| Cootamundra New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The CBC bank building and post office on Wallendoon St | |||||||||
  Cootamundra | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°38′30″S148°01′30″E / 34.64167°S 148.02500°E /-34.64167; 148.02500 | ||||||||
| Population | 5,732 (UCL2021)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1861 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2590 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 318 m (1,043 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council | ||||||||
| County | Harden | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cootamundra | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Riverina | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Cootamundra, nicknamedCoota, is a town in theSouth West Slopes region ofNew South Wales, Australia and within theRiverina. It is within theCootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. It is located on theOlympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, betweenJunee andCowra. Its railway station is on theMain Southern line, part of the Melbourne-to-Sydney line.
Cootamundra is the birthplace ofSir Donald BradmanAC, an Australiancricketer universally regarded as the greatestbatsman of all time. It is also known for being the site ofCootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, an institution housingAboriginal girls who were forcibly taken from their families.
It is also the home of theCootamundra 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.
Thetraditional owners of the area where present day Cootamundra exists are considered to be theWiradjuri people, with the name "Cootamundra" probably deriving from theWiradjuri language wordguudhamang for "turtle".[2]
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 thegold rush of the 1860s but became a quiet yet prosperous agricultural community after the local deposits were exhausted. However, the potential sale of a recently disused mine near Adelong may have piqued the curiosity of would-be prospectors.[3]
It is one of theoldest towns in Australia.
The town'srugby league team, theCootamundra Bulldogs, competed in theMaher Cup.[citation needed]
The first churches in Cootamundra were:
Rev. Smith was minister from around 1874, succeeded by J. Spalding, who was minister in 1877, and services were held on alternate Sunday afternoons.
The church, seating 100 persons, was opened on 17 December 1876. Rev. G. Thompson was minister in 1878[11] and services were held regularly.[12] In 1880 Rev. R. East was the only minister resident in the town.[13]
Christ Church opened on 12 July 1878; the vicar W. Cocks shared with Murrumburrah. In January 1880 Rev. S. B. Holt left Gundagai to take up the position.
Eighty confirmations were performed in 1875 in conjunction with a jubilee attended by Bishop Lanigan of Goulburn and Fathers Bermingham (Burrowa), Dunne and O'Dwyer (Gundagai), and Hanley (Goulburn).[14] Mass was held fortnightly in the schoolroom by visiting priests from Gundagai.[15]St Columba's church was consecrated on 30 November 1879.[16]The first resident pastor was Rev. Richard Butler in 1881.
DuringWorld War II, Cootamundra was the location ofRAAF No.3 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 June 1944. It was located in an area of land near the intersection of Olympic Highway and Thompson Street. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for the storage and supply of aircraft fuel for theRAAF and theUS Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($1,800,000).[17]
It was also home to the No 1 Air Observers School, commemorated by a plaque at Cootamundra Airfield.
A plane from the No. 31 Beaufighter Squadron, RAAF, from Wagga Wagga, crashed nearby on 21 September 1942 during training exercises, resulting in the death of Flt/Sgt J. E. Jenkins and Sgt V. Sutherst. A memorial alongside the main road toYoung, dedicated on 28 April 1990,[18] is regularly tended. See Gallery below.
Cootamundra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Cootamundra is located in theSouth West Slopes region ofNew South Wales, within theRiverina region.
