Small country towns have so much to offer and many give you a truly unique experience. We were recently reminded of this when we visited the towns of Coonamble and Gulargambone in the central west of NSW. We stopped in both towns before making our way to Armatree which I have posted about already. We loved Armatree so much check it out.
👉Coonamble is located on the banks of the Castlereagh River half way between Lightning Ridge and Dubbo. The river divides the town in half but rarely will you see water flowing through it. The Castlereagh River is one of our unique Australian rivers that flow upside down. There may be plenty of water to be found in the river, but guess what? This water runs just underneath the river’s coarse sandy bed and it often looks to be bone dry.
👍The town has those fabulous wide streets, old buildings and was beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations. The town is also famous for its nicknames of local folks.
👍Coonamble is the capital for nicknames and hence known also as “The Nickname Hall of Fame”. “Real names” are a thing of the past in this town and nothing and no-one is safe 😉. You can find many caricature portraits of locals who live or have lived in the town on billboards as you walk the main street.
👉Approximately 48kms south of Coonamble you find the town of Gulargambone. Driving into town you will notice ‘corrugated iron galahs’ which appear along the side of the highway, around town and as you drive out. You see Gulargambone in Aboriginal means ‘watering 💦 hole for many Galahs’🦜.
👍If you enjoy following the ‘Silo Art’ trail well then you’re in luck. Both Coonamble and Gulargambone boast a painted silo.
👍 Gulargambone also has some awesome painted murals in the main street and surrounds, painted by local artists👨🎨👩🎨, community members, school children and members of local organisations. There are also a few by John Murray, remember the guy we spoke about from Lightning Ridge and also by artist Peter Browne.
👍Make sure you also check out 2828 Visitor Information Centre, Café ☕️ gift store and art gallery. Unfortunately we had lunch in Coonamble so didn’t stop in at the café but it looked great. Nic the manager has done an awesome job keeping it up and running for the community and travellers.
👍In the main street there is a row of 🎨 colourfully painted old shops with descriptions as to what each one use to trade as. We read they have all been bought by one person and I really don’t know what the future holds for them. I hope they thrive and revive to see another day.
Anyway if you’re driving into these areas make sure you stop and enjoy what they have to offer and leave a little support to the locals.