Gilgandra, New South Wales
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| Gilgandra New South Wales |
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 "Cooee marchers" of 1915 |
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| Population: | 2,718 (2001 census) | ||||||
| Established: | 1888 | ||||||
| Postcode: | 2827 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 282 m (925 ft) | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
| LGA: | Shire of Gilgandra | ||||||
| State District: | Barwon | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Gwydir | ||||||
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Gilgandra, a town and Local Government Area (see Gilgandra Shire Council) in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the junction of the Newell Highway, Oxley Highway and Castlereagh Highway and can be reached in about six hours by car from Sydney. It lies on the Castlereagh River. Like Coonabarabran, Gilgandra can be considered to be a gateway to the Warrumbungles National Park.
The town was proclaimed in 1888 and the first town blocks were sold in 1889. The area had been previously settled and Gilgandra’s first Post Office was established in 1867 and in 1881 a local school opened, and the first court hearing in the Gilgandra court house was in 1884. The shire was constituted in 1906.
During World War I, a recruitment march to Sydney began in Gilgandra. The march was known as the 'Cooee March', after the distinct call of "cooee" they shouted at each town along their journey to attract recruits. Twenty-six men left Gilgandra on 10 October 1915. They were feted at each town on the route and recruitment meetings were held. By the time they reached Sydney just over one month later on 12 November, the numbers had swelled to 263 recruits.[1][2]
The geography of Gilgandra is very flat. The soil is composed mostly of sand, making it very porous and difficult to grow certain plants. The weather is hot and dry, reaching 40°C for consecutive days during summer.
Gilgandra has 3 schools; Gilgandra High School, St. Joseph's School and Gilgandra Public School.
[edit] References
- Gilgandra. Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
[edit] External links
- Gilgandra " District History. Gilgandra Shire Council (www.gilgandra.nsw.gov.au) (2004). Retrieved on 2006-02-27.