It is within thelocal government area ofCootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. Abb McAlister was elected mayor of the newly-formed Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council on 21 September 2017.[23]
The town is known as the birthplace of the great cricketerSir Donald Bradman. Although he never lived in the town and his parents leftYeo Yeo (some 18 km from Cootamundra) when he was two, the town celebrates this connection with the Sir Donald Bradman Birthplace Museum, the home where "The Don" was born, a fully restored visitors' site featuring cricketing memorabilia and artefacts.[24]
The Coota Ex-Services Club is an ex-servicemen's club that is open to the public as a restaurant.[25]
Hemet, California, is asister city.[26]
In 1998 a collection of 14 captains of the Australia International Test XI cricket team was unveiled in Jubilee Park, adjacent the Caravan Park. Specially commissioned, they were all the work ofHarden-Murrumburrah sculptor Carl Valerius.[citation needed]
In 2008 a further 30 busts were installed on either side of a looping path, making a full set of Australian Test cricket captains, with three more added in 2020 to bring the list up to date. These are by various artists from theTom Bass sculpture studio. The all-weather path, which starts and ends at Wallendoon Street is family, jogger, and wheelchair friendly, and approximately 250 metres long.[citation needed]
A life-sized bronze statue of Bradman in action, also by Valerius, is nearby, as is a newly-installed barbecue and playground. Jubilee Park, the site of these attractions, is on land reclaimed from the original stock dam, memorialised by a plaque on the Morgan Arch on Wallendoon Street.[citation needed]
The large effigy of afairytale giant gesturing towards to his crotch was created by an unknown artist around 1975 infibreglass as a mascot for "The Giant Supermarket" on the corner of Cooper and Wallendoon streets.
When the statue was taken down it was purchased by Allan and Phuong Jenkins, who ran a florist shop nearby. In 1985 Allan participated in a Round-Australia marathon run byRotary International and the Australian Cancer Society as a fundraiser, and his support vehicle was surmounted by "The Giant". In 2014 the Jenkins couple donated the statue to the Cootamundra Heritage Centre.[citation needed]
Local artist Jim Newman did its original paintwork back in 1975, and his brother Robert Newman was responsible for its restoration in 2015.[30] The statue is located alongside the Heritage Centre on Hovell Street, near the railway station.
The Giant,[31] along with Don Bradman's Bat and Stumps in Bradman Oval,[32] are considered to be two of Australia's manyBig Things.
According to the2016 Australian census, there were 6,782 people in Cootamundra. Of these:[33]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 1,748 | — |
| 1933 | 4,683 | +167.9% |
| 1947 | 5,259 | +12.3% |
| 1954 | 5,760 | +9.5% |
| 1961 | 5,939 | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 6,219 | +4.7% |
| 1971 | 6,530 | +5.0% |
| 1976 | 6,384 | −2.2% |
| 1981 | 6,540 | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 6,314 | −3.5% |
| 1991 | 6,386 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 5,879 | −7.9% |
| 2001 | 5,486 | −6.7% |
| 2006 | 5,566 | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 5,579 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 5,669 | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 5,732 | +1.1% |
| Source:Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[34][35] | ||
Cootamundra railway station is located on theMain Southern railway line, with passengers served in each direction by twice dailyNSW TrainLinkXPT railway services between Sydney and Melbourne, and the twice weeklyXplorer railway services to Griffith. Interstate freight trains also pass through the town.
Regional Rail Logistics previously operated acontainerised freight service from Junee to Sydney stopping in the town.[36]
| Preceding station |  NSW TrainLink | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junee | NSW TrainLink Southern Line Griffith Xplorer Melbourne XPT | Harden towardsSydney | ||
Cootamundra acts as a hub for coach services, run byTransport for NSW, to other regional centres with departures and arrivals timed to connect with certainNew South Wales XPT train arrivals. The exception is Services 704/703 (coloured row), provided for those who have business in Canberra civic, the major hospitals, or to connect with the Canberra–Sydney rail service (three trains per day both directions).
