Gol Gol is a small country town in the

Wentworth Shire Wentworth Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the far south-west Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This Shire is located adjacent to the Murray River, Murray and Darling Rivers. The Shire's major roads ...

, in the far western region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is situated on the banks of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

, within the

Sunraysia Sunraysia is a region located in northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia. The region is renowned for its sunshine, intensive horticulture including grapes and oranges. Its main centre is Mildura, Victoria. The are ...

region. In the fifteen years from 2006 to 2021, the population of Gol Gol increased from 663 to 1,956. The

Sturt highway Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route. Initiall ...

, an important road link for the transport of passengers and

freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...

between

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

passes through Gol Gol.

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 south-west New South Wales, Australia, along the north side of the Murray River, roughly between today's settlements of Euston and We ...

people. A well-preserved

midden A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human oc ...

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 juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

), 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 establish ...

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 of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

works in the area and the expansion of nearby Mildura in Victoria. By 1917, Gol Gol and the community continued to progress and become less isolated.

Gol Gol today

Gol Gol currently has a population of about 2000 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 (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

, 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

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 ...

. Gol Gol also has a cricket team located at the Alcheringa Oval with excellent facilities composing 4 senior men’s cricket teams and 1 senior women’s cricket team, competing in the Sunraysia Cricket Association. The club has been extremely successful in recent years winning 7 two day premiership titles within the past 5 years.

References

External links

Wentworth Shire Council
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Populated places on the Murray River Far West (New South Wales) Wentworth Shire

History

Township development

Gol Gol today

See also

References

External links