In 1871, the population of Wilcannia was 264, consisting of 176 males and 88 females. In January 1874 the township's first newspaper, the "Wilcannia Times", began to be published. An account of Wilcannia published in December 1874 described the buildings in the town as “on the whole being of a very poor description, principally small weatherboard places, many of them looking rather dilapidated”. Three stores were operating in the township, as well as three public houses, the Mount Murchison Hotel, Wilcannia Hotel and Britannia Hotel. There were signs of increased commercial activity in the township: two banks, the Australian Joint Stock and Commercial banks, had recently opened branches and four stock and station agents had started businesses “within the last three months”. Wilcannia had a public school, but no churches. There were two doctors in the township “but as it is a very rare thing to find them otherwise than drunk, they are worse than useless”.