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| The old entrance to
Gunning - once it was full of trucks
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Gunning
Quiet town servicing the surrounding sheep area
Gunning was once a very noisy town where every truck
travelling between Sydney and Melbourne rumbled down the
main street. Today, having been by-passed, it is sleepy and
attractive.
Gunning is a small rural town of 535 people located 53 km
west of
Goulburn, just off the Hume Freeway, and 246 km
south-west of Sydney. It is situated 578 m above sea-level
in a shire which produces principally sheep, wool and
cattle.
The town has undergone a face-lift since it was bypassed
with a number of buildings undergoing restoration.
Noted colonial explorer Hamilton Hume had established a
sheep property near Gunning by 1821, three years after he
and James Meehan became the first known Europeans to set
foot on the Goulburn Plains. In 1824 he set off from his
property with William Hovell on their famous and
ground-breaking expedition to Port Phillip Bay. A column by
the roadside at Fish River, 5 km east of Gunning, marks the
site from whence they departed.
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| Sheep and the rich
countryside around Gunning |
Plans for a town were approved in 1838. Cooper's Store
was in existence by 1840 when Hume's brother, John Kennedy
Hume, who also owned a property at Fish River, was shot dead
by members of the Whitton gang while he was trying to help
people who had been bailed up at the store (see entry on
Crookwell for more on the Whitton gang). He had a wife
and nine children.
By 1848 the town had 95 residents, the store and an
hotel. The railway arrived in 1875 and Gunning became a busy
rail terminus for some time. The Gunning Show is held in
February.
Things to see:
Tourist Information
There is no tourist information centre but you can ring the
Gunning shire offices on (02) 4845 1312 or the Goulburn
Visitors' Centre, tel: (02) 4823 0492.
Frankfield Guest House and Historic Walk
Maps outlining a walk of the town's historic buildings (3.5
km) are available from the Frankfield Guest House and Caxton
Restaurant (cnr Warrataw and Grosvenor Sts). The guesthouse
was built in 1870 as the Frankfield Hotel and greatly
benefited from the arrival of the railway (just across the
street).
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| The main street of
Gunning |
Stationmaster's Residence
If you turn left into Grosvenor St, the stationmaster's
residence (c.1875) is along the road, to the right.
Pye Cottage
Turn left into Nelanglo St and proceed to the Yass St corner
where you will find Pye Cottage (c.1860), a slab structure
originally erected at Dalton (11 km to the north-west) and
moved to Gunning in the early 1970s. It can be inspected if
you enquire first at Frankfield guesthouse.
Gunning Public School
Turn left into Yass St. On the other side of the road is the
public school (1871), an attractive little schoolhouse in
Flemish bonded brick which contrasts nicely with the fretted
bargeboards on the front gable, although there have been
unsympathetic additions. The first Gunning show was held
over the road in 1883.
Yass and Warrataw
Further along Yass St, near Warrataw St, is the post office
(1880-81). The cenotaph dates from 1923. On the other side
of the road is the old bank, now a private residence.
On the far side of Warrataw St is the courthouse (1879).
To the rear is a gaolkeeper's residence (1872). Nearby is
the Telegraph Hotel built in the 1880s with the second
storey added in 1916.
Caxton House
Continue along Yass St. To the left are Caxton House and
Caxton Cottage (1850). They were originally the one
building.
London House
Over the road is London House (1881), a fine brick building
with arched coach entrance which has served as both general
store and hotel.
Old Hospital
Continue along Yass St, across Meadow Creek and take the
first right into Gundaroo St. On the right, just past the
turnoff to the Catholic Church, is the old maternity
hospital (c.1890).
Catholic Church
Return the way you came and take the first right into
Cullerin St where you will find the presbytery (1888) near
St Francis Xavier Catholic Church.
Cemetery
At the end of Cullerin St turn right into Wombat St. To the
left is the cemetery which contains the vault (near the
entrance) of John Kennedy Hume who was shot to death by the
Whitton gang while attempting to help those being bailed up
at the local store in 1840. He had a wife and nine children.
The tomb was erected by his brother, the famous explorer
Hamilton Hume, who was the first European in the area and
the first landholder. Whitton was later caught and hanged
(see entry on Crookwell).
Police Barracks
Return along Wombat St to the Biala St intersection where
you will find the town's oldest surviving building, the
former police barracks, erected c.1842, which have two cells
at ground level. It is now a private residence.
The sewerage works over the road occupies the site of the
original police horse paddock where. Henry Dunckly is
buried. He was murdered by his wife Lucretia and a servant 5
km from Gunning in 1841. The two were tried and convicted of
murder at the courthouse in Berrima (where there is a major display on her trial).
Lucretia has the honour of being the only woman hung at
Berrima Gaol.
|
| St Edmund's Anglican
Church |
Churches
Turn left into Biala St, following it to the weir. To cross
the river and rejoin Biala St you can walk across the weir
or, if that is not an attractive possibility, follow Wombat,
Yass and Warrataw Sts back to the other side of Biala St.
At any rate, on the other side are the Anglican rectory
and St Edmund's Anglican Church (both 1866). Further along,
at Biala and Warrataw, is the Uniting Church, built as a
Wesleyan church in 1876.
Other Historic Buildings
'Collingwood', 'Boureong' and 'Frankfield' are three
historic homes in the Gunning area. The former dates back to
the mid or late-1830s and was erected as the homestead of
John Kennedy Hume and family. The first Christian service in
the area was held here in 1838.
Antique and Art-and-Craft Shops
Coronation Theatre Antiques and Collectables is of interest.
It is located at 82 Yass St, tel: (02) 4845 1554. Saskia's
Gallery is at 93 Yass St, tel: (02) 4845 1577.
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| The main street of
Gunning today |
Hume and Hovell Track
Gunning is part of the fully-signposted, 370-km Hume and
Hovell Walking Track which retraces a portion of the
explorers' steps during the 1824 expedition to Port Phillip.
You can, of course, walk any given sub-section. Details are
available from the visitors' centre at Yass, tel: (02) 6226
2557 or the Department of Lands in Sydney, tel: (02) 9228
6111.
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Gunning
