Cootamundra


Cootamundra is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and Cowra. Cootamundra is not on the Hume Highway, but its railway station is on the Main Southern line, part of the Melbourne-to-Sydney line. Abb McAlister was elected mayor of the newly-formed Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council on 21 September 2017.
Cootamundra is the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman, an Australian cricketer universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time. Although he never lived in the town and his parents left Yeo Yeo 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 artifacts.
Cootamundra is the home of the Cootamundra 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.

History

The earliest people to live in the area where present day Cootamundra exists are considered to be the tribe of Wiradjuri, with the name probably deriving from their word guudhamang for "turtle".
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 the gold rush of the 1860s but became a quiet yet prosperous agricultural community after the local deposits were exhausted.
The town's rugby league team competed in the Maher Cup.

Timeline

Cootamundra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
During World War II, Cootamundra was the location of RAAF No.3 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot, 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 the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000.

Climate

Cootamundra yields a typical climate of the lower South West Slopes region; hot, dry summers with severe thunderstorms, and cool winters with many rain days. Occasionally, snow may fall during the winter months, with the most recent settled snowfall having occurred in August 2019.

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 6,782 people in Cootamundra.
is located on the Main Southern railway line, with passengers served in each direction by twice daily NSW TrainLink XPT railway services between Sydney and Melbourne, and the weekly Xplorer railway services to Griffith. Interstate freight trains also pass through the town.
Regional Rail Logistics previously operated a containerised freight service from Junee to Sydney stopping in the town,

TrainLink coaches

Cootamundra acts as a hub for coach services, run by Transport for NSW, to other regional centres with departures and arrivals timed to connect with certain New South Wales XPT train arrivals. The exception is Services 704/703, provided for those who have business in Canberra civic, the major hospitals, or to connect with the Canberra–Sydney rail service.
Seats are allocated and must be booked ahead. must be consulted for conditions of travel and coach stop locations. On-line booking and more information
Destination/sOther stopsService #FrequencyReturn #FrequencyNotes
Condobolinsee timetable717Daily718Daily
Tumbarumbasee timetable723Tue/Thu/Sun724Tue/Thu/Sun
Griffith, Hay, Mildurasee timetable725Daily726Daily~20 min. refreshment stop at Hay
Yass Junction, Canberra, Queanbeyansee timetable782Daily781Daily~15 min. stop at Yass Junction. Wheelchairaccess
Parkes, Dubbosee timetable791Mon/Wed/Sat792Sun/Tue/ThuWheelchair access
Orange, Bathurstsee timetable793Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun794Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat
Major stop on route: Wagga Wagga–Cootamundra–Canberra–Queanbeyansee timetable704Tue/Thu/Sat 703Tue/Thu/Sat currently a trial service, trial timetable, Wheelchairaccess

Cricket Captains' Walk

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 of Harden-Murrumburrah sculptor Carl Valerius.
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 the Tom 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.
A life-sized bronze statue of Bradman in action, also by Valerius, is nearby, as is a newly-installed barbecue and playground.

The Giant

The large effigy of a fairytale giant was created by an unknown artist around 1975 in fibreglass 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 by Rotary 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.
Local artist Jim Newman did its original paintwork back in 1975, and his brother Robert Newman was responsible for its restoration in 2015. The statue is located alongside the Heritage Centre on Hovell Street, near the railway station.

Sister cities