The name Binnaway may derive from an Aboriginal term which means peppermint tree. The first landholder in the areas was Charles Naseby who claimed 50 acres (200,000 m²) in 1869. The village of Binnaway was initially set up on his land with a plan for the town being laid out in 1876. A street in the town is named Renshaw Street after the former Premier of New South Wales Jack Renshaw who grew up and went to school in the area.
A film called The Shiralee which starred Peter Finch was filmed around Binnaway in the 1950s.
Binnaway was also home to Frank Bourke's famous White Rose Orchestra and the big Piano.
It was a major railway town and a large wheat receival area. The railway still runs from Dubbo to Werris Creek in the North.