The Big Merino

Goulburn (including Towrang, Bungonia and Oallen Ford)
Principal rural settlement of the Southern Tablelands
Goulburn, one of the nation's earliest inland settlements, is located on the Southern Tablelands at the confluence of the Mulwaree and Wollondilly Rivers. It is 194 km south-west of Sydney via the Hume Freeway and 640 m above sea-level with a current population of 17 000 people.

Goulburn is the commercial locus of an important agricultural and pastoral region. The 'Big Merino', on one of the main arteries, attests to the long-standing importance of wool-growing in the area. Goulburn is also a major manufacturing base and an important rail centre. Other income is derived from engineering, warehousing and distribution, government agencies, retailing, meat processing and tourism. Goulburn is also home to the NSW Police Academy which occupies 48 hectares within the city.

Prior to European settlement the area was inhabited by the Gundungura Aborigines. In 1798 John Wilson and his party became the first Europeans to see the Goulburn Plains. In 1818 the exploratory party of Hamilton Hume and James Meehan traversed the Plains and named them after Henry Goulburn, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies.

The following year Governor Macquarie ordered the construction of the Great South Road (the basis of the Hume Highway) from Picton to the Goulburn Plains. He travelled to the Plains in 1820 and found 'a noble, extensive, rich meadow near a fine large pond of fresh water, the cattle being up to their bellies in as fine, long sweet grass as I have seen anywhere'. He also noted the good water supply, timbered hills and general suitability of the area for grazing and crops. Two days later John Oxley became the first European to walk upon the future townsite.

Settlers soon followed in Macquarie's wake. The first on the townsite was Andrew Allan who arrived in 1825. The Plains were used for stock-raising and wheat-growing although wheat production slowly faded out from the 1860s. Goulburn's reputation as a producer and exporter of fine merino wool was established in the early 1830s although transportation to Sydney was agonisingly slow until the 1850s. The fruits of the pastoralists' success are evident in the distinguished colonial mansions which dot the local landscape.

A town plan was drawn up in 1828 with a view to settling discharged soldiers. A few allotments were taken up but Governor Bourke thought it too flood-prone and, in 1832, ordered a re-survey on higher ground. The new site was gazetted in 1833 while the original site is now part of Goulburn North. An inn and store were operational by 1832.

The Great South Rd was re-routed by Thomas Mitchell in the 1830s and Goulburn was placed in its trajectory for the first time, rendering the new town a major stopover and regional centre.

The establishment of a lock-up in 1830 and a gallows/flogging post in 1832 reflects the fact that Goulburn was also a garrison town in the early days. This is related, firstly, to the fact that Goulburn was a centre for police parties hunting highwaymen who frequented the area until the arrival of the railway. Bushranger John Williams, alias 'Duce', a member of 'Blue Cap's' gang, was born at Goulburn in 1846 and it was in Goulburn court that Frank Gardiner was convicted of horse stealing and sentenced to seven years gaol at Cockatoo Island. Ben Hall's bushranging gang, including John Gilbert and John Dunn, harried the area in the mid-1860s. They raided homesteads and vehicles on the Great South Rd, including the Sydney Mail Coach. A sign adjacent the Goulburn-Braidwood Rd, 17 km south of town, details a confrontation between the gang and the four Faithfull brothers (all in their teens) who successfully repelled the attack from their wagon during a running gun battle.

View of Goulburn from War Memorial Lookout

Secondly, a major stockade for chain-bound convicts and others involved in the construction of the Great South Road was located at Towrang, 15 km north-east, from around 1836 to 1842. The stockade became the principal penal establishment in the southern district and was noted for its harsh discipline. There were usually at least 250 convicts hutted there. They slept on bare boards with a blanket apiece, 10 men to a box or cell. One of the two official floggers was later found murdered.

The first school and church opened in 1839 and the Goulburn Herald, one of Australia's first country newspapers, was established in 1848. It was later incorporated into the Goulburn Post which is still published.

The settlement began to expand after 1850 due to a number of causes: the pastoral industry had expanded, gold was discovered at Braidwood in the early 1850s (although a local labour shortage was the immediate result), selectors began to arrive from the 1860s and the railway was opened in 1869, facilitating access to the Sydney markets. The town remained the southern railhead until 1875.

