Cookardinia
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Cookardinia is a rural locality in the
Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
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. The locality is south of the regional city of
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...
and east of the town of
Henty Henty may refer to: Australian geography *Henty, New South Wales * Henty, Victoria * Henty (wine) an Australian geographical indicator and wine region in southwestern Victoria *Division of Henty, a former federal electorate in Victoria *Henty Highw ...
. Its surrounding area has an approximate population of 283 persons. The place name 'Cookardinia' is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "the place of the giant kingfisher", probably a reference to the
Kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
and hence the phonetic similarity. Only several buildings remain, including the old 'Buckaringa' woolshed on the Cookardinia-Henty Road and the Memorial Hall built in 1925. On the intersection of the Henty,
Culcairn Culcairn () is a town in the south-east Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Culcairn is located in the Greater Hume Shire local government area on the Olympic Highway between Albury and Wagga Wagga. The town is south-west of the sta ...
and
Holbrook Holbrook may refer to: Places England *Holbrook, Derbyshire, a village * Holbrook, Somerset, a hamlet in Charlton Musgrove * Holbrook, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a former mining village in Mosborough ward, now known as Halfway *Holbrook, Suffolk, ...
roads can be seen the (rapidly deteriorating) ruins of the Squatter's Arms Inn which was built in 1848. The Squatter's Arms Inn closed its doors to official trading in 1925 but then was briefly restored internally when it featured in the 1976 filming of
Mad Dog Morgan ''Mad Dog Morgan'' is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan. Plot Dan Morgan witnesses the (fictitious) bloody massa ...
, starring
Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
.


History


Pastoral runs

In 1943 Robert Burke occupied the ‘Buckaginga’ pastoral run in the Murrumbidgee Pastoral District. At the time he was “the first settler in that part of the country, there being no other person occupying land within a circuit of 100 miles”. Six months later John Post, an ex-convict, took up the ‘Cookardinia’ run, adjoining ‘Buckaginga’ to the south. In 1847 the ‘Buckaginga’ license was sold to John Morrice. Later Morrice sold ‘Buckaginga’ to Osborne who ran the property as a sheep station.Goulburn Assizes
''Sydney Morning Herald'', 3 April 1857, page 2.
John Post lived on the ‘Cookardinia’ run with his wife and children. The property was used to raise fat cattle and for running a dairy. From January 1852 a lease “for Pastoral purposes only” was granted to John Post and John Keane for the ‘Cookardinia’ run. John Post's wife Bridget died in September 1863.


Squatters' Arms Hotel

As the district developed and nearby towns were established the ‘Cookardinia’ run happened to be located on the main road between Albury and Wagga Wagga, near the junction of branch roads to Henty and Culcairn. John Post took advantage of the position by building a roadside inn to provide accommodation and other amenities for travellers. From the early 1860s the hotel at ‘Cookardinia’ was managed by Elizabeth Stamp. The inn was often referred to as “Mrs. Stamp’s hotel”. In June 1863 the bushranger
Dan Morgan Daniel Thomas Morgan, Jr. (born December 19, 1978) is an American football executive and former linebacker who is the assistant general manager for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the direct ...
and another man held up four young men “at Mr. Post’s station, Cookendina, near Albury”. The young men “were proceeding from Ten-mile Creek to attend some bye-races at Merritt’s Cookendina Inn”. They were robbed of three race-horses together with saddles and bridles.Morgan’s Crimes
''Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Chronicle'', 15 April 1865, page 3.
In June 1866 the Crown Prosecutor, David Forbes, and Judge Francis of the District Court, spent an uncomfortable night at the inn at Cookardinia on their way from Wagga Wagga to Albury. The two men were subjected to flea bites and “a sad deficiency of bed-clothes” during the night. As a result of the experience Edward Post (John Post's eldest son) was summoned to appear before the Albury Police Court and charged under the Publicans' Act with “not having proper accommodation” in the form of “two proper and well-supplied bedrooms” on the occasion of the visit by the “learned gentlemen”. Post was fined 40 shillings and costs. In 1868 a publican's license was granted to Elizabeth Stamp for the Squatters’ Arms Hotel at Cookardinia. In 1869 John Post himself became the licensee of the hotel.


Cookardinia village

Cookardinia Post Office opened on 1 December 1873 and closed in 1976. With two interruptions, there was a school at Cookardinia, between 1877 and 1954. In late 1888 a new bridge was erected over the Cookardinia Creek near Cookardinia at the site of the old bridge. The construction was described as “a substantial one” which “will secure the safety of heavy traffic crossing”.


Cookardinia Football Club

The Cookardinia Football Club was established in 1897 and played its first game against Germanton (Holbrook).Cookardinia
''Albury Banner and Wodonga Express'', 1 October 1897, page 17
Correspondence (Fred Yoxon)
''Albury Banner and Wodonga Express'', 8 October 1897, page 24.
In 1955, the club merged with the
Mangoplah Football Club The Mangoplah Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club. It competes in and around the Wagga Wagga area in New South Wales, Australia. The Mangoplah Football Club was founded in 1913 by D J Lloyd, who became the club's first captain. In 19 ...
.


Gallery

File:CookardiniaSquattersArmsHotel.JPG, Squatter's Arms Inn File:CookardiniaMemorialHall.jpg, Memorial hall File:Cookardinia, N.S.W. - Postmark (PO closed 2-1-1976).jpg, Postmark


References


External links

Towns in the Riverina Towns in New South Wales Ghost towns in New South Wales {{Australia-ghost-town-stub