Pastoral runs The first
pastoral run near present-day Darlington Point, on the north bank of the Murrumbidgee, was taken up in 1844 by John Peter; he named the run "Cuba" after the Aboriginal word for a locally-common
Acacia tree. On the south bank, John Peter also leased the "Tubbo" run, a property he had formed in the 1850s by the amalgamation of several runs. The site where the township later developed was a crossing-place over the Murrumbidgee River used by stockmen and
teamsters. The Surveyor Townshend laid out reserves near the crossing-place during the 1850s.
Darlington Point and Waddai In 1864 George Rogers acquired of "Cuba" station. He built the Darlington Inn about two miles (3 km) west of "Cuba" homestead at the junction of the
Wagga Wagga to
Hay road and the track leading to the river-crossing. Rogers soon became discontented; he sold out a year later and left the district. The new publican of the Darlington Inn was Jacob Abrahams. Another hotel (probably the Waddai Hotel) was built on the southern bank at the crossing (eventually leading to the development of the Waddai township). A report published in August 1865 claimed that Darlington Point, by "the growth of free selection", was "fast assuming the dimensions and appearance of a township"; there were two hotels, one on either side of the river, which the writer concluded "can hardly be regarded as a favourable sign". In 1866 a
punt (previously operating at Wagga Wagga) was purchased for use at the Darlington Point-Waddai crossing; the owner of the punt was Jacob Abrahams, previously publican of the Darlington Inn, who had opened a general store at the township. The punt was said to be one of the largest in the colony, with the capacity to carry 1,700 sheep in a single trip. The licence of the Darlington Inn was held by Thomas Linsell from 1866 to 1868. Edward J. Flood held the licence of the Darlington Inn in 1869 (the last year this hotel appears in the annual list of licences granted). In 1876 the steamer company McCulloch and Co. leased on the river where they established a wool receiving store, a general store and erected a small wharf. By 1880 the timber trade was booming with a high demand for railway timber; G. H. Risbey from
Narrandera erected a small mill near Darlington Point to cut
red-gum. Darlington Point township was half a mile from the punt where, on the opposite bank, the southern township – "called by the native name 'Wadai'" – was located. In April 1881 it was reported that "Darlington and Wadai collectively contain a population of about 120". The adjoining townships had three hotels, three stores, "and the usual concomitants of a bush town". From 1881 onwards it appears the Punt Hotel replaced the Riverine Hotel at Waddai (possibly a name-change of the existing hotel). The licences at both townships for the year commencing 1 July 1881 were: Coach and Horses Hotel at Darlington Point (John Bowman); Waddai Hotel (William Whyte) and Punt Hotel (James Slattery), both at Waddai. In June 1882 it was reported that a move had been instigated to have the Government buildings removed to the south side of the river. Part of the old bridge was reconstructed for the
Australian Bicentenary celebrations and can now be found at the entrance to the Darlington Point Riverside Caravan Park which is located on a bend along the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.
Warangesda Mission For more information, see
Warangesda Aboriginal Mission In 1880 the Rev.
John Brown Gribble, a Congregational, later Anglican, minister, established an Aboriginal
mission on "Warangesda" station, from Waddai township (near the crossing-place on the south bank). The New South Wales Government granted a reserve of for the purpose, which became known as the Camp of Mercy. The annual report of the
Aborigines Protection Board for 1911 in regard to the mission reported "a quiet and uneventful year, though five convictions had been obtained for the supply of liquor to the Aborigines". As of 31 December 1911 there were 151 residents on the station, comprising "full-bloods: 26 adults and 5 children" and "half-castes: 73 adults and 47 children". The area of land under cultivation was , mostly of wheat but also including of barley. The yield included a quantity of hay and 40 bags of wheat. The Warangesda mission was closed by the Aborigines Protection Board in 1924 and the Aboriginal residents were moved to the 'police paddock', a plot of land behind the police station. The remains of an adobe building from this time can be seen in a paddock on "Warangesda" station (between Darlington Point township and the Sturt Highway). The mission bell now hangs in St Paul's Anglican Church in town. ==Toganmain woolshed==