As a result of these developments, Goulburn was gazetted as a municipality in 1859 and it became the first inland Australian city in 1863. The railway was especially crucial as a catalyst for the town's boom period in the 1870s and 1880s when industries such as coach-building, iron foundries and saddlery-making began to develop. In 1884 a new gaol at North Goulburn was completed. It is still functioning as a rather notorious maximum-security prison. A dairy factory was set up in 1901 and woollen mills in 1922. Goulburn has also been a major wool sales centre since 1930.

The grave of energetic exploratory pastoralist Patsy Durack is in the pioneer cemetery. He died in Fremantle on 20 January 1898 and was buried there. Later he was reinterred in Goulburn. Famous explorer William Hovell is buried in St Saviour's Cemetery in Cemetery St.

In the literary sphere, distinguished poet Christopher Brennan taught at St Patrick's College at Goulburn in 1891 and noted Australian author Miles Franklin (born 1880) lived on a property at nearby Thornford from 1889 to 1903. She began writing in 1895 and published her first prose piece in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post in 1896. Her best known work, My Brilliant Career, was written in 1898-99 at Thornford, which features in that work, in Pioneers on Parade (1939) and My Career Goes Bung (1946).

The Lilac City Festival is held annually on the October long weekend. It includes the Lilac City Country Music Jamboree. The Australian Blues Music Festival is held in February, as is the Goulburn Rodeo. March witnesses the Goulburn Show and the Goulburn City Rose Festival.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
The Goulburn Visitors Information Centre is located at 201 Sloane St, tel: (02) 4823 4492. Brochures are available outlining the Heritage Walking Tour (guided tours are available for groups). There is also material relating to the Wollondilly Walking Trail (which follows the river for 20 km), the Grafton Street Walk, the Governor Macquarie Walking Trails (focusing on Mulwaree Ponds) and the Goulburn District Driving Tours. The latter outlines drives around town, to Wombeyan Caves and to Canberra. Enquiries can also be made here about the Open Garden Scheme.

The Visitors' Centre is located in the old technical school building (1886-87) which is behind the former mechanics' institute (1881).

Post Office and Town Hall
Around the corner in Auburn St is the imposing Italianate post office with its large clock tower and colonnades. It was designed by James Barnet and built of stuccoed-brick in 1880-81. The adjacent town hall building (now the McDermott Centre) is a Classical Revival red-brick structure with a small curved iron-lace balcony and Dutch gable, built in 1887-88 and used by the council until 1990.

St Peter and St Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral

St Peter and St Paul's Catholic Cathedral
Turn right into Verner St. At the top of the hill is St Peter and St Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral (1871-89), a Gothic Revival structure built of bluestone with sandstone tracery, slender moulded columns, a marble sanctuary and an 1890 organ. It was erected around the original church (1843) which was then demolished and taken out through the doors.

Tech College and Baptist Church
Diagonally opposite is the former Technical College (1901), once the high school and now the TAFE School of Music. Slightly further along, at Bourke and Church, is the Baptist Church, built as a Presbyterian Church in 1887.

St Saviour's Anglican Cathedral
The Baptist Church suffers just a tad from standing opposite St Saviour's Anglican Cathedral (1874-84), an outstanding and elegant Gothic construction in white sandstone. It was designed by noted colonial architect Edmund Blacket who considered it one of his best works.

Highlights include the rich interior with its stained-glass windows, chapels, wood and stone carvings, intricate window traceries, font, hammer-beam roof, luxurious and ornate sanctuary, the remarkable bishop's throne, the pulpit with its alabaster columns, the bas-relief copy of Leonardo's Last Supper above the altar, and the magnificent organ which features 2252 pipes. The life of Jesus is told in stone and glass around the cathedral. The tower and bells were added in 1988. The hall, also designed by Blacket, served as a temporary church in 1874. Guided tours are available from 1.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. on Sundays and from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. every other day. It is located in Bourke St, tel: (02) 4821 2206.

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
Adjacent the cathedral is the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery which is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and on Saturdays and public holidays from 1.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m., or by appointment, tel: (02) 4823 0443.

