WARREN Warren is a really nice tidy town. Warren will be encounted when traveling west from Gilgandra, or east from somewhere which means for our traveller most likely a diversion from an intended route.  Warren is a low lying centre and area, and at the time of visiting was lush and green, a by-product of the rain from November 2010. Warren is the service town to a wealthy grain and cotton region. Warren is for the most part a modern town. The name may be derived from a local Aboriginal word, meaning 'strong' or 'substantial'. Another theory is that it represents the adoption of a contemporary English term, 'warren', meaning a game park - perhaps a reference to the picturesque riverside setting. The town was laid out in the 1860s and incorporated as a municipality in 1895. The railway reached the town in 1898. Warren is one of the main centres for the wool and cotton growing industries in New South Wales. At the 2006 census, Warren had a population of 1,654. From the SMH the following:- “Before European settlement the area is said to have been occupied by the Ngiyambaa Aborigines. Explorer John Oxley camped on the present town site during his investigation of the Macquarie River in 1818. He noted an abundance of kangaroos and emus. Charles Sturt carried out further exploration in 1828-29. Cattle were grazing hereabouts by the late 1830s.” The Warren War Memorial is located by the riverside. There isn’t a museum at Warren, but a visit to the info centre will reveal there is ‘in working order’ one of only two telephone exchange systems. There are two traditional NSW pubs in Warren. They look to qualify for centurion buildings. The churches in Warren all have very good profile. The Catholic not surprisingly the biggest. The Anglican quite different but undated. Warren is tidy, friendly and an interesting centre. The diversion is worth the effort.