Mungindi, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Mungindi is a town on the border of New South Wales
(NSW) and Queensland
in Moree Plains
Shire. It possesses a New South Wales postcode. Mungindi sits on the Carnarvon Highway
and straddles the Barwon River
which is the border between New South Wales and Queensland. At the 2006 census
, Mungindi had a population of 626 on the New South Wales side and another 176 on the Queensland side.
. Located uniquely on both sides of the New South Wales
and Queensland
border, Mungindi is the only border town in the Southern Hemisphere
with the same name on both sides of the border. The state border runs down the centre of the Barwon River
and under the centre of the Mungindi Bridge
, but there is no exact marker on the bridge to indicate the point.
Nearby towns are Moree
and St George
. Nearby villages are, in New South Wales, Weemelah, Garah
, Ashley and Boomi, and in Queensland, Thallon
, Dirranbandi
and Hebel
. A section of the Carnarvon Highway
via Mungindi makes up part of the shortest route from Sydney
to Darwin
.
(Gamilaraay) tribe. Their tribal grounds extended from the Barwon River
to south of the Namoi River
near Gunnedah.
Major Thomas Mitchell
passed through here on his exploration of the interior in search of new areas suitable for agricultural developement during the 1830s.
By the 1850s, with stock moving on both sides of the Barwon River
, the ford at Mungindi just upstream from the present bridge became the principal crossing. Reliable waterholes and shaded flats on the riverbanks provided early drovers with a pleasant camp in the area, which the Gamilaroi Aboriginal People had held since antiquity as an important meeting place. Regular use of the track is indicated by the fact that two, 40 chains (804.7 m) stock routes were proclaimed by 1868, both to Mungindi, one from St George
and one from Whyenbah via Dareel.
The movement of drovers and the coming of settlers soon attracted others to provide them with goods and services. The first known of these services was a hotel, or inn. Built in 1863 by Alexander Grant Walker, it was located on the south bank of the river. Alexander was certainly moved by the pioneering spirit. After coming to New South Wales from Scotland
at the age of twenty-one, he married at Murrurundi and brought his bride to Moree
where they were among the first to purchase land in the town area. They built a hotel in Frome Street but within twelve months transferred the license to Alexander’s Mungindi Inn', also known as Walker's Hotel and in later years, The Green Hut. He built himself a cottage and also stables for the use of hotel patrons. These buildings were along the bank of the Barwon between present day North-Western Motors and Quinn's Motors, near the crossing which was then east of Garden Island. It was then that Alexander applied for 40 acres (16.2 ha) along the river.
Queensland became a separate colony in 1859 and by 1862 the Queensland Government was operating a packhorse
mail service between Surat
and Yarawa. A private mail service had for some years run from Yarawa to Moree. This was later extended to Mungindi town. By 1865, the volume of mail prompted the Postmaster-General of Queensland to send an inspector who recommended Alexander Walker’s appointment as postmaster.
A year or so later it seems the new postmaster had begun to experience the frustrations common to border-town officials. As Mungindi, Queensland's postmaster he was not empowered to deal with letters bearing NSW stamps so he applied for, and was appointed to the position of postmaster of Mungindi, NSW in 1867. The following year there were 43 subscribers listed in the Post Office Directory for Mungindi, Qld. Very few of these were family men but the numbers explain the need for the store, which Alexander was operating at that time.
In 1876 an agency of the Government Savings Bank of NSW opened through his Post Office in NSW. When work began in the same year on the first bridge over the Barwon River
, Alexander realised the advantage of having his store located near the new crossing. His shop, built that year, was close to the site of the present Old Police Station and at the time, near the Customs House, which operated until Federation in 1900 ended trading between colonies/ states.
Alexander Walker, who might be called the ‘Founder of Mungindi’, died suddenly in 1878. His wife and family continued to run the Post Office, store and hotel. Apparently Mrs Walker became well known as the 'Queen of Mungindi'. Stories say that it was common to see over 100 horses tied up outside the hotel. If a ‘blue' started she would let down the slip rails and take to the horses with a broom. By the time the horses were rounded up the reason for the fight would have been forgotten and everyone was happy again. Presumably Mrs. Walker was no longer compelled to keep law and order in this unique way after the first NSW constable was stationed in 1882.
