Gol Gol is a small town in the
Wentworth Shire
Wentworth Shire is a local government area in the far south-west Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This Shire is located adjacent to the Murray and Darling Rivers. The Shire's major roads are the Sturt and the Silver City Highwa ...
, in the far western region of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. It is situated on the banks of the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
, in the
Sunraysia
Sunraysia is an illdefined district, sometimes incorrectly referred to as an economic region, located in northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia. The region is renowned for its sunshine, intensive horticulture inclu ...
region. Increasingly, Gol Gol serves as a suburb of
Mildura
Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area had ...
, being only from that regional centre. In the ten years from 2006 to 2016, the population of Gol Gol increased from 663 to 1523.
History
The area has a long history of
Aboriginal occupation, and was the traditional land of the
Kureinji
The Kureinji, otherwise known as the Keramin, are an Aboriginal group whose traditional lands are located in southwest New South Wales, Australia, along the north side of the Murray River roughly between today's settlements of Euston and Wentwo ...
people. A well-preserved
midden
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...
can be seen at Drings Hill Reserve.
On 17 March 1836, the surveyor and explorer,
Thomas Mitchell, set out on an expedition from Boree Station (west of
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
), with 25 men, 2 boats, a train of bullock carts and a herd of at least 100 cattle, which were to be used for food when wild animals were scarce.
On his arrival at the site of the future village, the local Aboriginals informed Mitchell that the area next to the Murray River was called Gol Gol, meaning meeting place. Mitchell generally used Aboriginal names when marking his maps because he felt that a map was more useful if settlers could ask the local inhabitants for help. When Mitchell returned to his base camp on 4 June 1836 he passed on the name of Gol Gol to his superiors.
Township development
In 1865, a survey was initiated to determine the site for the township of Gol Gol, which was completed in February 1866. The area proclaimed as the site for the township of Gol Gol was notified in the
Government Gazette
A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establis ...
on 15 June 1886. Although Government land sales began in March 1871, it was almost a decade before allotments in the village were occupied. A Post Office was opened in 1877 and closed in 1879. Subsequently, a Post Office existed from 1885 to 1887, 1902 to 1919, then from 1927 until the present.
Early settlers lived along the banks of the river in crude dwellings made from
Mallee boughs and branches covered with mud and bags. Others lived in tents, struggling to earn a living due to the harsh conditions.
Gradually facilities improved with the progress of communication and transport making necessary goods and materials more readily available.
In October 1881, Gol Gol was described as an under-developed township on the river Murray, populated by six families with about 25 children. The population increased steadily, especially after 1907 as a result of development of
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
works in the area and the expansion of nearby Mildura in Victoria.
By 1917, Gol Gol had become "a suburb of Mildura" and the community continued to progress and become less isolated.
Gol Gol today
Gol Gol currently has a population of about 1500 people. Within the township there is a hotel, garage, general store, primary school and pre-school. The major industry of the area is irrigated
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, with the primary crops being citrus, vegetables and grapes.
Gol Gol has an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
team competing in the
Millewa Football League
The Millewa Football League is an Australian rules football league with teams based in north-western Victoria, Australia, Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia.
The clubs are mostly based within the same area as the clubs in the ...
.
See also
*
List of reduplicated Australian place names
These names are examples of reduplication, a common theme in Australian toponymy, especially in names derived from Indigenous Australian languages such as Wiradjuri. Reduplication is often used as an intensifier such as "Wagga Wagga" ''many cr ...
References
{{authority control
Towns in New South Wales
Populated places on the Murray River
Wentworth Shire