We join the Castlereagh Highway and roll into Gulgong on a warmish winter afternoon…
An old gold mining town, it is known as the town on the first ten dollar note. There are three loose sheep on the road and a horse up to his belly in grass in the paddock, a windmill spins in the breeze. This is a town that is trading on the fact that it was long forgotten, for a time. There were once 20,000 people here, they probably get that number of visitors per week now. Writer Henry Lawson lived here as a child when his Norwegian father was mining for gold. Gulgong inspired his legendary story of The Loaded Dog. I doubt little has changed. The gutters are built from large sandstone blocks. The shops are old with veranda posts providing support. Even the opera house and a horse trough still remain. What a nice spot to explore.



I love it that they have an opera house, in a town that must have been quite gritty at the time.
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From what I’ve seen there were a few music halls and theatres in the old gold towns. My husbands foster ancestors were a German family band who travelled throughout Victoria performing. They performed at The Great Exhibition of 1880.
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What a way to line the gutters! Thanks for another interesting post.
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