During the 1880s movement in the area had led to the development of regular stagecoach services and communications further improved with the opening of a telegraphic office in 1881. It would seem that families quickly followed the young men who found work opening up the area for the township on the Queensland side was surveyed probably in 1885 and the blocks offered for sale. An area was reserved for a cemetery, behind the present hospital, but as far as is known, only two people were buried there.
A survey to designate camping and watering reserves had been carried out on the NSW side in 1877 and the reserves 'gazetted' in 1884. However, on 27 February 1886 those reserves were revoked, as on that day
The surveys of allotments were made after this proclamation and on 24 January 1888 in Moree
, the first Mungindi town blocks were offered at auction sales they sold for amounts varying from £11 10s to £46. Those earliest sales were for blocks between North, Kunopia, Wirrah and Yarouah Streets. In 1890, to satisfy a change in parliamentary acts Mungindi was again proclaimed a village.
The township of Mungindi developed rapidly after that proclamation. Though 1890 brought a devastating flood which forced many families into difficulties and may have been responsible for the widespread of Prickly Pear
which caused further hardship, many new names appear in Mungindi as selectors took up small blocks offered from land resumed after changes to land tenure in 1884 and as more tradesmen and businessmen took up residence in the town.
In 1891 the citizens of Mungindi, Qld, petitioned their government for a policeman. By 1894, when the NSW school was twelve months old and had become a full public school with an average minimum attendance of 30, the Qld Provisional School had opened with an enrolment of 22. The number of school-aged children had almost doubled in three years.
At the turn of the century Mungindi had its own newspaper, a hospital, a doctor, a solicitor, two schools, two post offices, a brewery, at least four hotels, two police stations (one in each state), with three men stationed at each, two race clubs, a P.& A. Society, two butchers, two hairdressers, two dressmakers and milliners, a shoemaker, a saddler, a baker, a tailor, a saw mill, a pawnbroker, a teacher of pianoforte, violin and oil painting, about four contract carpenters, a housepainter and decorator, a bricklayer and a tinsmith. Its approximately 250 residents enjoyed many shared entertainments. Balls and dances, fairs and shows, concerts and travelling tent shows, and fortnightly meetings of the Literary and Debating Society. In the 'Sportsman’s Paradise',fishing, bicycling, horse racing, cricket, billiards and tennis were keenly pursued.
Mungindi has two times zones during daylight-saving-time. The town has a pre-school in Queensland and the other educational facilities are in NSW. The hospital is on the northern side of the river and the two hotels are on each side of the river. The district is now a hub for regional cotton
, beef
cattle, and wheat
industries.
to the South Australian border.
Many items of interest are on display at the local History Park on the outskirts of Mungindi. The Neeworra Historical Site, situated approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) south east from town on the Carnarvon Highway
is the site of the Neeworra Wine Shanty.
The author Scott Monk Featured Mungindi in his novel Raw, which is about a guy called Brett who was sent to an institution farm.
and lies 798 kilometres (495.9 mi) from Sydney. The line opened on 7 December 1914 and was closed between Weemelah and Mungindi 5 January 1974 when services were withdrawn following flooding. The former railway station is now used as a private residence.
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...
(NSW) and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in Moree Plains
Moree Plains
The Shire of Moree Plains, located on the New South Wales side of the border with Queensland, is one of the largest Local Government areas in the State....
Shire. It possesses a New South Wales postcode. Mungindi sits on the Carnarvon Highway
Carnarvon Highway
The Carnarvon Highway is a state highway of Queensland, linking Moree south of the NSW/QLD border, via the town of St George, eventually to the township of Rolleston. North of Roma it is known as the Carnarvon Developmental Road. National Route 46 runs from Moree to St George...
and straddles the Barwon River
Barwon River (New South Wales)
The Barwon River flows through New South Wales, virtually as a continuation of the Macintyre River / Border Rivers system, before joining with the Culgoa River to form the Darling River...
which is the border between New South Wales and Queensland. 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,...