Montague St and Fibre Design
Cross the road and walk along Montague St which features some lovely homes and gardens and a variety of architectural styles. To the left are the Art-Deco Elmslea Chambers and, at no.11, the old fire station (1890) with its fine rendered facade and bell tower on cast-iron columns.

At 9 Montague St is Fibre Design, located in a 1902 structure. There is a gallery of textile works along with a range of handmade products (hand painted silk, ceramics, glass, jewellery, woven clothing, felted hats and jackets) along with supplies for fibre work and handspun wool. It is open daily, tel: (02) 4822 1333.

5-7 Montague St is of interest and over the road is an elaborate Italianate building erected in 1887 as a country-town emporium.

Churches and School
Turn left into Auburn St then left into Clifford St, passing St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1924-25). Turn right into Bourke St and on your left is the primary school. It was established in 1858 as a private enterprise and became the town's first public school in 1868.

Turn right into Goldsmith St and to the left is the Gothic-style Uniting Church (1870-71).

Grafton St
Turn left into Auburn St, right into Bradley and left into Grafton St. A short distance along, to the right, is the Coach & Horses Inn, built in 1840. Grafton St was originally the main highway from Sydney and hence had 11 hotels at its peak. Its width was to permit bullock drays and horse carts to turn around. Almost all of the buildings in Grafton St date from the Georgian and Victorian eras. They are outlined in the Grafton Street Walk brochure.

Reynolds St
Reynolds St veers off to the left. Note the Sisters of St Joseph Convent (1883) and the Southern Star Inn (1860).

St Clair
Return along Grafton St, cross Bradley St and proceed along Sloane St. To the right, at no.318, is an early 18-room colonial townhouse known as 'St Clair' (1845). It features the original cedar panelling and stringybark floors and a verandah with fluted sandstone columns capped by a Classical stone entablature. The building is now home to the local historical society which displays museum items and conducts family research on weekends from 1.00 p.m. to 4.00 pm., tel: (02) 4821 1156.

Sloane St
On the same side of the road, by the Goldsmith St corner, is a former hotel, built in 1858 and now home to R.J. Sidney Craig undertakers who set up shop in Goulburn in 1837, making them the longest-established undertakers in NSW.

At Sloane and Clifford is the police station. The building to the right of the main entry path was built as a hospital and remained so until 1889.

Continue along Sloane St. Just past Verner St a short side road leads down to the Classical Revival railway station (1869). The stationmaster's residence (1869) has steep gables and a charming fretwork porch.

Return to Sloane St. On the far side of the road is the Coolavin Hotel which started out as a bank in the late 1850s. It retains its lengthy balcony and verandah supported on cast-iron columns with unusual dragon-patterned ironwork valance.

Further along the road is the Mulwaree Hotel which dates back to 1845. In between are Victorian two-storey terraces of stuccoed brick. No.182 retains its shopfront and adjacent carriageway.

Return along Sloane St. To the left, between Verner and Montague Sts, is a former coffee palace (an alcohol-free accommodation zone), built in 1880. It is now the Alpine Motor Lodge.

Courthouse Group
Adjacent the motor lodge are the former police station and the town's second courthouse (to the right). The latter was built of stuccoed brick and stone in 1849. The two-storey police station was designed by James Barnet and built in 1888.

Turn the corner into Montague St and to the left, near the visitors' centre, is the town's third courthouse (1887), a far grander Classical Revival polychrome brick structure which reflects the town's importance in the late 19th century. It was designed by James Barnet and features a copper dome, colonnaded facade and richly decorated interior. It is surrounded by attractive gardens and enclosed by an iron pike fence. The keystone over the central arch depicts Queen Victoria. To the rear is the old morgue (1880).

Belmore Park
Over the road is Belmore Park which is luxuriant, formal and English in style. It is located on the site of the original market place and was named Belmore Square in 1869 when Lord Belmore opened the railway and Lady Belmore planted the oak at the centre of the park which boasts a band rotunda (1897), numerous civic monuments and shady picnic areas. The Classical stone archway opposite the park, in Market St, was built in 1847 as the gateway to the Bull and Woodward Stores.

Victoria Park
Adjacent Faithfull St is Victoria Park noted for its large rose garden which has 1500 bushes.

