Gundagai Attractions
Gundagai (pop. 2310) is on the Murrumbidgee River and is featured in many songs and poems. The name of the little town is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'upstream'. The first settlement on the site was destroyed by a flood in 1852 in which 89 people died - a third of the population. The local Aborigines had warned that the river sometimes suddenly burst its banks, but their warning was not heeded. Between 1860 and 1890 the town went through the turmoil of the gold rush and raids by bushrangers. The main products of the area are wool, wheat, fruit and vegetables.
On Hume Highway is a popular picnic area where Hume and Hovell, Mitchell and Sturt rested on their expeditions. For more than 100 years all the traffic on the Hume Highway went over a 900 m long timber viaduct, Australia's longest wooden bridge. It is now closed to motor traffic and has been replaced by an 1100 m long concrete causeway.
There are a number of old buildings in Sheridan Street (hotel, bank, courthouse, St Patrick's Church). The Gabriel Gallery has an excellent collection of late 19th C photographs.
There is an interesting historical museum in Homer Street.
On Hume Highway is a popular picnic area where Hume and Hovell, Mitchell and Sturt rested on their expeditions. For more than 100 years all the traffic on the Hume Highway went over a 900 m long timber viaduct, Australia's longest wooden bridge. It is now closed to motor traffic and has been replaced by an 1100 m long concrete causeway.
There are a number of old buildings in Sheridan Street (hotel, bank, courthouse, St Patrick's Church). The Gabriel Gallery has an excellent collection of late 19th C photographs.
There is an interesting historical museum in Homer Street.