Seats are allocated and must be booked ahead.[37] must be consulted for conditions of travel and coach stop locations. On-line booking and more information[38]
| Destination/s | Other stops | Service # | Frequency | Return # | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Condobolin | see timetable | 717 | Daily | 718 | Daily | |
| Tumbarumba | see timetable | 723 | Tue/Thu/Sun | 724 | Tue/Thu/Sun | |
| Griffith, Hay, Mildura | see timetable | 725 | Daily | 726 | Daily | ~20 min. refreshment stop at Hay |
| Yass Junction, Canberra, Queanbeyan | see timetable | 782 | Daily | 781 | Daily | ~15 min. stop at Yass Junction. Wheelchair access |
| Parkes, Dubbo | see timetable | 791 | Mon/Wed/Sat | 792 | Sun/Tue/Thu | Wheelchair access |
| Orange, Bathurst | see timetable | 793 | Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun | 794 | Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat | |
| Major stop on route: Wagga Wagga–Cootamundra–Canberra–Queanbeyan | see timetable[39] | 704[40] | Tue/Thu/Sat (morning) | 703[41] | Tue/Thu/Sat (evening) | currently (2019) a trial service, trial timetable, Wheelchair access |
Cootamundra Airport, is one of the oldest country airports outside of Mascot to be continually licensed.
From 1991 to 2002 local business Country Connection Airlines offered regional flights from Cootamundra to Sydney, as well as to many other regional locations such as West Wyalong, Cowra, Forbes and Young.
Cootamundra has a long and proud sporting history, with the region most notably producingSir Donald Bradman, the greatesttest cricketer ever.
Today, the most popular sport in Cootamundra isrugby league. The local team, the Cootamundra Bulldogs, compete in theGeorge Tooke Shield competition, which is part of the broaderCanberra Rugby League. The club formerly competed in theGroup 9 Rugby League competition, in which they were among the most successful clubs, winning nine titles, and their junior sides remain in this league. The club famously producedLes Boyd, whom the club's home ground is named after,Eric Weissel, andPaul Field, a local player who was picked to representNew South Wales in the1983 State of Origin series, one of only three players to ever be selected for the side from aCountry Rugby League club.
Cootamundra also has anAustralian rules football side, nicknamed the Blues, who play in theAFL Canberra lower divisions, and arugby union team, the Cootamundra Tri-Colours, in theCentral West Rugby Union Division 3 South. The region also has a strong local cricket competition.
Cootamundra has hot, dry summers interspersed with severe thunderstorms and the oddcold front, and cool, mostly cloudy winters with many rain days. Snow can occur during the winter months, with the most recent snowfall having occurred in August 2019. Under theKöppen climate classification scheme, the town has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa), receiving enough precipitation to avoid thecold semi-arid (BSk) climate classification.
| Climate data forCootamundra Airport (1995–2022); 335 m AMSL; 34.63° S, 148.04° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.0 (113.0) | 43.0 (109.4) | 39.7 (103.5) | 33.5 (92.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.5 (68.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 34.9 (94.8) | 41.0 (105.8) | 42.2 (108.0) | 45.0 (113.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.2 (81.0) | 22.7 (72.9) | 17.5 (63.5) | 13.9 (57.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.6 (58.3) | 18.3 (64.9) | 22.4 (72.3) | 26.1 (79.0) | 29.3 (84.7) | 22.3 (72.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 2.2 (36.0) | 1.2 (34.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.3 (43.3) | 10.4 (50.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 2.9 (37.2) | 0.9 (33.6) | −4.0 (24.8) | −6.5 (20.3) | −7.3 (18.9) | −7.8 (18.0) | −7.0 (19.4) | −6.0 (21.2) | −3.5 (25.7) | −1.4 (29.5) | 2.1 (35.8) | −7.8 (18.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 49.3 (1.94) | 52.3 (2.06) | 53.9 (2.12) | 35.3 (1.39) | 38.0 (1.50) | 60.7 (2.39) | 58.5 (2.30) | 58.4 (2.30) | 52.9 (2.08) | 48.6 (1.91) | 64.6 (2.54) | 52.7 (2.07) | 614.3 (24.19) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 6.8 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 7.6 | 10.8 | 12.9 | 11.8 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 6.7 | 99.5 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 33 | 38 | 38 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 65 | 61 | 53 | 46 | 39 | 36 | 48 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[48] | |||||||||||||
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence.
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