Beyond the tuckerbox

SINCE the bypass opened in 1977, most travellers have seen little reason to call in to Gundagai, but there is plenty more to see than that famous dog.

Old stuff ... the Gundagai Historical Museum has fascinating displays of old farm machinery and the prison cell door which once kept bushranger Captain Moonlight from the outside world.

AS the guest of honour at Gundagai's centenary celebrations in 1956, the famous songwriter Jack O'Hagan confessed it was his first visit to the town. This was despite writing the famous songs Along The Road To Gundagai some 34 years earlier, and Where The Dog Sits On The Tuckerbox (Five Miles From Gundagai) in 1938.

Since the opening of the Gundagai bypass in 1977, most travellers have seen little reason to call in, either. They might stop for a quick look at the Dog On The Tuckerbox monument just off the Hume Highway, but a detour into town might seem like wasted time if you are rushing off to Melbourne, or the Riverina.

But hold your horses – or your bullock teams, for that matter. Gundagai has been famed as a stopover since the pioneering days, when teamsters travelling the Sydney-Melbourne route camped at Five Mile Creek.

One of these travellers reputedly penned the original Dog On The Tuckerbox ditty, telling the story of a teamster's dog that "shat on the tucker box" and spoiled the food inside.

The cleaned-up version, by Jack Moses, called Five Miles From Gundagai, is thankfully better known.

Of course, you should stop off to see that famous monument to man's best – or worst – friend (depending on what version of the song you believe). It's five miles, or eight kilometres, from the town centre, as tradition dictates.

Head to the Visitor Information Centre on the main street, where you'll find one of the most remarkable miniature buildings in the world: Rusconi's Marble Masterpiece.

Stonemason Frank Rusconi, the same man who sculpted the Dog On The Tuckerbox monument, created this imaginary baroque Italian palace over some 28 years out of 20,000 pieces of marble.

Next stop, the Gundagai Historical Museum, has fascinating displays of old farm machinery, bullock yolks, and a draughty-looking bark hut.

Also here is a prison cell door, which was once the only thing that stood between the bushranger Captain Moonlight and the outside world.

A fair portion of the museum recounts the disastrous flood of 1852, which killed 83 of the 250 residents, and destroyed 71 buildings. The death toll would have been greater but for the bravery and stamina of local Aborigines, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who fought the raging current in dugout canoes and rescued 69 people.

It's worth visiting the local cemetery, to see the black marble monument to Yarri which stands near the gates. Rusconi carved several of the most impressive headstones here; you can also see both the graves of Captain Moonlight and Senior Constable Webb-Bowen, who was shot and killed by the notorious bushranger.

A gallery or two should be your next stop. The Gabriel Gallery features old photographs of Gundagai, while the Lanigan Abbey Estate – an historic house and B&B surrounded by gardens beside the river – has a huge collection of artwork.

The town has kept a lot of its historical buildings and structures, including the longest wooden bridge in the southern hemisphere. The bridge, nearly one kilometre long, was built in 1878.

Another claim to fame is the largest timber railway station in NSW, which has been restored to its original 1886 condition.

A short drive out of town is the Adelong Falls Reserve, once the workplace of thousands of gold miners. Steep paths lead down to the ruins of Richie's Gold Battery, where water wheels and machinery once toiled.

The cooling pools of water are great for a dip on a hot summer day, though beware, the rocks are slippery.

The Sunday Telegraph