Cootamundra New South Wales | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinates | 34°38′30″S148°01′30″E / 34.64167°S 148.02500°E | ||||||||
Population | 5,732 (UCL 2021) [1] | ||||||||
Established | 1861 | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2590 | ||||||||
Elevation | 318 m (1,043 ft) | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
LGA(s) | Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council | ||||||||
County | Harden | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Cootamundra | ||||||||
Federal division(s) | Riverina | ||||||||
|
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and Cowra. Its railway station is on the Main Southern line, part of the Melbourne-to-Sydney line.
Cootamundra is the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman AC , an Australian cricketer universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time. It is also known for being the site of Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, an institution housing Aboriginal girls who were forcibly taken from their families.
It is also the home of the Cootamundra wattle. Every year there is a large "Wattle Time" Festival held at the time the wattle starts to bloom, with an art show and festivities.
The traditional owners of the area where present day Cootamundra exists are considered to be the Wiradjuri people, with the name "Cootamundra" probably deriving from the Wiradjuri language word guudhamang for "turtle". [2]
Cootamundra was incorporated as a township on 9 August 1861, and the first settlers bought their lots in early 1862. Like many other towns in the Riverina, it was originally populated by those attracted by the gold rush of the 1860s but became a quiet yet prosperous agricultural community after the local deposits were exhausted. However, the potential sale of a recently disused mine near Adelong may have piqued the curiosity of would-be prospectors. [3]
It is one of the oldest towns in Australia.
The town's rugby league team, the Cootamundra Bulldogs, competed in the Maher Cup.[ citation needed ]
The first churches in Cootamundra were:
Rev. Smith was minister from around 1874, succeeded by J. Spalding, who was minister in 1877, and services were held on alternate Sunday afternoons.
The church, seating 100 persons, was opened on 17 December 1876. Rev. G. Thompson was minister in 1878 [11] and services were held regularly. [12] In 1880 Rev. R. East was the only minister resident in the town. [13]
Christ Church opened on 12 July 1878; the vicar W. Cocks shared with Murrumburrah. In January 1880 Rev. S. B. Holt left Gundagai to take up the position.
Eighty confirmations were performed in 1875 in conjunction with a jubilee attended by Bishop Lanigan of Goulburn and Fathers Bermingham (Burrowa), Dunne and O'Dwyer (Gundagai), and Hanley (Goulburn). [14] Mass was held fortnightly in the schoolroom by visiting priests from Gundagai. [15] St Columba's church was consecrated on 30 November 1879. [16] The first resident pastor was Rev. Richard Butler in 1881.
During World War II, Cootamundra was the location of RAAF No.3 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. It was located in an area of land near the intersection of Olympic Highway and Thompson Street. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000). [17]
It was also home to the No 1 Air Observers School, commemorated by a plaque at Cootamundra Airfield.
A plane from the No. 31 Beaufighter Squadron, RAAF, from Wagga Wagga, crashed nearby on 21 September 1942 during training exercises, resulting in the death of Flt/Sgt J. E. Jenkins and Sgt V. Sutherst. A memorial alongside the main road to Young, dedicated on 28 April 1990, [18] is regularly tended. See Gallery below.
Cootamundra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Cootamundra is located in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, within the Riverina region.
