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Gundagai
The "Dog on the Letterbox" - NOT five miles from Gundagai We left the capital today and set off towards Melbourne and our next stop– “Along the road to Gundagai” (sorry I couldn’t resist it! For the non-Aussies, that’s the title of a very well known Australian bush song originally sung by Jack O’Hagan.) There are quite a few songs about Gundagai – another popular one being “Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox, Five Miles from Gundagai”. There is a famous statue of a dog sitting on a tucker box (food box) that was set up in 1932 as a monument to the early Pioneers who often had a companion dog that would guard their possessions. It sits five miles North of Gundagai, unfortunately on the wrong side of the divided highway, so we didn’t see it this time, although we have before. The nearest thing we saw to it was a "Dog on a letterbox" outside a house in the town. Very cute!
We made our way through the centre of Gundagai to Morleys Creek Rest Area, a free camp site set up next to the creek just a five minute walk from the middle of town. There are no toilet facilities on the site but there are some
Morley's Creek Rest Area, Gundagai
Two reckless and determined ducks couldn't eat the bird seed fast enough. in Yarri Park opposite, if they are needed (we’re self sufficient so it’s OK). Unlike most rest areas, this one allowed camping for 48 hours so we were able to leave the van and go exploring the area (although we did keep popping back to check it was OK). Another 6 RVs were also taking advantage of this great site.
As we entered the ground, two large ducks came rushing up towards us and chased the ute all the way to where we had chosen to park. Barry was still slowly backing up while I was watching the spirit level when the daft ducks rushed out from under the vehicle straight for me. Dopey things could have been killed! They raced around us, quacking demandingly, so Barry got our bird seed out and we fed them. Boy, were they greedy?! We couldn’t give it to them fast enough. The bigger of the two was quacking constantly and then we heard a much deeper beefy single sound come from the smaller duck. It was so unexpected and hilarious.
We had set up right near the back of the grounds alongside the creek, looking directly at two gorgeous viaducts. The
Morley's Creek Rest Area, Gundagai
The two now derelict viaducts, the front one is the rail bridge and the back is Prince Alfred Viaduct, built 1866, which is the longest timber viaduct in Australia. Barry remembers his father driving over it as a child. front bridge was built in 1903 for rail and is now disused. Behind it is the second bridge, Prince Alfred Viaduct. It was built in 1866, is very tall and is the longest timber viaduct in Australia. They have both fallen into disrepair now and cannot be used unless major renovations are done but they still look fabulous as a backdrop, towering over the trees. Barry remembers using the road bridge as a kid, before the major highway was built, whenever he and his father drove up to Brisbane to visit relatives. You can’t even walk on it now. It doesn’t take long for things to fall apart, unfortunately.
We went for a walk along the main street and came across a sign for Gabriel’s Gallery, outside a Mitre 10 gift shop and store. Thinking it was an art gallery above the shop, we went inside. The shop keeper seemed a bit surprised that we were asking to see the gallery but told us it was upstairs. “The stairs are at the back, past the paint pots. Just turn on the light at the top of the stairs.” (I’ve never been told to do THAT in a gallery before.)
Gundagai Galleries
"Just past the paint pots and up the stairs" He wasn’t joking about the paint pots – we had to squeeze past them along a narrow aisle and climb up an old steep bare wooden staircase. The room above was full of display stands showing old photos of the history of the town and its people and events, along with some artifacts.
The photos had been taken over a period of 40 years from 1887, by a keen amateur photographer, the town’s Doctor Charles Gabriel. More than 1000 glass negatives were found in a basement in Sheridan Street, of which about 150 prints are on display in the Gallery, along with a camera like the one he used.
It was fascinating (if somewhat musty) and we learned that the original township had been built, between 1829 and 1840, on the plain near where we were camped because it was a good place for drovers to cross the Murrumbidgee River. The local Aboriginal people, the Wiradjuri, warned them that it was subject to flooding but the townspeople ignored them as no major flooding had happened in all that time. Until the night of June 24
th, 1952, that is. Then the Murrumbidgee broke its banks and the waters flattened
Prince Alfred Viaduct, Gundagai
The road is so unsafe you can't even walk on it anymore. the township, destroying 71 buildings and drowning around 90 people (a third of the population and some travellers). The death toll would have been even higher but many people were rescued by some of the Wiradjuri men, in particular Yarri and Jacky, who are still celebrated as heroes in the town. After that, the town was rebuilt on the slopes above the floodplain, where it still sits.
We made our way back down the rickety stairs (remembering to turn the lights off again), thanked the shop keeper for the interesting display and then set off towards the end of town to see the historic trestle bridges from the road level.
Sheridan Street, the main drag through Gundagai, is really wide, which is common in many country towns, but we were highly amused to see a road grader (a very large machine used to scrape dirt roads to get rid of potholes) angle parked (nose into the kerb and at 45
o ) at the petrol station getting its tyres checked! Only in the country!
Another thing that would never happen in a big city - I was standing in the empty intersection at the edge of town, trying
The Railway Viaduct, built 1903, Gundagai
This is taken from the end of Sheridan Street in town. to take a photo of the old rail line that led to the rail bridge, when a car approached the area. I started to step back out of the way but the wonderful lady driver waved at me to continue taking my picture and sat there waiting patiently until I’d finished! It must be a joy to live in such a polite, friendly community.
We needed a few supplies, so we went back to the IGA before they closed (early country hours) and arrived just as the deli was selling off the last of the chicken legs and wings, marinated in honey and garlic, for half price. We got 10 delicious smelling pieces for only $3.10, which was enough for 2 days meals. KFC eat your heart out!!
On the way back to the van we thought we’d check out the Historic Railway Station and see if it was worth a visit tomorrow, so we went along Punch Road which runs parallel to Sheridan but higher up the slope. Near the end of the street, we were suddenly confronted by a VERY steep drop down to the station (about 1 in 3”). Thank goodness we weren’t towing the
Sheridan Street, Gundagai
A large dirt road grader had angle parked to get its tyres checked. van. We know where to avoid when we are! At least the station looked nice so we will return.
We arrived back at Morley Creek just in time for “Happy Hour” with the other RV couples, including Ray and Sandy and their dog Molly. You certainly learn a lot sharing experiences.
A storm arrived so we packed up and went inside to enjoy our scrumptious chicken. Thankfully, it wasn’t bad enough to cause a flood, this time, although I was a bit worried.
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