Australia’s own James Bond, George Lazenby, is coming home for Goulburn’s spy festival
Australia’s own James Bond, George Lazenby, is coming home to celebrate the first spy festival in the NSW town of Goulburn
NSW
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The name’s Bond, James Bond … from Goulburn.
For the past 30 years, the NSW town’s biggest attraction has been Rambo, the giant concrete merino, but now locals are celebrating James Bond as one of their own.
The only Australian to play James Bond — actor George Lazenby — will be the guest star at Goulburn’s new Spyfest this weekend.
Lazenby, 76, was born in the town in 1939 and went to local primary and high schools before leaving, aged 15, when his father’s work shifted to Queanbeyan. He became an actor and went on to star as Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
The now US-based actor will be in Goulburn on Saturday, the main festival day, but the film will also be screened on Friday and Sunday.
Spyfest will celebrate the world’s most famous spook with a parade of Aston Martin cars — including the actual car Lazenby drove in the movie — along with Bond girls and a Shirley Bassey tribute singer and band at the gala dinner.
The festival will also embrace other spy movies and TV shows, from the shagadelic Austin Powers to the bumbling Maxwell Smart from Get Smart and Spy Kids, with characters, cars and activities.
There will also be markets, a crime writers’ forum, an autograph session, a Shagadelic disco and live entertainment. You can even get a finger sprayed gold to become Goldfinger.
Organisers hope Spyfest will grow to rival the Elvis Festival in Parkes.
“To the best of my knowledge Elvis has never been to Parkes but James Bond is coming to Goulburn,” says Goulburn Mulwaree Council marketing manager Sarah Ruberto.
Visitors are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite spy character, and local shops are going undercover with hilarious new names. The carpet shop, for example, is becoming The Spy Who Shagpiled Me, a hairdresser has been renamed Live And Let Dye and the optometrists are For Your Eyes Only.
Organiser Wendy Antony, aka Secret Agent Wendy, says Lazenby’s appearance has sparked huge interest from Bond fans. “George — love him or hate him, one movie or 200 — forms part of the Bond franchise. Without him you haven’t got the full set of Bonds.”
Antony says many locals remember Lazenby growing up in Goulburn.
“George went to school here in 1946 at Bourke St Public School. It’s Goulburn’s oldest school. Then he went on to Goulburn High School.”
The Lazenby family cottage still stands in the town.
“His father was a railway worker; his mother worked at Fosseys,” Antony says.
And it seems the young Lazenby was a bit of a teenage tearaway.
“We have quite a number of people who remember George fondly and unfondly,” Antony says. “There are a lot of people who remember going to school with him. I’ve heard that his nickname was Gearbox George; his father was a mechanic.”
Antony says Goulburn is well placed for the new festival. “I think our location will be a big plus for us,” she says. “The main population of Australia is within three hours of Goulburn — Sydney, Canberra, Wollongong. We have struck on something that is across all ages. The spy genre is huge across all ages.
We’re the epicentre of espionage.”
Antony says it was a surprise call that led to the 1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage that Lazenby drove in the film joining the event.
“A Melbourne guy has owned it since 1978. He rang me out of the blue,” she says.
“It’s a bit of a coup to have the star and the car.”
The story goes that the car was brought to Australia to promote the movie’s release and was sold, passing through several hands before reaching current owner Sigi Zidziunus.
Local actor Jordan Sykes and model Eden Greaves posed as Bond and Bond girl for Best Weekend’s Spyfest photo shoot. Both say Skyfall is their favourite Bond movie.
“I’m a Bond fan. I think Skyfall is the best of all of them,” says Sykes.
Meanwhile, Kalyssa Gomes, 9, also part of the photo shoot, prefers Spy Kids.
Goulburn’s big ram will be getting dressed up for the festival — donning a giant pair of black sunglasses.
Visitors will find plenty of things to do in addition to celebrating all things Bond.
EYE SPY
Since being bypassed by the Hume Highway years ago, Goulburn has dipped under most people’s radars but the town is working to become a destination.
Stroll around the CBD and you will discover grand historic buildings, from the law courts to major churches, including Saints Peter And Paul’s Old Cathedral built of rare green sandstone that was sourced from a local quarry.
In coming months, the big sheep will be joined by a big beer bottle — a 30m bottle is planned at a new brewery across the road from Rambo.
STEAMED UP
Steam is king in Goulburn. The historic Waterworks pumphouse building sits in a riverside picnic setting. An 1883 steam engine, built to pump water from the Wollondilly River for the town’s water supply, is fired up several times a year, including next Sunday for a steampunk-themed art exhibition and on October 25 at the annual Steampunk And Victoriana Fair.
Waterworks museum co-ordinator Julie Salway is urging people to dress in 1800s Victorian-era fashions for the fair and costume parade. There will be markets, workshops, tea and parasol duels (sword-fighting with brollies), music and dance.
