Gunnedah NSW
Gunnedah in NSW is a vibrant country town that combines its picturesque position on the banks of the Namoi River with a hefty dose of museums, memorials and culture. Explore the area, visit its historical monuments and discover why this particular spot in northeast NSW had such a profound impact on local poets.
Gunnedah is an important service centre in an agriculturally rich area. It is known for its beef cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, wheat, lucerne, barley, cotton, canola, sunflowers, oats, corn and sorghum.
The associated industry includes:
The second-largest beef-cattle sales yards in the state,
One of the state’s largest coal seams yielding 10 million tonnes per annum,
An abattoir,
A brickworks,
Livestock feed companies,
A flour mill and saw mill.
The district is also recognised as home to the largest koala colony in inland New South Wales.
The town’s most famous resident was the poet Dorothea MacKellar (1885-1968). She lived on a local property from 1905 until the late 1930s. Her poem ‘My Country’, is thought to have been inspired by the local countryside.
‘I Love a Sunburnt Country’ – History and Poetry
Dorothea Mackellar – ‘My Country’
This beautiful region inspired Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar’s evocative poem My Country, now an iconic expression of love of Australia. Dorothea (1885-1968) lived on a local property from 1905 until the late 1930s. Her family owned property in the district and you can see the surrounding sunburnt country, sweeping plains and wide brown land she immortalised in verse.
Everyone can recite “I love a sunburnt country / A land of sweeping plains”. Few probably realise that it is the second verse of a poem which eulogises the Australian landscape after articulating an image of the English countryside. Not surprisingly the poem was written in England and is a simple expression of homesickness for the Australian landscape.
The Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue is in Anzac Park.
The Breaker Morant Drive tells the story of another famous poet, horseman and soldier who worked in Gunnedah in the 1890s. The town’s museums, including the Gunnedah Rural Museum and the Gunnedah Water Tower Museum, will uncover more local heritage. The cultural precinct includes an arts gallery and monthly exhibitions.
The Indigenous History in Gunnedah NSW
Learn of the district’s deep indigenous heritage and visit the Red Chief Memorial (above). This memorial honours the great Aboriginal warrior Cumbo Gunnerah.
Cumbo Gunnerah, ‘The Red Kangaroo’ as he was called by his people, was a great warrior and revered leader of the Gunn-e-dar people of the Kamilaroi tribe. He was buried in the late 1700’s in a manner befitting an Aboriginal man of great importance – in a sitting position, backed by a tree carved with totemic designs in his honour. The story of his unsurpassed bravery, achievements and adventures were handed down generations and his place of rest treated with much respect.
The remains were dug up by white settlers some two centuries later and sent to the Australian Museum, where they were kept for quite some time. They were eventually returned to the Red Chief Local Aboriginal Land Council in Gunnedah and he is now at rest within the Cumbo Gunn-e-rah Museum in the George Griffith Memorial Building in Gunnedah.
Pop into Gunnedah Visitor Information Centre for tips on where to spot wild koalas. The local council encouraged the colony by planting tree corridors in the area.
A 30 min drive away is Lake Keepit, a fantastic spot for fishing, boating and gliding. Cool off at the family-friendly Lake Keepit Water Park, complete with water slides. Those looking for more of a thrill can hop into a sailplane. The Lake Keepit Soaring Club will take you for an aerial adventure with fantastic views.
Gunnedah is part of the fertile Liverpool Plains, one of Australia’s richest agricultural areas. It then makes sense that the town hosts an incredible array of country events. These include AgQuip, one of Australia’s biggest agricultural trade shows, and the family-friendly Gunnedah Show. Looking for a new pet? The Gunnedah Bird Sale and Expo is the nation’s largest.
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Gunnedah NSW, AUSTRALIA
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