A History and Australiana Sort of Day

Gundagai Railway Station
Wednesday 5th June

I started the day with a little walk from the Caravan Park along part of the River Walk and had a closer look at the bridge over the Murrumbidgee River with its old timbers and concrete pylons near the river, and then proceeded on to the town history walk. There are some lovely old buildings (views of which were partially obstructed by parked vehicles!), and the town development was, of course, influenced by gold and the establishment of the pastoralists.

Older wooden and newer concrete bridge pylons 








Viewing the statue of Dad and Dave and Mum and Mabel (Steele Rudd - On Our Selection) was a bit of a must;  Dave looks particularly dishevelled in my view.  
The Murrumbidgee
and Prince Alfred Railway Bridge







I also stopped to admire the sculpture commemorating the heroic actions of Yarri and Jakky who rescued a number of settlers during the flood of 1852 and to whom many the town's current residence owe their existence.  As a reward for their bravery, it was deemed that these men were entitled to demand 6d and other trifles conducive to Aboriginal comfort from all Gundagai residents
Prince Alfred Railway Bridge






Commemorating Yarri & Jakky's heroism














Prince Alfred Railway Bridge/Viaduct

I then completed  the other part of the Riverwalk as far as the old Prince Alfred Railway Bridge / viaduct.  This was quite a feat of engineering for its era.
Prince Alfred Railway Bridge/Viaduct
















The railway viaduct is some 900 meters long and sits above the flood plains, as the area is prone to flooding, as it has done catastrophically a couple of times in recorded history.  In 1852, the entire old town was virtually destroyed - only 3 buildings remained, and the town was relocated to higher land.  Perhaps lessons from then to be learned today.

Dad and Dave and Mum and Mabel
The Old Bridge Inn









Gundagai Courthouse
Assembly Hall
















Gundagai Theatre








After leaving Gundagai, I diverted to see 'The Dog on the Tuckerbox' and while I had this vague thought that it related to a dog being left to guard the said item, and remained there until it perished because it's owner had perished - which apparently is what Wikipedia has to say about it, it appears that the origin of the ballad has words and meaning less innocuous.  (And why don't I like dogs???)
The Dog on the Tuckerbox










The Bowning Hotel











Historic cart
My plan after leaving The Dog on the Tuckerbox was to have lunch and a drink at the Bowning Hotel, thinking back to when Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson may have been sitting there over a drink, continuing their famous Bulletin debates.  I did not anticipate that it would not be open through the middle of the day. It doesn't open till 4:00 p.m. I am a little disappointed.  I would have enjoyed immersing myself in that bit of Australiana. And so much for lunch!

In Yass I did the riverbank walk along the banks of the Yass River and noted Flat Rock crossing but was very glad that there was an alternative to rock hopping across those flat rocks.

Flat Rock Crossing on the Yass River
I decided that that other recommended activity in Yass - admiring the historic buildings - might be just a bit too much history for me for one day, and deciding that the accommodation options in Yass were not to my liking, changed plans again and headed for Goulburn Caravan Park.

A more or less ok drive - I don't mind being overtaken by B-Doubles if I am choosing to drive at 100km/hr, but I do seriously object when they have no idea how much room they need and start to merge in front of me before they are actually past, necessitating braking.  That earned the driver a light flash or two.   

Better than camping in the rain




It started to rain, and, wondering what the forecast was for the evening, I did a "Hey Google, what is the weather forecast for Goulburn?"  Receiving a reply incorporating 8 degrees and rain, I changed my accommodation plans for the night.  So on arrival at the Caravan Park - not one of the variety I would normally choose, I enquired about on-site cabins and then wasn't sure if if was an insult or simply perception that made the friendly receptionist inquire about my eligibility for a senior discount - which she applied without requiring evidence.  It's OK, I'll take the discount.  To set up camp in the rain vs having everything under one roof - its a bit of a no-brainer!














































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