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| View of the Devils Hole
from lookout at Barrington Tops National Park
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Dungog
Particularly beautiful and unusual country town
Dungog is a moderate-sized Australian country town with a
typically wide main street. It is located in a valley
surrounded by rolling hills adjacent the Williams River, 228
km north of Sydney, 74 km north of Newcastle and 61 m above
sea-level. With a current population of 2500 it is
essentially a cattle-raising, dairying and timber town and a
service centre for the surrounding area. It is a base for an
exploration of the fine countryside to the north, where you
will find Chichester Dam, state forests and Barrington Tops
National Park. These are ideal places for bushwalking,
scenic drives, swimming, photography, horseriding, cycling,
camping, trail bike riding and canoeing.
It is believed that the area was occupied by the Gringgai
clan of the Wanaruah people prior to European settlement. It
is presumably from their language that we inherit the word
'Dungog' supposedly meaning 'place of thinly wooded hills'.
The first Europeans in the area are thought to have been
stockmen in search of wayward cattle. The thick stands of
cedar in the area soon drew timbergetters. One account
concerns a cedar tree with a circumference of nearly 9
metres which it was estimated would yield 9 km of timber.
The initial property grant was made by Governor Darling
in 1824. The first grant to the north was made to James D.
Dowling in 1828. His descendants have remained on the
property. It is James Dowling's name which graces Dungog's
main street.
The land for a township to be named Upper Williams was
set aside in 1830 but 'Dungog' was adopted in 1834.
At this time the settlers petitioned the authorities for
a military post to deal with bushranging in the area.
Captain Thunderbolt and his wife had been involved in
plundering homesteads in the Munni, Monkerai, Main Creek and
Underbank districts. Joe Burn, a member of Ben Hall's gang
was shot in the shoulder by a local woman when he bailed her
up. The Governors and the Jew Boy Gang were also active in
the area. The hilly terrain made for natural cover. Hence
the town courthouse was built between 1835 and 1838 as a
barracks and stables for troopers who successfully drove
Thunderbolt north over Gloucester Tops and out of the area.
A town plan was approved in 1838. A school, built in
1843, was designed by noted architect, Edmund Blacket. It
was only his second commission in the colony. By 1850 the
town was well-established and of good reputation.
Timbercutting remained a central focus of the local
economy into the 1860s when it was supplemented by a
tannery, a tobacco factory and a flour mill.The railway
arrived in 1911.
In 1972 the Dungog timber industry supplied timber for
elements of the interior of the Sydney Opera House. Today
the town's major industries are beef and dairy cattle,
poultry, timber and tourism.
Things to see:
Lookout
To get Dungog into perspective head to Apex Lookout, located
at the western edge of town. From this position it is clear
that the town is nestled in a valley literally surrounded by
mountains.
Brown Street Buildings
Near the intersection of Brown and Lord streets are several
buildings of historical interest. Behind the police station,
on the hillside, is the courthouse. In the town's earliest
days the settlers petitioned the authorities for a military
post to deal with bushranging. Captain Thunderbolt, Joe
Burn, the Governors (made famous in Thomas Keneally's novel
The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) and the Jew Boy Gang were all
active in the area. The hilly terrain made for natural
cover. Hence the town courthouse was built between 1835 and
1838 as a barracks and stables for troopers who successfully
drove Thunderbolt north over Gloucester Tops and out of the
area.
This original element of the complex is now the brick
court room. It was converted to its present usage in 1849.
The police residence adjacent was originally a lock-up
dating from 1884. Over the road is St Josephs School
(established in 1888) and St Mary's Catholic Church. On the
north-eastern corner is the Courthouse Hotel (established in
1868) with cast-iron lacework on the balconies and eaves.
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Dungog