It is within the local government area of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. Abb McAlister was elected mayor of the newly-formed Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council on 21 September 2017. [23]
The town is known as the birthplace of the great cricketer Sir Donald Bradman. Although he never lived in the town and his parents left Yeo Yeo (some 18 km from Cootamundra) when he was two, the town celebrates this connection with the Sir Donald Bradman Birthplace Museum, the home where "The Don" was born, a fully restored visitors' site featuring cricketing memorabilia and artefacts. [24]
The Coota Ex-Services Club is an ex-servicemen's club that is open to the public as a restaurant. [25]
Hemet, California, is a sister city. [26]
In 1998 a collection of 14 captains of the Australia International Test XI cricket team was unveiled in Jubilee Park, adjacent the Caravan Park. Specially commissioned, they were all the work of Harden-Murrumburrah sculptor Carl Valerius.[ citation needed ]
In 2008 a further 30 busts were installed on either side of a looping path, making a full set of Australian Test cricket captains, with three more added in 2020 to bring the list up to date. These are by various artists from the Tom Bass sculpture studio. The all-weather path, which starts and ends at Wallendoon Street is family, jogger, and wheelchair friendly, and approximately 250 metres long.[ citation needed ]
A life-sized bronze statue of Bradman in action, also by Valerius, is nearby, as is a newly-installed barbecue and playground. Jubilee Park, the site of these attractions, is on land reclaimed from the original stock dam, memorialised by a plaque on the Morgan Arch on Wallendoon Street.[ citation needed ]
The large effigy of a fairytale giant gesturing towards to his crotch was created by an unknown artist around 1975 in fibreglass as a mascot for "The Giant Supermarket" on the corner of Cooper and Wallendoon streets.
When the statue was taken down it was purchased by Allan and Phuong Jenkins, who ran a florist shop nearby. In 1985 Allan participated in a Round-Australia marathon run by Rotary International and the Australian Cancer Society as a fundraiser, and his support vehicle was surmounted by "The Giant". In 2014 the Jenkins couple donated the statue to the Cootamundra Heritage Centre.[ citation needed ]
Local artist Jim Newman did its original paintwork back in 1975, and his brother Robert Newman was responsible for its restoration in 2015. [30] The statue is located alongside the Heritage Centre on Hovell Street, near the railway station.
The Giant, [31] along with Don Bradman's Bat and Stumps in Bradman Oval, [32] are considered to be two of Australia's many Big Things.
According to the 2016 Australian census, there were 6,782 people in Cootamundra. Of these: [33]
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1921 | 1,748 | — |
1933 | 4,683 | +167.9% |
1947 | 5,259 | +12.3% |
1954 | 5,760 | +9.5% |
1961 | 5,939 | +3.1% |
1966 | 6,219 | +4.7% |
1971 | 6,530 | +5.0% |
1976 | 6,384 | −2.2% |
1981 | 6,540 | +2.4% |
1986 | 6,314 | −3.5% |
1991 | 6,386 | +1.1% |
1996 | 5,879 | −7.9% |
2001 | 5,486 | −6.7% |
2006 | 5,566 | +1.5% |
2011 | 5,579 | +0.2% |
2016 | 5,669 | +1.6% |
2021 | 5,732 | +1.1% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. [34] [35] |
Cootamundra railway station is located on the Main Southern railway line, with passengers served in each direction by twice daily NSW TrainLink XPT railway services between Sydney and Melbourne, and the twice weekly Xplorer railway services to Griffith. Interstate freight trains also pass through the town.
Regional Rail Logistics previously operated a containerised freight service from Junee to Sydney stopping in the town, [36]
Preceding station | NSW TrainLink | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Junee | NSW TrainLink Southern Line Griffith Xplorer Melbourne XPT | Harden towards Sydney |
Cootamundra acts as a hub for coach services, run by Transport for NSW, to other regional centres with departures and arrivals timed to connect with certain New South Wales XPT train arrivals. The exception is Services 704/703 (coloured row), provided for those who have business in Canberra civic, the major hospitals, or to connect with the Canberra–Sydney rail service (three trains per day both directions).
