NSW Coonamble District Court List Today

The Coonamble District Court list is the daily record of every matter set down before the District Court of New South Wales when it sits at Coonamble, at 27 Aberford Street, Coonamble NSW 2829. The court operates from a combined courthouse shared with the Coonamble Local Court, serving the town of Coonamble and the wider pastoral communities of the central western plains and the Orana region. For legal practitioners, defendants, complainants, witnesses and members of the public, the daily law list confirms the courtroom, the listing time and the type of appearance, whether that is a trial, a sentence, an arraignment or a Local Court appeal.

Because Coonamble is a circuit location rather than a permanent sitting registry, the District Court does not sit every week. Checking the current Coonamble District Court list before you travel is important, as listings can be added, adjourned or moved at short notice. The list is generally refreshed each afternoon for the following sitting day, and the NSW Online Registry remains the authoritative source for confirming case details.

About the Coonamble District Court

The courthouse at 27 Aberford Street is one of Coonamble's oldest public buildings, with a court presence on the site dating back to the 1870s. It stands close to the Castlereagh River, the Anglican church and Coonamble High School, in the heart of a town that was declared a municipality in 1880. Today the same premises house both the Local Court and the visiting District Court, a common arrangement across regional New South Wales that allows one building to serve several tiers of the justice system.

The District Court is the intermediate court in the New South Wales hierarchy. It sits above the Local Court and below the Supreme Court, and it carries the bulk of the state's serious criminal trials and larger civil claims. When the District Court sits at Coonamble, it brings that jurisdiction to a remote part of the state, sparing regional residents a round trip of several hundred kilometres to Dubbo or Sydney to have their matters heard.

Audio visual link facilities

The Coonamble courthouse is equipped with audio visual link (AVL) facilities. AVL allows witnesses, parties in custody, interpreters and, in some circumstances, legal representatives to appear remotely. For a regional circuit court, this technology is a practical part of access to justice, reducing the need for vulnerable witnesses and in-custody defendants to be transported long distances.

What the Coonamble District Court Deals With

The work of the court falls into three broad streams. Understanding which stream your matter belongs to helps you read the daily list and know what to expect on the day.

Serious criminal matters

The District Court hears indictable offences that are too serious for the Local Court to finalise. These include armed robbery, serious assault, aggravated break and enter, large scale drug supply, sexual offences and dangerous driving occasioning death or grievous bodily harm. Matters usually reach Coonamble after being committed for trial or sentence from the Local Court. On the list you may see arraignments, where an accused enters a plea, pre-trial mentions, jury trials, judge-alone trials and sentence hearings.

Criminal appeals from the Local Court

A person convicted or sentenced in the Coonamble Local Court can appeal to the District Court. These are known as severity appeals, where only the penalty is challenged, and conviction appeals, where the finding of guilt is contested. Appeals are heard by a judge sitting alone, without a jury, and form a steady share of regional District Court lists.

Civil claims

In its civil jurisdiction, the District Court can hear claims up to $1,250,000, a limit that rose from $750,000 on 16 December 2022 under the District Court Amendment Act 2022. Its jurisdiction over motor accident claims and workplace injury damages is unlimited, and its equity and injunction jurisdiction extends to $100,000. Typical civil matters include personal injury, motor accident compensation, breach of contract and defamation. Parties can also consent to the court hearing a claim above the standard limit.

If a matter finalised at Coonamble is challenged further, the path leads away from town. A conviction or sentence from a District Court trial is appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Sydney, not back to the Local Court. Coronial matters follow a separate track altogether: a reportable death from the district is generally listed before the Dubbo Coroners Court, with some western matters heard at Walgett. Knowing which court holds your matter saves a long and needless drive.

Coonamble District Court Sitting Dates and Circuit Schedule

Coonamble is a scheduled circuit location. According to the District Court of New South Wales, the court is listed to sit at Coonamble from Monday to Friday during the second week of each month, with the relevant week calculated from the first Monday of that month. Sitting patterns can vary with the volume of matters and judicial availability, so the published circuit calendar and the daily list together give the most reliable picture.

Key points to keep in mind about the schedule:

• Sittings are periodic, not continuous, so there are stretches when no District Court matters are listed at Coonamble.
• Trials with long time estimates may be listed across consecutive days during a sitting week.
• The daily list is the final word on where and when your matter is being heard, and it can change after publication.
• Where a matter cannot be reached during a circuit, it may be adjourned to the next sitting or transferred to another registry such as Dubbo.

Courthouse Location, Contact Details and Getting There

The Coonamble courthouse sits centrally in town, a short walk from the main business area, with on-street parking available in the surrounding streets. The registry is shared with the Coonamble Local Court.

