Gundagai

Gundagai is a small town (population 1,900 in 2016) in the Riverina region of the Australian state of New South Wales. Gundagai is situated on the Murrumbidgee River, some 390 km south-west of Sydney. Gundagai is an ideal stopping point on a driving trip on the Hume between Sydney and Melbourne, having a range of accommodation, good services, and a few points of interest to see before moving on. The township is close to the freeway, and doesn't require that much of a diversion.

Understand
Gold mining made Gundagai both prosperous and a centre for bushranging, giving the town a romantic bush appeal that resulted in it becoming a byword for outback towns in Australia. Many outback stories, songs and poems reference Gundagai, including Jack O'Hagan's songs Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox, Along the Road to Gundagai and When a Boy from Alabama Meets a Girl from Gundagai, as well as Banjo Patterson's The Road to Gundagai and the traditional ballad Flash Jack from Gundagai. The town is also mentioned in Henry Lawson's tale Scots of the Riverina and C.J. Dennis' The Traveller.

History
In 1838, against the advice of the local Aboriginal people, the town was built on flood-prone flats on the northern banks of the Murrumbidgee River. In 1852, severe flooding virtually destroyed the European settlement and 83 of the 250 townsfolk lost their lives. The toll would have been higher but for two Aboriginals who came to the rescue in bark canoes, saving 48 people. The town relocated further up the slopes of Mt Parnassus, and the highest street in the original town, Sheridan Street, is now the main street.

By car
Gundagai is on the Hume Highway, the major route between Sydney and Melbourne, around 4½ hours drive south of Sydney.

By train
A bus service connects with the train services to Cootamundra, twice a day.

By bus
Most Sydney to Melbourne or Melbourne to Canberra coaches will drop you in Gundagai.

Get around
There is no public transport. The main town shopping strip has ample parking, as does just about everywhere else you might want to go.

South Gundagai is a few kilometres distance across the flood plain of the Murrumbidgee from the more major North Gundagai. You can drive via the freeway, but if you are staying at one of the southern motels (like the Tuckerbox or the Bushman's Retreat, count on it being nearly an hours walk back to the main shopping strip in the north.


 * Gundagai Taxi Service - 24 hr -

See



 * The Murrumbidgee River passes through Gundagai. There are old railway and road bridges crossing the river, which are worth a visit if you are in to that sort of thing. The bridges were some of the longest in Australia at the time they were built. The flood plain of the river divide the town into two, separated by green space with a walkway/cycleway between areas. The Hume Highway crosses the river and flood plain on a 1.1 km bridge.
 * Historic Buildings. Gundagai has an historic courthouse, and post office. It has a restored abandoned railway station. Wander down Sheridan Street for a look at some of the town's oldest buildings. Don't miss the old flour mill in Sheridan Lane, or the Prince Alfred Bridge, Australia's longest timber bridge, built in 1866.
 * Dr Charles Gabriel's glass-plate photographs, which depict Gundagai life in the early 1900s, in the Gabriel Gallery.
 * Dr Charles Gabriel's glass-plate photographs, which depict Gundagai life in the early 1900s, in the Gabriel Gallery.

Events

 * The Snake Gully Cup, in November, is a two-day horse-racing carnival that includes the Dog on the Tuckerbox Festival.
 * The Turning Wave Festival, 3rd weekend in September, is a celebration of Irish/Australian culture with song, dance, poetry readings and markets.

Buy
Souvenirs can be bought at the service centre where the dog on the tucker box statue is located. Naturally, various souvenirs featuring the famous "dog on the tucker box" can be found here.

Sleep
Thanks to its popularity as a halfway stopping point between Sydney and Melbourne, Gundagai has an outsized range of accommodation. Most of it is identikit 3-star-ish motels but there are a few outliers.

Mid-range




Go next
North on the Hume Highway to Yass and Sydney. South to Albury and Melbourne. Go on Gocup Rd and the B72 Snowy Mountains Highway east to Tumut, Cooma, Jindabyne and Bega.

Day trips are possible to Tumut, Cootamundra, Wagga Wagga, Canberra among other places.