Seats are allocated and must be booked ahead. [37] must be consulted for conditions of travel and coach stop locations. On-line booking and more information [38]
Destination/s | Other stops | Service # | Frequency | Return # | Frequency | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Condobolin | see timetable | 717 | Daily | 718 | Daily | |
Tumbarumba | see timetable | 723 | Tue/Thu/Sun | 724 | Tue/Thu/Sun | |
Griffith, Hay, Mildura | see timetable | 725 | Daily | 726 | Daily | ~20 min. refreshment stop at Hay |
Yass Junction, Canberra, Queanbeyan | see timetable | 782 | Daily | 781 | Daily | ~15 min. stop at Yass Junction. Wheelchair access |
Parkes, Dubbo | see timetable | 791 | Mon/Wed/Sat | 792 | Sun/Tue/Thu | Wheelchair access |
Orange, Bathurst | see timetable | 793 | Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun | 794 | Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat | |
Major stop on route: Wagga Wagga–Cootamundra–Canberra–Queanbeyan | see timetable [39] | 704 [40] | Tue/Thu/Sat (morning) | 703 [41] | Tue/Thu/Sat (evening) | currently (2019) a trial service, trial timetable, Wheelchair access |
Cootamundra Airport, is one of the oldest country airports outside of Mascot to be continually licensed.
From 1991 to 2002 local business Country Connection Airlines offered regional flights from Cootamundra to Sydney, as well as to many other regional locations such as West Wyalong, Cowra, Forbes and Young.
Cootamundra has a long and proud sporting history, with the region most notably producing Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest test cricketer ever.
Today, the most popular sport in Cootamundra is rugby league. The local team, the Cootamundra Bulldogs, compete in the George Tooke Shield competition, which is part of the broader Canberra Rugby League. The club formerly competed in the Group 9 Rugby League competition, in which they were among the most successful clubs, winning nine titles, and their junior sides remain in this league. The club famously produced Les Boyd, whom the club's home ground is named after, Eric Weissel, and Paul Field, a local player who was picked to represent New South Wales in the 1983 State of Origin series, one of only three players to ever be selected for the side from a Country Rugby League club.
Cootamundra also has an Australian rules football side, nicknamed the Blues, who play in the AFL Canberra lower divisions, and a rugby union team, the Cootamundra Tri-Colours, in the Central West Rugby Union Division 3 South. The region also has a strong local cricket competition.
Cootamundra has hot, dry summers interspersed with severe thunderstorms and the odd cold front, and cool, cloudy winters with many rain days. Occasionally, snow may fall during the winter months, with the most recent snowfall having occurred in August 2019. Under the Köppen climate classification scheme, the town has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), receiving enough precipitation to avoid the cold semi-arid (BSk) climate classification.
Climate data for Cootamundra Airport (1995–2022); 335 m AMSL; 34.63° S, 148.04° E | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 45.0 (113.0) | 43.0 (109.4) | 39.7 (103.5) | 33.5 (92.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.5 (68.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 34.9 (94.8) | 41.0 (105.8) | 42.2 (108.0) | 45.0 (113.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.2 (81.0) | 22.7 (72.9) | 17.5 (63.5) | 13.9 (57.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 18.3 (64.9) | 22.4 (72.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 29.3 (84.7) | 22.3 (72.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 2.2 (36.0) | 1.2 (34.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.3 (43.3) | 10.4 (50.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 7.8 (46.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 2.9 (37.2) | 0.9 (33.6) | −4.0 (24.8) | −6.5 (20.3) | −7.3 (18.9) | −7.8 (18.0) | −7.0 (19.4) | −6.0 (21.2) | −3.5 (25.7) | −1.4 (29.5) | 2.1 (35.8) | −7.8 (18.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49.3 (1.94) | 52.3 (2.06) | 53.9 (2.12) | 35.3 (1.39) | 38.0 (1.50) | 60.7 (2.39) | 58.5 (2.30) | 58.4 (2.30) | 52.9 (2.08) | 48.6 (1.91) | 64.6 (2.54) | 52.7 (2.07) | 614.3 (24.19) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.8 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 7.6 | 10.8 | 12.9 | 11.8 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 6.7 | 99.5 |
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 33 | 38 | 38 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 65 | 61 | 53 | 46 | 39 | 36 | 48 |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology [48] |
The Murrumbidgee River is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, descending 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) over 1,485 kilometres (923 mi), generally in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains towards its confluence with the Murray River near Boundary Bend.
Wagga Wagga is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, and is an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia. The ninth largest inland city in Australia, Wagga Wagga is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—Sydney and Melbourne—and is the major regional centre for the Riverina and South West Slopes regions.
