History

Gundagai was officially discovered by white people in 1829, when Captian Sturt from the British Colony stumbled across this small area. Before that however, it was the home of the Wiradjuri tribe. Today Gundagai still holds great cultural significance for the Indigenous people of Australia.

After being discovered by Captain Sturt, Gundagai slowly began to gain in population as more Europeans settled there. By 1852, there were around 300 Europeans living there. The reason for the slow increase in population was that Gundagai was regularly hit by floods. In fact, between 1829 and 1852, there had been 89 European deaths due to floods. Not only that, but the thought that there could be a deadly flood at any time caused many people to flee.

Sometime around 1859, gold was dicovered in the hills surrounding Gundagai. This created jobs for people as miners, and as the town began to get richer, there were schools, churches and a hospital built.

In 1867, Prince Alfred Bridge was built. This was very significant to the people of Gundagai as it allowed them to expand the town to areas where the floods wouldn't be able to reach them as easily. There was a railway built in 1886, followed by the railway bridge in 1902.

In 1889 Gundagai became a Municipality and was amalgamated with the Adjungbilly Shire Council in 1923. This council became known as the Gundagai Shire Council, which is still in action today.