Salway says the fair draws people from all over the state.
“I’m hoping to make it really big.”
At the other end of town, Goulburn’s heritage as a railway centre is on display at the train museum.
You can tour the old roundhouse where steam and diesel engines were serviced, see nine engines and about 40 carriages and wagons in various states of repair, go underneath engines in servicing pits and meet preservation volunteers.
As preservation society president Dale Wake says: “There are not many places in the world you can walk underneath a steam engine.”
Speaking of steam, if the kids needs to let off some during a visit to Goulburn, head to Jump Inn, an indoor trampolining centre that combines fitness with fun.
great view
Drive up Rocky Hill and climb the 20m War Memorial Tower for an incredible view over Goulburn.
At night, a beacon scans the district from the tower — reminiscent of the Eye of Sauron light in Lord Of The Rings movies, but friendlier.
The adjacent war museum has displays including a cell door from Singapore’s Changi prison, where many Goulburn soldiers were held in World War II, as well as items from the Charles Bean collection, a maternity uniform and German army items including tape used in WWI trenches.
The Great War is currently being recalled at the historic Lieder Theatre in the world-premiere season of a locally written and acted play that tells the story of indigenous soldier William Punch.
show and sell
Thirteen artists from the southern highlands and southern tablelands area are featured in a current exhibition at Goulburn’s regional art gallery, which also has a rare work by Australian artist and Robertson resident Ben Quilty.
Works from local artists and craftspeople — including jewellery, paintings, silk work and crochet — are also on sale at Gallery On Track.
grab a bite
While most people associate food in Goulburn with a road-trip stop at the Paragon cafe, good food and coffee places are spreading in town.
Try the chic 98 Chairs restaurant for locally produced food in a building with fixtures made from old bridge timber and flooring from old railway sleepers.
Twitter: @FitzAtLarge
The writer travelled courtesy of Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
UNDERCOVER NAMES FOR LOCAL SHOPS
● Carpet shop: The Spy Who Shagpiled Me
● Chemist: Licensed To Pill
● Hairdresser: Live And Let Dye
● Optometrists: For Your Eyes Only
● BBQs Galore: Pussies Galore
● Civic Video: On Her Majesty’s Civic Service
● Fireside Inn: Spy Side Inn
● Council: CIA, City Intelligence Agency
● Library: If Books Could Kill
● Solicitor: A View To A Will
● Paragon Cafe: The Goul-Borne Identity
GETTING THERE
● Goulburn is a two hour (200km) drive from Sydney. Sydney Trains and NSW Trainlink provide regular services every day.
DOING THERE
● The Big Merino, Hume and Sowerby Sts Goulburn; daily 8.30am-5.30pm, free entry, bigmerino.com.au
● William Punch, A Goulburn War Story, The Lieder Theatre Company, Lieder Theatre, 52 Goldsmith St, Goulburn; September 20 2pm, September 23 and 25 7.30pm, adult $25, senior $20, conc $15, child $10, liedertheatre.com
● Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre, 12 Braidwood Rd, Goulburn; Tuesday-Sunday 10am-3.30pm, adult $10, conc $8, child $5, goulburnaustralia.com.au
● Goulburn Historic Waterworks, Marsden Weir, off Fitzroy St, Goulburn; various steaming days, Steampunk Art Exhibition September 27-November 30 from 11am, Steampunk and Victoriana Fair, October 25 10am-3pm, entry by donation, goulburnwaterworks.com.au
● Rocky Hill War Memorial & Museum, Memorial Dr, Goulburn; lookout daily, museum weekends and public and school holidays 10am-4pm, goulburn.nsw.gov.au
● Goulburn. Art Regional Gallery, Civic Centre, Bourke and Church Sts, Goulburn; free entry, goulburnregionalartgallery.com.au
● Gallery On Track, Blackshaw Rd, Goulburn; Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm, free entry, galleryontrack.org
● Jump Inn, Goulburn Workers Arena, Sports Way, Off Finlay Rd, Goulburn; Tuesday-Thursday 9am-7pm, Friday-Saturday 9am-9pm, Sunday 10am-6pm, $12 an hour, jumpinn.com.au
eating there
● 98 Chairs Restaurant/Cafe, 98 Auburn St, Goulburn; lunch Wednesday-Saturday from noon, dinner Thursday-Saturday from 6pm, 98chairs.com
STAYING THERE
● Best Western Centretown Goulburn, Cascades Licensed Restaurant, 77 Lagoon St, Goulburn; 4821 2422,bestwestern.com.au/centretown
MORE INFO
● goulburnaustralia.com.au, visitnsw.com
● SpyFest Goulburn,
various venues, Goulburn; September 25-27, main day September 26, 9am-late,
free and ticketed events, spyfestgoulburn.com.au
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