Harden–Murrumburrah is a township and community in the Hilltops Region and is located in the South West Slopes of New South Wales in Australia. Harden is adjacent to both the Canberra region of the Australian Capital Territory and the Riverina Region in the southwest area of NSW. The town is a twin town between Harden and Murrumburrah.
Junee is a medium-sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in particular correctional services. In 2021 Junee's urban population was 4,882.
Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeysuckle, Kimo, Mooney Mooney, Murrumbidgee and Tumut mountain ranges, Gundagai is 390 kilometres (240 mi) south-west of Sydney. Until 2016, Gundagai was the administrative centre of Gundagai Shire local government area. In the 2021 census, the population of Gundagai was 2,057.
The Riverina is an agricultural region of southwestern New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop into one of the most productive and agriculturally diverse areas of Australia. Bordered on the south by the state of Victoria and on the east by the Great Dividing Range, the Riverina covers those areas of New South Wales in the Murray and Murrumbidgee drainage zones to their confluence in the west.
Griffith is a major regional city in the north-western Riverina region of New South Wales, known commonly as the food bowl of Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra, and extensions to the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Griffith was named after Arthur Hill Griffith, the then New South Wales Secretary for Public Works. Griffith was proclaimed a city in 1987, and at the 2021 census had a population of 20,569.
Group 9 is a rugby league competition based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, and surrounding areas. The competition is played in six grades, with these being Under 16s, Under 18s, Women's Tackle, Women's League-Tag, Reserve-Grade and First-Grade.
Tumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River.
Temora is a town in the north-east of the Riverina area of New South Wales, 418 kilometres (260 mi) south-west of the state capital, Sydney. At the 2021 census the population of Temora was 4,016.
Coolac is a village in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in Gundagai Council. At the 2021 census, Coolac had a population of 244.
Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Wagga Wagga and 506 kilometres (314 mi) south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 2,275 at the 2021 census and is 290 metres (950 ft) above sea level. It is the administrative and service centre for the local government area which bears its name—Coolamon Shire.
Stockinbingal is a town in the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council local government area and on the Burley Griffin Way. At the 2016 census, Stockinbingal had a population of 374.
Cootamundra Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was located adjacent to the Olympic Highway, the Burley Griffin Way and the Main South railway line. The Shire included the town of Cootamundra and the small towns of Stockinbingal, Brawlin and Wallendbeen and the locality of Frampton. The Shire was created on 1 April 1975 by the amalgamation of Jindalee Shire and the Municipality of Cootamundra.
Jugiong is a locality and town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near its confluence with Jugiong Creek. in the Hilltops Council Local Government area, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated just off the Hume Highway, by road, about 30 kilometres southwest from Bookham and 40 kilometres northeast from Gundagai.
Eric Weissel (;) (1903–1972) was an Australian rugby league footballer, a state and national representative goal-kicking five-eighth. He played his club career in country New South Wales and is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.
The Cootamundra Herald is a former printed bi-weekly newspaper now existing only on-line and containing little or no news of direct relevance to the community of Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia. The Herald website carries syndicated non-local copy with occasional government media releases referring to local issues. Following the purchase of the masthead in 2019 by Australian Community Media, the Herald office which had existed for 144 years in the main street was closed and local staff were forced to work part-time from home. The staff resigned or were eventually sacked, and there are now no local Herald employees generating content related to the town.
The Cootamundra Jazz Band, based in the New South Wales town of Cootamundra, was one of Australia's foremost traditional jazz bands of the 1950s, and the fore-runner of the Riverina Jazz Band based in nearby Wagga Wagga.
The Salt Clay Creek railway disaster was one of Australia's first railway accidents involving multiple fatalities. It occurred on the evening of 25 January 1885, when a mail train from Albury to Sydney failed to negotiate a flooded creek, around 5 km from Cootamundra. Seven people were killed and dozens seriously injured.
Cootamundra is a place in New South Wales, Australia. It may also refer to: