Cootamundra
| Cootamundra New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The CBC bank building and post office on Wallendoon St | |||||||||
| Population | 5,579 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1861 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2590 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 318 m (1,043 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Cootamundra Shire | ||||||||
| County | Harden | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cootamundra | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Hume | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Cootamundra is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is the seat of the Cootamundra Shire. At the 2011 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,579.[1] It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and Cowra. Although it is bypassed by the Hume Highway, 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. The town features the Sir Donald Bradman Birthplace Museum, a fully restored visitors' site, the home where "The Don" was born, featuring cricketing memorabilia and artifacts.[2]
Cootamundra is 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.
History
The earliest people to live in the area where present day Cootamundra exists are considered to be the tribe of Wiradjuri, with the name probably deriving from their word guudhamang for "turtle".[3]
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. [citation needed]
The town's rugby league team competed in the Maher Cup.
Timeline
- 1847 - Cootamundra Run, a large stock run, is the first colonist settlement in the area.
- 1861 - The site of Cootamundry is published in the NSW Government Gazette
- 1862 - Gold mining commences at the nearby Muttama Reef mine.
- 1864 - The first church (Anglican) and post office are established.
- 1875 - The first school in the district opens
- 1877 - Cootamundra's railway connection opens on 1 November.
- 1884 - Cootamundra is first gazetted as a municipality
- 1896 - Cootamundra Cycling Club. It is probably the oldest continual club in NSW, although as was the case with most clubs it went into recess during the war years.
- 1908 - Donald Bradman (later Sir Donald Bradman) is born in Cootamundra.
- 1911 to 1968 - Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls forcibly taken from their families
- 1942 - On 3 December, the corvette HMAS Cootamundra, named for the town, is launched.
- 1952 - Name of Cootamundry officially changed to Cootamundra[4]
- 1955 - The first Cootamundra Annual Classic cycling handicap race, one of the oldest open races in NSW.
- 1956 - Cootamundra's rugby league football club's Bill Marsh is first selected to play for the Australian national team.
- 1960 - Cootamundra's Australian Football club is established. [5]
- 1982 - In November 1982, the aviation company Masling Industries was formed. This was restructured in June 1993 after the unfortunate death of the owner.
- 1986 - Popular Australian singer/songwriter/bush poet John R. Williamson released his song 'Cootamundra Wattle'.
- 2015 - Australian youth radio station Triple jjj featured the 'Cootamundra bonus weather rap'
- 2000 - The first annual beach volleyball competition begins. Truckloads of sand are trucked into the main street for Coota Beach (play on words for Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia).
- Australian rugby league Kangaroos player Les Boyd grew up representing the Group 9 Cootamundra Bulldogs local team.
In popular culture
- Leonard Hubbard recorded the song "Cootamundra" in 1924.[6]
- Ethelbert Ambrook Southee (1890-1968), college principal [7]
- Hubert Leslie Primrose (1880-1942), solicitor and politician[8]
Transport
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 weekly Xplorer railway services to Griffith. Cootamundra is hub for NSW Trainlink cross country coach services to Orange. Regional Rail Logistics operates a containerised freight service from Junee to Sydney stopping in the town,[9] with interstate freight trains also passing through.
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Cootamundra (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
- ^ "Cootamundra". VisitNSW.com. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ McNicol, Sally; Hosking, Dianne (1994). "Wiradjuri". Macquarie Aboriginal Words. Sydney: Macquarie Library. p. 97.
- ^ SMH 2 Feb 2004
- ^ http://www.foxsportspulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=1-1051-23208-0-0&sID=248249
- ^ National Film and Sound Archive: Does your town have its own song?
- ^ "Southee, Ethelbert Ambrook (1890–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "Primrose, Hubert Leslie". Australian dictionary of biography. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ "New rail service a boost for Riverina". The Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga). www.dailyadvertiser.com.au. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
External links
Media related to Cootamundra at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceding station |  NSW TrainLink
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Following station | ||
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| Template:CountryLink lines Griffith Xplorer Melbourne XPT |