, Mungindi had a population of 626 on the New South Wales side and another 176 on the Queensland side.
Geography
"Mungindi" means 'water hole in the river' in KamilaroiGamilaraay language
The Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup found mostly in South East Australia. It was the traditional language of the Kamilaroi people, but is now moribund—according to Ethnologue, there were only 3 speakers left in 1997...
. Located uniquely on both sides of the 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...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border, Mungindi is the only border town in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
with the same name on both sides of the border. The state border runs down the centre of the Barwon River
Barwon River (New South Wales)
The Barwon River flows through New South Wales, virtually as a continuation of the Macintyre River / Border Rivers system, before joining with the Culgoa River to form the Darling River...
and under the centre of the Mungindi Bridge
Mungindi Bridge
The Mungindi Bridge is a road bridge over the Barwon River on the Carnarvon Highway on the Queensland/New South Wales border at Mungindi, New South Wales, Australia.-Old bridge:...
, but there is no exact marker on the bridge to indicate the point.
Nearby towns are Moree
Moree, New South Wales
Moree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River in the centre of the rich black-soil plains....
and St George
St George, Queensland
St George is a town of approximately 2400 people in south-western Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Balonne. It was named by Major Thomas Mitchell who crossed the Balonne River on St George's Day, 23 April 1846. At the 2006 census, St George had a population of...
. Nearby villages are, in New South Wales, Weemelah, Garah
Garah, New South Wales
Garah is a village in Moree Plains Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Garah and the surrounding area had a population of 336.It is located 51 kilometres northwest of Moree on the Carnarvon Highway. Local activities include agriculture...
, Ashley and Boomi, and in Queensland, Thallon
Thallon, Queensland
Thallon is a town in south western Queensland, Australia. The town is located in the Balonne Shire Local Government Area, 571 kilometres west of the state capital, Brisbane. Thallon is situated between St George and the border with New South Wales at Mungindi. The town is named after a...
, Dirranbandi
Dirranbandi, Queensland
Dirranbandi is a town in south-western Queensland, Australia, located in the Shire of Balonne. It sits on the Castlereagh Highway and the Balonne River. It is notable for the population increase each year as seasonal workers come to work on the extensive cotton fields. Due to the low annual...
and Hebel
Hebel, Queensland
Hebel is a hamlet in Balonne Shire, in south-western Queensland, Australia. It is situated north of the border with New South Wales on the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2006 census, Hebel and the surrounding area had a population of 149....
. A section of the Carnarvon Highway
Carnarvon Highway
The Carnarvon Highway is a state highway of Queensland, linking Moree south of the NSW/QLD border, via the town of St George, eventually to the township of Rolleston. North of Roma it is known as the Carnarvon Developmental Road. National Route 46 runs from Moree to St George...
via Mungindi makes up part of the shortest route from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
.
History
Mungindi and the surrounding areas were originally inhabited by Aborigines of the KamilaroiKamilaroi
The Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay are an Indigenous Australian people who are from the area between Tamworth and Goondiwindi, and west to Narrabri, Walgett and Lightning Ridge, in northern New South Wales...
(Gamilaraay) tribe. Their tribal grounds extended from the Barwon River
Barwon River (New South Wales)
The Barwon River flows through New South Wales, virtually as a continuation of the Macintyre River / Border Rivers system, before joining with the Culgoa River to form the Darling River...
to south of the Namoi River
Namoi River
The Namoi River is a major tributary of the Darling River in inland New South Wales, Australia.- Course :The headwaters of the Namoi, including the Macdonald River, the Peel River, the Cockburn River and the Manilla River, rise on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern...
near Gunnedah.
Major Thomas Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell
Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell , surveyor and explorer of south-eastern Australia, was born at Grangemouth in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The following year he became Surveyor General and remained in this...
passed through here on his exploration of the interior in search of new areas suitable for agricultural developement during the 1830s.
By the 1850s, with stock moving on both sides of the Barwon River
Barwon River (New South Wales)
The Barwon River flows through New South Wales, virtually as a continuation of the Macintyre River / Border Rivers system, before joining with the Culgoa River to form the Darling River...
