Gulgong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids GulgongNew South Wales |
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Mayne Street
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 Gulgong
Location in New South Wales
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| Postcode(s) | 2852 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 475 m (1,558 ft) | ||||||||
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| LGA(s) | Mid-Western Regional Council | ||||||||
| County | Phillip | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Dubbo | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Parkes | ||||||||
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Gulgong is a 19th-century gold rush town in the Central Tablelands and the wider Central West regions of the Australian state of New South Wales. The town is situated within the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area. It is located about 300 km (190 mi) north west of Sydney, and about 30 km north of Mudgee along the Castlereagh Highway. At the 2021 census, Gulgong had a population of 2,680.
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.
An 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.
Yarrobil National Park is located 21 kilometres (13 mi) north west of Gulgong.
History
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.
Novelist and bush poet Henry Lawson 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).
Heritage listings
Gulgong has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Railways
Gulgong is at the junction of the Sandy Hollow line (which runs west from Muswellbrook) and the Gwabegar line (which runs north-south from Gwabegar to Wallerawang). A section of the Gwabegar railway line south of Gulgong to Kandos has been closed since 30 June 2007.
Events
Gulgong is a regular host to both regional and international festivals and events.
Notable people
- 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.
- Nancy Hill (born 1934), Australian basketball representative
- Josh Jackson, rugby league player
- Louisa Lawson, poet and mother of Henry Lawson
- Colin McKellar, Australian senator
- Michaeley O'Brien, Australian screenwriter
Gallery
- Some images of Gulgong NSW
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The streets of Gulgong have changed very little since the 19th century -
View from balcony above mechanics workshop -
Mayne St Gulgong -
Typical old commercial buildings in Gulgong -
Prince of Wales Opera House -
Original Gulgong district smithy's house and workshop relocated to "street" in Gulgong museum -
Local inn, from the 1840s, relocated to museum "street" -
Interior of the inn -
Horse drawn and motor vehicles in Gulgong museum
