| Bungendore
is a small town with a numerous specialty shops and old stone,
brick and timber buildings. It is located in a beautiful
valley near Lake George, 265 km south-west of Sydney, 26
km north-east of Queanbeyan and 701 m above sea-level. Once occupied by the Ngarigu people, the first Europeans
in the vicinity were the exploratory party of Charles
Throsby. Captain Richard Brooks set up a stock station
at Turallo Creek in 1824. That same year, botanist
Allan Cunningham recorded the existence of this outstation
in the area he called 'Bungadow'. The village began around 1835 and mail started arriving
as part of the Queanbeyan route in 1836. The townsite
was approved and Bungendore proclaimed in 1837. The
following year a lock-up was built and The Harp Inn
was established as the settlement became an important
crossroads which linked, and still links, Goulburn,
Braidwood, Queanbeyan, Canberra and Cooma. 'Gidleigh', just south of the present townsite, was
established in 1833 by the son of Governor King. William
Westwood, a convict, escaped from 'Gidleigh' around
1840 and became a bushranger known as 'Jacky Jacky'.
He bailed up a number of people around the district
in 1840-41. In 1841 he escaped custody several times
(once being temporarily locked up in what is now the
Lake George Motel) before being captured and sentenced
to Norfolk Island where he was hanged for murder in
1846. The first post office was built in 1840, an Anglican
Church c.1843 and the Bungendore Inn in 1847. The latter
became a Cobb & Co staging post. Annual races were
established in 1848. Nonetheless, by 1851, the population
was a mere 63.
The
1850s saw at least two other hotels established. A flour
mill was built in 1861, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church
and two denominational schools in 1862, the courthouse
in 1864 and a public school in 1868. The railway arrived in 1885 and the town remained
a railhead until the line reached Queanbeyan in 1887.
Partly because of the coming railway, the 1880s were
a boom period for the town and the population increased
from 270 in 1881 to 700 by 1885. However, because Queanbeyan emerged as the major
town in the area, Bungendore has essentially remained
a country village serving the surrounding graziers.
Hence there are several rural suppliers and related
industries in town. In recent years the social balance in the town has
been somewhat altered and it has acquired a slightly
more metropolitan air due to the presence of commuters
from Queanbeyan and Canberra and of professional
people. A number of tourism-oriented businesses have
sprung up in town such as antique and art-and-craft
shops, restaurants and tearooms. |
The
first European exploration of the Bungendore region was by Charles
Throsby and his party. Explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham passed
through the district in 1824. European settlers had arrived within
a year of his visit.
A station was established in the area around
1824.
The beginnings of the town date from about 1835 with Bungendore
being officially recognised in 1837. A lock-up was constructed
the next year, along with The Harp Inn, which is now the Lake George
Hotel/Motel. A licence has been held non-stop since 1838 but the
building has been much changed.
A mail service commenced in 1836
with a post office constructed in 1840. The current post office
was built in 1882.
Bushranger William Westwood (known as 'Jacky
Jacky') was active in the region in 1840-41. Jacky Jacky was briefly
locked up in the Harp Inn during 1840.
The Bungendore Inn (1847)
was later used as a Cobb & Co staging
post. Only fragments of the Inn remain today.
By 1848 there were
30 people in the town. The population increased to 63 by 1851.
Churches,
schools, hotels, a flour mill and a courthouse (1864) were all
added to Bungendore before 1970.
The former Beehive Hotel, constructed
in 1859, is still standing. The stone courthouse (1864) is currently
the Bungendore police station.
The stone St Mary's Catholic Church
was an 1862 construction while St Philip's Anglican Church was
built in Gothic Revival style in 1864. The original St John's Presbyterian
Church (1875) was torn down to accommodate the railway. The current
St John's was erected in 1886.Rail reached Bungendore in 1885 and this contributed to a period
of prosperity in the 1880s. The railway station (which shut in
1987), gatekeeper's house and stationmaster's residence all date
back to 1884-85 and were built in Gothic Revival style. The Royal
Hotel (1882) was constructed in preparation for the rail connection.
The original 1855 Royal Hotel is also still standing but is currently
a private home.A coaching inn constructed using hand-made bricks in 1888-89 is
currently the Carrington Motel and Restaurant. It has also been
used as a store, a bordello and a private home.
Queanbeyan became the major centre for the
region, leaving Bungendore as a small service town to the surrounding
farming enterprises. |
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