, the ford at Mungindi just upstream from the present bridge became the principal crossing. Reliable waterholes and shaded flats on the riverbanks provided early drovers with a pleasant camp in the area, which the Gamilaroi Aboriginal People had held since antiquity as an important meeting place. Regular use of the track is indicated by the fact that two, 40 chains (804.7 m) stock routes were proclaimed by 1868, both to Mungindi, one from St George
St George, Queensland
St George is a town of approximately 2400 people in south-western Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Balonne. It was named by Major Thomas Mitchell who crossed the Balonne River on St George's Day, 23 April 1846. At the 2006 census, St George had a population of...
and one from Whyenbah via Dareel.
The movement of drovers and the coming of settlers soon attracted others to provide them with goods and services. The first known of these services was a hotel, or inn. Built in 1863 by Alexander Grant Walker, it was located on the south bank of the river. Alexander was certainly moved by the pioneering spirit. After coming to New South Wales from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
at the age of twenty-one, he married at Murrurundi and brought his bride to Moree
Moree, New South Wales
Moree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River in the centre of the rich black-soil plains....
where they were among the first to purchase land in the town area. They built a hotel in Frome Street but within twelve months transferred the license to Alexander’s Mungindi Inn', also known as Walker's Hotel and in later years, The Green Hut. He built himself a cottage and also stables for the use of hotel patrons. These buildings were along the bank of the Barwon between present day North-Western Motors and Quinn's Motors, near the crossing which was then east of Garden Island. It was then that Alexander applied for 40 acres (16.2 ha) along the river.
Queensland became a separate colony in 1859 and by 1862 the Queensland Government was operating a packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
mail service between Surat
Surat, Queensland
Surat is a small rural town on the Balonne River, approximately south of Roma on the Carnarvon Highway. It is west of Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Surat had a population of 436.The district was first mapped by Surveyor-General Sir Thomas Mitchell in 1846...
and Yarawa. A private mail service had for some years run from Yarawa to Moree. This was later extended to Mungindi town. By 1865, the volume of mail prompted the Postmaster-General of Queensland to send an inspector who recommended Alexander Walker’s appointment as postmaster.
A year or so later it seems the new postmaster had begun to experience the frustrations common to border-town officials. As Mungindi, Queensland's postmaster he was not empowered to deal with letters bearing NSW stamps so he applied for, and was appointed to the position of postmaster of Mungindi, NSW in 1867. The following year there were 43 subscribers listed in the Post Office Directory for Mungindi, Qld. Very few of these were family men but the numbers explain the need for the store, which Alexander was operating at that time.
In 1876 an agency of the Government Savings Bank of NSW opened through his Post Office in NSW. When work began in the same year on the first bridge over the Barwon River
Barwon River (New South Wales)
The Barwon River flows through New South Wales, virtually as a continuation of the Macintyre River / Border Rivers system, before joining with the Culgoa River to form the Darling River...
, Alexander realised the advantage of having his store located near the new crossing. His shop, built that year, was close to the site of the present Old Police Station and at the time, near the Customs House, which operated until Federation in 1900 ended trading between colonies/ states.
Alexander Walker, who might be called the ‘Founder of Mungindi’, died suddenly in 1878. His wife and family continued to run the Post Office, store and hotel. Apparently Mrs Walker became well known as the 'Queen of Mungindi'. Stories say that it was common to see over 100 horses tied up outside the hotel. If a ‘blue' started she would let down the slip rails and take to the horses with a broom. By the time the horses were rounded up the reason for the fight would have been forgotten and everyone was happy again. Presumably Mrs. Walker was no longer compelled to keep law and order in this unique way after the first NSW constable was stationed in 1882.
During the 1880s movement in the area had led to the development of regular stagecoach services and communications further improved with the opening of a telegraphic office in 1881. It would seem that families quickly followed the young men who found work opening up the area for the township on the Queensland side was surveyed probably in 1885 and the blocks offered for sale. An area was reserved for a cemetery, behind the present hospital, but as far as is known, only two people were buried there.