Riversdale
'Riversdale', at the end of Maud St, is a single-storey colonial Georgian cottage built of sandstock brick in 1840 as a coaching inn and residence. Road diversions in the 1850s ruined the custom and so it became a school and then a residence. Set amidst fine gardens with views over the plains it is furnished in period style as both residence and inn. Features include stone-flagged enclosed verandahs with carved-timber supports, a courtyard, a fine entrance hall, timber floors and cedar joinery. The outbuildings include a stone barn which is much older than the house. It is the only surviving building from the original townsite which operated from 1828 until Governor Bourke relocated the settlement in 1832.

The National Trust is currently pondering its plans for 'Riversdale' and so, for the time being, it is currently open strictly by appointment and only to groups, tel: (02) 4821 4741.

Note that Citizen St and Hurst St, in one of Goulburn's oldest areas, contain some fine private homes.

The Old Goulburn Brewery
The Old Goulburn Brewery is the oldest working industrial complex in the country. The three-storey flour mill was built in 1836, the castellated brewing tower and malt houses in 1840. There are also stables and a brewer's cottage. It is thought that convict-architect Francis Greenway may have been the designer. A two-storey wing was added c.1900. Today it offers ale made on the premises, accommodation, a restaurant and a function centre. There are guided tours of the complex which retains much of the original equipment. It is open daily from 11.00 a.m. on Bungonia Rd, tel: (02) 4821 6071.

Old gun in front of the War Memorial on the hill above Goulburn

Rocky Hill War Memorial
Rocky Hill War Memorial, a stocky 20-m tower in Memorial Drive, was built by public subscription in 1923 to honour locals who fought and died in World War I. It is floodlit at night by a rotating beacon and can be seen from any approach to the city. Rocky Hill itself is a good vantage point offering views over the city. The lookout is open from dawn until dusk daily and the war memorial display is open weekends and public holidays from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and from 1.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (02) 4823 0492.

The Big Merino
An obvious 'attraction' is 'The Big Merino', a replica sheep 15 m high and 21 m long beside Hume St on the Canberra side of town. It is the focal point of a complex which showcases the area's wool industry with sales of crafts and other produce made from wool.There are also souvenirs, a display on the production of wool, a lookout area over Goulburn, a restaurant and a tavern, tel: (02) 4821 8800.

Garroorigang
'Garroorigang' is an interesting Victorian house which was built of stuccoed brick and rubble in 1857. Originally an inn, it became a boys' school in 1868 and a residence in the 1880s. The Victorian drawing room has remained unaltered since 1868 and the schoolroom can still be seen. It is located in Braidwood Rd at the southern end of town. Tours, dinners and bed-and-breakfast are available, tel: (02) 4822 1912.

The Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre
The Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre houses a heritage workshop and the roundhouse that was opened in 1918. It is open weekdays from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and Saturdays from 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. It is located in Braidwood Rd, tel: (02) 4822 1210.

Wakefield Park
11 km south on the Braidwood Rd is Wakefield Park Motor Racing Circuit, tel: (02) 4822 2811.

South Hill Homestead
South Hill Homestead and 19th-Century School is a Victorian farm mansion with period farm buildings and a school. Young visitors can dress up in period costume and play the part of 19th-century schoolchildren. There are tours of the buildings and bed-and-breakfast facilities. It is located in Garroorigang Rd, tel: (02) 4821 9591.

Pejar Dam
Pejar Dam, on the Wollondilly River, covers 160 ha. It is a fine trout-fishing spot where canoeing, sailing, wind surfing, rowing and picnicking can all be enjoyed. No power boats are permitted. It is located 26 km north of Goulburn on the Crookwell Rd.

Towrang
Towrang, 15 km north-east, was the site of a major stockade for a chain-gang of convicts and others involved in the construction of the Great South Rd from 1836 to 1842. The stockade became the principal penal establishment in the southern district. There were usually at least 250 convicts hutted here. They slept on bare boards with a blanket apiece, 10 men to a box or cell. One of the two official floggers was later found murdered. A few artefacts remain from this period, such as some convict graves, a powder magazine, the convict-built Towrang bridge and numerous culverts charted on an information billboard at the Towrang rest area.

