Gilgandra
Pleasant service town on the Castlereagh River.
Gilgandra is a smallish country town of 3000 people on the
Castlereagh River in NSW's central west. It is situated at
the junction of the Newell, Oxley and Castlereagh Highways,
between Dubbo and Coonabarabran, 476 km north-west of Sydney
and 280 m above sea-level.
Gilgandra is a service centre to a mixed farming area
focused principally on cropping, sheep and cattle, although
pigs, poultry, aquaculture, ostriches, emus, deer, olives,
buffaloes and a eucalypt plantation all contribute to the
local economy.
The town's name is said to mean 'long waterhole' and it
probably derives from the language of the Wiradjuri people
who are thought to have inhabited the area prior to white
settlement.
Squatters established the first runs in the district
during the 1830s although closer settlement did not emerge
until much later. The first building erected on the future
town site of Gilgandra was the Bushman's Arms Hotel,
licensed in 1866. A bridge over the Castlereagh was built in
1884 and Gilgandra was proclaimed a town in 1888. The
railway from Dubbo arrived in 1899.
The following year, Breelong, 18 km to the south-east,
was the scene of an infamous multiple murder involving the
licensees of the Breelong Inn, John and Sarah Mawbey, who
had in their employ several Aboriginal workers, including
Jimmy Governor and Jacky Underwood.
Jimmy Governor was a part-Aborigine who had worked as a
police tracker before marrying a 16-year-old white woman and
obtaining a contract to erect fencing for the Mawbeys. A
dedicated employee who wished to prove himself to white
society, he was initially on good terms with his employers
and their family. However, it seems that Governor's wife,
who worked in the Mawbey house, was belittled for marrying
an Aborigine by Mrs Mawbey and Helena Kurz, the local
schoolteacher who was residing with the Mawbeys.
Whatever the contributing factors, Jimmy and Jacky
Underwood confronted the women at the new Mawbey abode while
all of the males were staying at the inn. Jimmy claimed that
Mrs Mawbey called him 'black rubbish' and asserted that he
should be shot for marrying a white woman. Whatever
transpired the two men went into a rage and brutally
murdered Sarah Mawbey, three of her daughters and Helena
Kurz with clubs and a tomahawk. Sarah's sister was badly
injured.
Jimmy, his brother Joe, and Jacky Underwood then went on
a three-month, 3200-km rampage, inflicting revenge for past
grievances. They murdered five more people, wounded another
five, committed seven armed hold-ups and robbed 33 homes. A
massive manhunt involving hundreds of policemen and trackers
and 2000 volunteers failed to capture the men who ridiculed
their pursuers by advertising their whereabouts and sending
satiric letters to the police.
In October a 1000-pound reward was offered and later in
the month they were outlawed, meaning they could be shot on
sight by anybody. By the end of the month Jacky was
captured, Joe was shot and killed near Singleton (q.v.) and
Jimmy was captured by a group of farrmers near Wingham
(q.v.) two weeks after being shot in the mouth.
Jimmy and Jacky were hung in January, 1901. In his last
days Jimmy sang native songs, read the Bible and blamed his
wife. The Gilgandra visitors' centre has a pamphlet
detailing the pertinent sites on the old Mawbey estate,
though they have all been demolished and are on private
property. The four murdered Mawbeys are buried together in
Gilgandra cemetery. There is a large stone monument behind a
wire fence in the Church of England portion. Noted author
Thomas Keneally based his novel 'The Chant of Jimmy
Blacksmith' on the life of Jimmy Governor and that novel has
been made into a film.
Today, Gilgandra is publicised as the 'Home of the Coo-ees'.
This is a reference to the occasion in 1915 when 35 local
men decided to set off from Gilgandra on the first
recruiting march of World War I. Having received no support
from the Army the men walked 500 km to Sydney in six weeks,
proclaiming their arrival in a town with the bushman's cry
for help, 'coo-ee!'. They received much publicity along the
way and arrived in Sydney, 263 strong. The event sparked
seven other such marches from rural centres.
After the war Gilgandra was awarded £1200 by St Ambrose
Parish of Bournemouth in England as it was considered to
have made the greatest war effort of all the towns in the
British Empire. The gift was strictly to be used for the
construction of an Anglican Church bearing the name of the
Bournemouth parish. St Ambrose Anglican Church was dedicated
in 1922.
Gilgandra's annual celebrations include the Coo-ee
Festival which is held over the October long weekend. There
is also an Easter Vintage Farm Rally and an agricultural
show in May. The feature film, 'No Worries' (1992) was
produced in Gilgandra.
Things to see:
Tourist Information Centre, Coo-ee Park and the
Gilgandra Museum
Tune to FM 88 for a radio broadcast of local information.
The Visitors' Information Centre is located in Coo-ee March
Memorial Park, on the Newell Highway, tel: (02) 6847 2045.
It is open seven days from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.and sells
gifts and souvenirs and a range of local books and art. They
can also furnish information concerning farmstays and tour
guide services. They can be emailed at gilinfo@tpg.com.au.
Adjacent is the Gilgandra Museum containing local
memorabilia, most notably the Coo-ee March Memorial Room. It
relates to the occasion in 1915 when 35 men set off on a
six-week, 500-km trek to Sydney as part of the first
recruiting march of World War I.
There are also artefacts and pictures relating to the
murders which occurred in 1900 at Breelong, 18 km south-east
of Gilgandra, on the road to Mendooran. The Governor
brothers and Jacky Underwood, all in the employ of Jack
Mawbey, murdered Sarah Mawbey, three of her children and
Helena Kurz, the local schoolteacher.
Rural Museum
Also in the park is Gilgandra's Rural Museum. It contains
local history artefacts and specialises in
Australian-invented rural machinery of yesteryear. It is
open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on weekends and school
holidays, or by prior arrangement through the visitors'
centre. There is an annual steam engine rally on Easter
Saturday.
The windmill out the front has symbolic value as there
were 300 in operation by the 1950s, earning Gilgandra the
title 'The Windmill Town'. They were used to pump up
sub-artesian water until 1966. An Avenue of Windmills is
being established in the park, displaying various types and
sizes.
Gilgandra Observatory
The Gilgandra Observatory and Display Centre is located in
Willie St, just off the Newell Hwy. Aside from opportunities
to view the rings of Saturn, sun spots, the moons and Great
Red Spot of Jupiter, there are astronomical displays as well
as rocks, fossils, petrified wood and native flora. The
centre is usually open from 12.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.on
weekdays and from 7.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. every night but
Sunday when it is closed. During daylight savings the
nightly hours are 8.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m and in the school
holidays the observatory is open seven evenings a week, tel:
(02) 6847 2646.
Flora Reserve
The Gilgandra Native Flora Reserve is 8.5 ha of remnant
bushland which features many plant species, particularly
local wildflowers which are best seen from September to
November. There are picnic and barbecue facilities. To get
there head north-east on the Oxley Highway towards
Coonabarabran for 8 km then turn right into Flora Reserve Rd
(well signposted). Admission is free and it is open every
day.
Orana Cactus World
Orana Cactus World is located 1 km south of Gilgandra on the
Newell Highway towards Dubbo. It features both native and
exotic species and is open by appointment, tel: (02) 6847
2642.
Arboretum
The Jack McGirr Arboretum is located on the Newell Highway,
opposite the Rotary Caravan Park, on the Castlereagh River.
Paul McGirr donated these six acres in memory of his son and
daughter, who both died of SIDS. It is intended as a
peaceful rest and recreation area for children. Anyone can
dedicate a memorial tree to a SIDS child (see Chris Keen of
the caravan park).
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Gilgandra
