opportunity to have a look around the local cemetery which really offers a fascinating insight into the past of this remote region.

But this is a place where ‘just ‘being here’ is the main attraction. That, and having a photograph taken next to the ‘Come By Chance’ sign, of course!