• Address: 27 Aberford Street, Coonamble NSW 2829
• Postal address: PO Box 37, Coonamble NSW 2829
• Phone: 1300 679 272
• Fax: 6822 6290
• Email: local-court-coonamble@justice.nsw.gov.au
• Registry hours: 9:30am to 1:00pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm
• Telephone hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday

Travel and access

Coonamble lies roughly 480 to 550 kilometres north-west of Sydney along the Castlereagh Highway, a drive of about six to six and a half hours. Dubbo, around two hours to the south, is the nearest major regional centre and holds the closest regional airport. NSW TrainLink coach services connect Coonamble with Dubbo and other centres for those travelling without a car. The courthouse provides wheelchair access, and it is sensible to phone the registry ahead of time to confirm any specific accessibility or interpreter requirements.

How to Read the Coonamble District Court List

Each entry on the daily law list is designed to be scanned quickly. A typical line shows the case title, the courtroom (which may be shown as unassigned until allocated on the morning), the listing time and, in some published lists, the type of appearance and the presiding judicial officer. On this site, party names are partially masked to protect privacy while still allowing you to locate your matter.

A few practical tips help avoid a wasted trip:

• Search by the case title or the party name you expect to see.
• Arrive early, as courtrooms and start times can be reallocated on the day.
• Treat any listing time as a guide rather than a fixed appointment, since matters are often called in an order set by the judge.
• Confirm anything unclear directly with the registry or through the NSW Online Registry before attending.

The Coonamble Region the Court Serves

Coonamble is the administrative centre of Coonamble Shire, one of the larger and more sparsely settled local government areas in New South Wales. The shire covers about 9,926 square kilometres in the Orana region and recorded a population of 3,732 at the 2021 Census, while the town of Coonamble itself had 2,666 residents. The median age across the town is 38, and more than a thousand residents identify as Aboriginal, giving the district a deep and continuing Aboriginal cultural presence.

The local economy is built on agriculture, with sheep, wool, cattle, wheat and a well-known horse breeding industry underpinning the shire. In the courts, a regional catchment of this kind produces a caseload weighted toward driving offences, assault, drug matters and property crime, alongside the personal injury and motor accident claims common to rural and farming communities. The shire falls within the state electorate of Barwon and the federal division of Parkes.

Note:

If the day's list shows nothing at Coonamble, the matter may have shifted to a busier registry. Dubbo is the regional hub for this part of the state, so it is worth checking the Dubbo District Court list when a Coonamble circuit is not sitting. Summary matters and committals stay local, and the Coonamble Local Court list covers those on the days the District Court is absent.

New South Wales District Court Statistics in Context

Individual circuit locations such as Coonamble are not usually reported separately, but statewide figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show the pressure the District Court operates under. In 2024, District Court criminal trials took a median of 834 days from arrest to finalisation, which was 109 days longer than in 2020. District Court finalisations across the state fell 7.5 per cent between 2024 and 2025, from 3,374 to 3,120 matters, even as trial finalisations rose 4.9 per cent to 688. These trends explain why regional trials are often listed well in advance and why circuit sitting weeks are used intensively.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Court type: District Court of New South Wales, circuit sitting at a combined courthouse
• Shares premises with: Coonamble Local Court
• Civil claim limit: up to $1,250,000, and unlimited for motor accident and workplace injury damages
• Criminal work: serious indictable offences, jury and judge-alone trials, sentences and Local Court appeals
• Sitting pattern: generally the second week of each month, Monday to Friday
• Remote hearings: audio visual link facilities available
• Nearest airport: Dubbo, about two hours away

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Coonamble District Court located?

The court sits at 27 Aberford Street, Coonamble NSW 2829, in a courthouse shared with the Coonamble Local Court. It is centrally located in town with on-street parking nearby.

When does the District Court sit at Coonamble?

Coonamble is a circuit location. The District Court is scheduled to sit Monday to Friday during the second week of each month, with that week set by the first Monday of the month. Always confirm current dates against the published circuit calendar and the daily list.

What is the difference between the Coonamble District Court and Local Court?

The Local Court handles less serious criminal matters, committals and smaller civil claims. The District Court is the intermediate court, dealing with serious indictable offences, jury trials, sentences and larger civil claims, as well as appeals from the Local Court.

How do I find my matter on the court list?

Search the daily list by case title or party name to locate the courtroom and listing time. Party names are partially masked for privacy. If anything is unclear, confirm with the registry or through the NSW Online Registry before attending.

How much can the District Court award in a civil claim?

The general civil jurisdictional limit is $1,250,000, raised from $750,000 in December 2022. The court's jurisdiction over motor accident and workplace injury damages claims is unlimited, and parties can consent to it hearing a claim above the standard limit.

Can I attend a hearing by audio visual link?

The Coonamble courthouse has audio visual link facilities. Whether you can appear remotely depends on your role in the matter and the directions of the court, so ask the registry in advance.

How do I contact the Coonamble courthouse registry?

Phone 1300 679 272 during telephone hours of 8:30am to 4:30pm, or email local-court-coonamble@justice.nsw.gov.au. Postal correspondence goes to PO Box 37, Coonamble NSW 2829.