Gundagai accommodation from AU$120

Gundagai is the home of the Wiradjuri people. Explorers Hume and Hovell passed through in 1824 on their way to Port Phillip Bay, and the first settlers from Europe arrived in 1826. In 1852, a flood swept through the town, killing 83 people and destroying many buildings. Throughout the night, a local Indigenous man named Yarri paddled around through the night rescuing people.

When a gold rush broke out in 1861, it led to a new era of bushrangers, including the Ben Hall gang and notorious Captain Moonlite.

Gundagai has inspired a number of poets and musicians. Banjo Patterson wrote a balled called ‘The Road to Gundagai" and Jack O’Hagan wrote the song ‘Along the Road to Gundagai’ (even though he’d never been). In the 1920s, Jack Moses wrote a poem (based on an older, anonymous poem) called ‘Nine Miles from Gundagai’, which referenced a dog guarding his master’s tucker box. Now Frank Rusconi’s Dog on the Tucker Box statue sits on Annie Pyers Drive at the Gundagai gateway.

Things to do

Wander Sheridan Street, where rolling green hillsides peek at you from behind old-fashioned shopfronts and buildings. Drop into the Art and Craft Emporium, in the old Gundagai Theatre, to see all kinds of crafty creations. Take a self-guided tour of the Gundagai Gaol heritage site, then visit the Lanigan Abbey Gallery or the Gundagai Historical Museum.

Frank Rusconi left Gundagai another incredible statue: The Marble Masterpiece, which you’ll find at Gundagai Tourist Information Centre. Rusconi built this detailed miniature cathedral by hand over 28 years, using 20,948 individual bits of marble. Now THAT is dedication!

Outdoorsy types can play golf course at the course on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, or go fishing at the junction where the Murrumbidgee meets the Tumut. For a great view, head to Rotary Lookout or the top of Mt. Kimo or Mt. Parnassus.

Dining

Along with the usual take-away options, Gundagai has unique restaurants like Bushranger Diner, the Dog on the Tucker Box restaurant and iconic Niagra Cafe.

Getting here

A two-hour drive from Canberra, Gundagai is within day trip distance of the country’s capital. If you’re coming from interstate, get here with a flight to Canberra and a hire car, or catch a bus instead. Don’t sit around like a dog on a tucker box – grab some of our Gundagai accommodation today!