Gulgong, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Gulgong is a 19th century gold
rush town in the Central-West of the Australia
n state
of New South Wales
. The town is located about 300 km (186.4 mi) north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census
, Gulgong had a population of 1,907 people. It is situated within the Mid-Western Regional Council
local government area.
The name 'Gulgong' is derived from the name used by the traditional inhabitants, the Wiradjuri
, for 'deep waterhole'. Like several towns in this area, it began as a gold mining centre. However, being founded in the 1870s, it was one of the last to be dominated by 'poor man's diggings', that is by individuals without substantial capital investment.
Today much of the 19th century character of the town remains, contributing to its appeal as a tourist destination. Of special interest is the Prince of Wales Opera House, a survivor with a rich history.
Another attraction of note is the Gulgong Pioneer Museum, which has a huge collection of thematically-displayed exhibits, ranging from kitchen utensils to complete buildings that have been relocated to a 'street' on the site.
Apart from tourism and hospitality, local industries include wine production, wool, wheat growing and coal mining.
lived briefly in Gulgong as a child in the early 1870s, while his father sought instant wealth as a miner. A montage of goldrush-era Gulgong street scenes was used as a backdrop to the portrait of Lawson on the first Australian ten dollar note (which was in use from 1966 until replaced by a polymer banknote in November 1993). The town and its surrounding district feature in Lawson's fiction, especially in Joe Wilson and His Mates.
Gulgong is believed to be one of the primary locations in Thomas Alexander Browne
's Robbery under Arms. Australia's first novelist of note, Browne was police magistrate in the period 1871-81. He once hosted English author Anthony Trollope
, who later recorded his impressions of Australia and New Zealand (1875).
The original Jimmy Governor
, on whom Thomas Kenneally based his character for The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, grew up in the Gulgong district and married there in 1898.
(which runs west from Muswellbrook
), and the Gwabegar line
, (which runs north-south from Gwabegar
to Wallerawang
).
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
rush town in the Central-West of the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The town is located about 300 km (186.4 mi) north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Gulgong had a population of 1,907 people. It is situated within the Mid-Western Regional Council
Mid-Western Regional Council, New South Wales
The Mid-Western Regional Council is a Local Government Area in the Central West of New South Wales. The Castlereagh Highway passes through the middle of the area in an approximate southeast-northwest direction....
local government area.
The name 'Gulgong' is derived from the name used by the traditional inhabitants, the Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
, for 'deep waterhole'. Like several towns in this area, it began as a gold mining centre. However, being founded in the 1870s, it was one of the last to be dominated by 'poor man's diggings', that is by individuals without substantial capital investment.
Today much of the 19th century character of the town remains, contributing to its appeal as a tourist destination. Of special interest is the Prince of Wales Opera House, a survivor with a rich history.
Another attraction of note is the Gulgong Pioneer Museum, which has a huge collection of thematically-displayed exhibits, ranging from kitchen utensils to complete buildings that have been relocated to a 'street' on the site.
Apart from tourism and hospitality, local industries include wine production, wool, wheat growing and coal mining.
Literary associations
Novelist and bush poet Henry LawsonHenry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
lived briefly in Gulgong as a child in the early 1870s, while his father sought instant wealth as a miner. A montage of goldrush-era Gulgong street scenes was used as a backdrop to the portrait of Lawson on the first Australian ten dollar note (which was in use from 1966 until replaced by a polymer banknote in November 1993). The town and its surrounding district feature in Lawson's fiction, especially in Joe Wilson and His Mates.
Gulgong is believed to be one of the primary locations in Thomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne was an Australian writer, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms.-Biography:...
's Robbery under Arms. Australia's first novelist of note, Browne was police magistrate in the period 1871-81. He once hosted English author Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
, who later recorded his impressions of Australia and New Zealand (1875).
The original Jimmy Governor
Jimmy Governor
Jimmy Governor was one of the Governor brothers, two Indigenous Australian men who committed a series of murders in the Central West region of New South Wales around the turn of the twentieth century....
, on whom Thomas Kenneally based his character for The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, grew up in the Gulgong district and married there in 1898.
Railways
Gulgong is at the junction of the Sandy Hollow lineSandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line, New South Wales
The Sandy Hollow- Gulgong railway line is a railway line in northern New South Wales, Australia. The line forms a cross country connection with the Main North line and the Gwabegar line and ultimately on to the Main West line creating a circuitous bypass of Sydney for freight traffic heading...
(which runs west from Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook, New South Wales
Muswellbrook, a corruption of 'Muscle Brook', is a town and Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia. The original spelling and etymology of the town's name is a matter of some debate...
), and the Gwabegar line
Gwabegar railway line, New South Wales
The Gwabegar railway line is a railway line in the west of New South Wales, Australia which passes through the town of Mudgee to Gulgong and eventually heads to Gwabegar....
, (which runs north-south from Gwabegar
Gwabegar, New South Wales
Gwabegar, New South Wales, Australia, is a village located in the middle of the largest naturally forming cypress pine forest in the Southern Hemisphere, the Pilliga State Forest...
to Wallerawang
Wallerawang, New South Wales
Wallerawang is a small township in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 14 km northwest of Lithgow on the Main Western railway line at the junction of the Gwabegar line. A now closed railway station opened in 1870. Wallerawang Power Station opened in...
).