Bungonia State Recreation Area
Bungonia State Recreation Area is a popular bushwalking area with limestone caves and spectacular lookouts over Bungonia Gorge. For more information see entry on Marulan.

Goulburn Steam Museum
The Goulburn Steam Museum is located at Marsden Weir, on a bend in the Wollondilly River in Fitzroy St. It features items of industrial steam machinery housed in handsome brick buildings, including an Appleby Beam Engine which worked the pumps for the town's water supply from 1883 to 1918. There is also a track-mounted self-propelled steam crane from the Goulburn railway station, a narrow gauge railway, picnic facilities and other amenities in a 10-ha setting. It is closed for renovations until mid-1999.

	Tourist Information
	Goulburn Visitors Centre 201 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4823 4492, 1800 353 646 Facsimile: (02) 4822 2692
	Motels
	Alpine Motor Lodge 248 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2930 Rating: ***
	Clinton Lodge Motel 80 Clinton St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4488 Rating: ***
	Country Home Motel 1 Cowper St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4877 Rating: ***1/2
	Goulburn Central Motor Lodge Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1655 Rating: **
	Governor's Hill Motel Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1766 Rating: **
	Heritage Motor Lodge Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 9377, 1800 812 651 Facsimile: (02) 4821 5991 Rating: ****
	Hillview Motel Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3130 Rating: ***
	Lilac City Motor Inn 126 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5000 Rating: ***
	Parkhaven Motel Cnr Cole & Lagoon Sts Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4455 Rating: ***
	Posthouse Motor Lodge 1 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5666 Facsimile: (02) 4821 9975 Rating: ***
	Southside Motor Inn Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1844 Rating: ***
	Willows Motel Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4322 Rating: ***
	Centretown Lagoon Motel 77 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2422 Facsimile: (02) 4821 9910 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Astor Hotel 93 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1155
	Billabong Tavern Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4822 3020
	Carlton Hotel 258 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3820
	Coolavin Hotel 188 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2498
	Empire Hotel 286 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5511
	Exchange Hotel 9 Bradley St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1566
	Hibernian Hotel 145 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3688
	Hotel Gordon 96 Union St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4188
	Mulwaree Hotel 160 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2255
	Tattersalls Hotel 76 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3088
	Tully Park Tavern Taralga Rd Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4822 1155
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Bentley Lodge Goulburn 102 Clyde St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4822 5135 Rating: ****1/2
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Pelican Sheep Station Braidwood Rd Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4668
	Historic Lansdowne Park Farm Cottage Bungonia Rd Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 8653 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Goulburn South Caravan Park Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3233 Rating: ***
	Governors Hill Carapark Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 7373 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	147 Restaurant 336 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2400
	Benton's Rimbolin Restaurant 380 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 7633
	Billabong Station Restaurant Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 6909
	Blue Plate Restaurant 1 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5666
	Cascades Restaurant 77 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2422
	Centretown Lagoon Motel 77 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2422
	Clancy's Bar & Grill 148 Sloane St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4822 2770
	Danny's Brasserie 150 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 6095
	Goulburn Brewery Bungonia Rd Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 6071
	Goulburn Chinese Restaurant 21 Market St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 7003
	Goulburn Italian Pizza Restaurant 147 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5998
	Governor's Hill Motel Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1766
	Governors Hill Restaurant Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 3065
	Heritage Motor Lodge Motel/Hotel Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 9377
	Hung Win Chinese Restaurant 277 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 8933
	Indian Curry Palace Restaurant 284 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2025
	Jazz At Jimmy's Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 9377
	Khon Thai Restaurant Cnr Auburn & Verner Sts Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2289
	Lilac City Motor Inn & Steak House Restaurant 126 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5000
	Pelican Sheep Station Restaurant, "Pelican" Braidwood Rd Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4668
	Posthouse Motor Lodge 1 Lagoon St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 5666
	Southside Motor Inn Hume Hwy Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 1844
	The Camellia Chinese Restaurant 386 Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 6688
	The Fireside Inn 23 Market St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 2727
	The Lotus 80a Auburn St Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 4888
	Workers Club Restaurant Mickell Pl. Goulburn NSW 2580 Telephone: (02) 4821 9699