The first thing you notice as you arrive in Gulgong is the narrowness of the streets. They wind between quaint clapboard and iron buildings complete with
verandahs and iron lace. Stop for a moment and you can almost imagine the hustle
and bustle of the old gold mining town as it was in the late 1800’s.
Gulgong was indeed a very different place in those days. Thanks to two young photographers, Charles Bayliss and Beaufoy Merlin, Gulgong is probably the best documented country town in New South Wales. Their collection of photographs, known as the "Holterman Collection", may be viewed at Gulgong’s famous Pioneers Museum.
Further history is preserved at the Henry Lawson Centre which is a study centre
and living memorial to this great Australian story teller who spent much of
his early life in the area and utilised his local experiences in his later writings.
Once a bustling gold mining area the region now produces gold of another kind in the form of the golden merino fleece and the golden grain from the wheat fields. The ground is still rich with minerals, producing coal, clay and magnetite. In recent times the area has become a prominent wine growing plus horse and cattle breeding area.
But more important to the town is the bustling tourist industry which has developed over the years as more and more people take time to discover their roots and explore a unique part of Australia’s heritage.
- Visit Gulgong’s Pioneers Museum housing one of the finest collections
of Australiana in the country.
- Visit the Henry Lawson Centre, a study centre and living memorial to
one of Australia’s greatest story tellers.
- Inspect the historic Prince of Wales Opera House. Coach groups can be
entertained by some of the town’s local theatrical group in an after dinner
show.
- Visit the various craft and bric-a-brac stores scattered throughout
the town.
- Follow the town trail, a walking tour of the town which gives an enlightening
history into the background of the town and its buildings.
- Visit "Hands on the Rock", a rock formation which depicts
aboriginal paintings, or the "Drip", a beautiful waterfall hidden
from normal passing traffic but surrounded by native flora and fauna.
- View the local region from Flirtation Hill, the town’s scenic
lookout high above the town.
- Visit Ulan where one of the state’s largest underground and open-cut
coal mines is situated.
- Special social evenings can be arranged at one of the town’s clubs
or hotels for groups stopping over.
- Arrange group sporting tournaments with our local teams, including bowls,
golf, football, etc.
- Coach groups can be taken on a guided tour of the town with one of our
guides giving an extremely informative narrative.
- Supervised group visits are available to local farming properties to inspect the property in a normal working day situation.
Gulgong is the ideal spot to set up base then tour the surrounding areas including Mudgee with its wineries, honey & mustard tastings and craft shops, the old goldmining town of Hill End, picturesque Sofala, the Ulan Coal Mine, the Caves and Phosphate Mine at Wellington, the Zoo and Gaol at Dubbo, the Angora Tourist Farm at Yeoval, the Sidings Springs Observatory at Coonabarabran plus the Warrumbungle National Park.
Need more information on the Gulgong region? Why not visit the Gulgong Chamber
of Commerce website on www.gulgong.net or the Mudgee Gulgong Tourism Inc. website
on www.mudgee-gulgong.org
