 The town of Walgett is located on the Namoi River, nearby to its junction with the Barwon River and at the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Castlereagh Highway.The Shire is divided between the agricultural areas (producing wool, cattle, wheat and cotton), which are near the Barwon and Namoi rivers or south-east of the Barwon River, and the outback country north-west of the Barwon River, including the black opal mining and fossicking town of Lightning Ridge.Prior to 1957, when Lightning Ridge was established as a significant settlement, the outback country was part of the Western Division.