A survey to designate camping and watering reserves had been carried out on the NSW side in 1877 and the reserves 'gazetted' in 1884. However, on 27 February 1886 those reserves were revoked, as on that day
"His Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council … directed it to be notified … that portions of Crown Lands are declared to be set apart as sites for the village of Mungindi and of suburban lands attached thereto."
The surveys of allotments were made after this proclamation and on 24 January 1888 in Moree
Morée
Morée is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France.-See also:*Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department...
, the first Mungindi town blocks were offered at auction sales they sold for amounts varying from £11 10s to £46. Those earliest sales were for blocks between North, Kunopia, Wirrah and Yarouah Streets. In 1890, to satisfy a change in parliamentary acts Mungindi was again proclaimed a village.
The township of Mungindi developed rapidly after that proclamation. Though 1890 brought a devastating flood which forced many families into difficulties and may have been responsible for the widespread of Prickly Pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
which caused further hardship, many new names appear in Mungindi as selectors took up small blocks offered from land resumed after changes to land tenure in 1884 and as more tradesmen and businessmen took up residence in the town.
In 1891 the citizens of Mungindi, Qld, petitioned their government for a policeman. By 1894, when the NSW school was twelve months old and had become a full public school with an average minimum attendance of 30, the Qld Provisional School had opened with an enrolment of 22. The number of school-aged children had almost doubled in three years.
At the turn of the century Mungindi had its own newspaper, a hospital, a doctor, a solicitor, two schools, two post offices, a brewery, at least four hotels, two police stations (one in each state), with three men stationed at each, two race clubs, a P.& A. Society, two butchers, two hairdressers, two dressmakers and milliners, a shoemaker, a saddler, a baker, a tailor, a saw mill, a pawnbroker, a teacher of pianoforte, violin and oil painting, about four contract carpenters, a housepainter and decorator, a bricklayer and a tinsmith. Its approximately 250 residents enjoyed many shared entertainments. Balls and dances, fairs and shows, concerts and travelling tent shows, and fortnightly meetings of the Literary and Debating Society. In the 'Sportsman’s Paradise',fishing, bicycling, horse racing, cricket, billiards and tennis were keenly pursued.
Mungindi has two times zones during daylight-saving-time. The town has a pre-school in Queensland and the other educational facilities are in NSW. The hospital is on the northern side of the river and the two hotels are on each side of the river. The district is now a hub for regional cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
cattle, and wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
industries.
Sights
The One Ton Post was erected by Mr John Cameron in 1881 to celebrate the completion of two long and hard years of surveys. The Post is situated 5 kilometres (3 mi) west of Mungindi where the border fence leaves the river and goes 700 kilometres (435 mi) due west on the 29th parallel south29th parallel south
The 29th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 29 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
to the South Australian border.
Many items of interest are on display at the local History Park on the outskirts of Mungindi. The Neeworra Historical Site, situated approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) south east from town on the Carnarvon Highway
Carnarvon Highway
The Carnarvon Highway is a state highway of Queensland, linking Moree south of the NSW/QLD border, via the town of St George, eventually to the township of Rolleston. North of Roma it is known as the Carnarvon Developmental Road. National Route 46 runs from Moree to St George...
is the site of the Neeworra Wine Shanty.
The author Scott Monk Featured Mungindi in his novel Raw, which is about a guy called Brett who was sent to an institution farm.
Railway
Mungindi marks the northernmost point of the Mungindi (or North West) railway lineMungindi railway line, New South Wales
The Mungindi railway line is a railway line in northern New South Wales, Australia. It branches from the Main North line at the town of Werris Creek and heads north-west through the towns of Gunnedah and Narrabri before reaching Moree which for many years was the railhead before the extension to...
and lies 798 kilometres (495.9 mi) from Sydney. The line opened on 7 December 1914 and was closed between Weemelah and Mungindi 5 January 1974 when services were withdrawn following flooding. The former railway station is now used as a private residence.
Other sources
- Mungindi and District Historical Book Committee, A History of Mungindi to 1988.