Wallabadah - Places to See

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Wallabadah - Places to See

Historic Buildings

Along the Quirindi Rd, to the left, is the Anglican Church of the Ascension (1896 with 1912 additions). On the highway is the Marshall MacMahon Hotel which dates from about 1867. The original stone section has been incorporated into the present building. The Catholic Church (1910) is also quite attractive.

First Fleet Memorial Gardens
Come and explore the beginnings of our Australian nation by the peaceful banks of Quirindi Creek. The award winning First Fleet Memorial Garden is a tribute to the European settlers who began what is now modern Australia. The Garden features extracts from the logs of actual participants describing the early history of the colony and the treacherous voyage to Australia. Hand carved tablets, by master stonemason Ray Collins, list the names of passengers, the crew, convicts, and civilians who travelled on the eleven ships of the first fleet. Read of the tales from those who were on the voyage and explore the list of livestock and provisions that were brought. Picnic under the graceful stand of Australian native Shea Oaks adorning the banks of the Quirindi Creek. Picnic facilities including barbeques, children's play area and amenities are all easily accessible. The Gardens are open Monday to Sunday from sunrise to sunset. School and bus groups are welcome. Telephone (02) 6746 1096 for more information.

White Box Plantation
One of the largest undisturbed areas of White Box forest left in Australia is located at the Wallabadah cemetery. It is worth the visit to get a feel for the country prior to European settlement and as with all cemeteries every headstone echoes local history. Located on Elizabeth Street, for further details ring the Tourist Information centre (02) 6746 1096

Goonoo Goonoo
Halfway between Wallabadah and Tamworth is Goonoo Goonoo (pronounced 'Gunny Ga-noo' and said to mean 'plenty of water'). It is one of NSW's most historic sheep stations. The property was granted to the Australian Agricultural Company in 1832. They received 600 000 acres here and at Warrah, west of Willow Tree, in exchange for a portion of their one-million acre Port Stephens grant. The land was selected and surveyed for the company by explorer Henry Dangar and stock began to arrive in 1834. Goonoo Goonoo became the company headquarters in 1841. What remained of the old property was sold by the company into private hands in 1985.

A number of old buildings, which once formed a semi-autonomous village, remain. The chapel is to the rear of the homestead (1840). There is a gabled rubblestone store cum post office with brick arches (1853), a large brick woolshed (divided into three gabled sections) on a hill, and a memorial fountain in remembrance of G.B. King, the son of Elizabeth Macarthur and Philip Gidley King. The property is halfway to Tamworth, just east of the highway along a side road. It is a working property and not really a tourist site but there are open days. Ring 02-6769 8278 for further information.


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