Goondiwindi, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Goondiwindi is an Australia
n town of approximately 5,629 people. The town has an annual population growth of 1.4 percent. The name Goondiwindi derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "the resting place of the birds".
, a Thoroughbred
race horse
known as "The Goondiwindi Grey" Guided by Tim Lowe, in the late 1960s and early 1970s Gunsynd had 29 wins including the 1971 Epsom Handicap
and the 1972 Cox Plate
and came third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup
. The name "Gunsynd" came from Goondiwindi Syndicate (Gun=Goondiwindi, Synd=Syndicate). There is a statue of Gunsynd in the town centre.
in Queensland
near the New South Wales
border, 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) south west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane
. The twin town of Boggabilla
is nearby, on the New South Wales
side of the border. Most of the area surrounding the town is farmland.
, Leichhardt
, Gore
, Cunningham
, Barwon
and Bruxner Highway
s all merge at Goondiwindi or close by. The town is the administrative centre for the Goondiwindi Region. Goondiwindi is a popular stopping point for interstate travellers, and has several motels and restaurants.
won the 2006 Showcase award, given to schools which display excellence in all areas.
, Retravision, The Reject Shop and a Foodworks (Goondiwindi Co Op).
s. Average annual rainfall for this region is 525 millimetres (20.7 in).
to power boats. The Lagoon had been a favourite spot for waterskiing for the local area and was the only suitable waterbody for the purpose. The Goondiwindi Town Council petitioned the Federal Government, which responded (through Environment Australia) by funding the National Heritage & Water Park, to make available skiing and boating facilities and to provide a focal point for tourism and recreation in the town and district.
The 210 ha recreational water park opened in early 2004, and offers activities for all ages. The purpose built 3 km water channel allows water sports such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, canoeing and boating. It is home to a varied bird life; it provides picnic and swimming areas. Remedial work was performed in 2008 to seal leaks, which caused the lagoon to be dry for a period.
Goondiwindi has an active sporting community, with rugby union, rugby league, cricket, golf, tennis, Australian football, netball, swimming etc. The town built a large indoor gymnasium for use by the general public and school groups. A major sports highlight is the annual "Hell Of The West" triathlon, in February, which sees entrants from across the country.
Boobera Lagoon
is a permanent water hole to the west of the town. Bendidee National Park
is located a short drive to the north east of the town.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n town of approximately 5,629 people. The town has an annual population growth of 1.4 percent. The name Goondiwindi derives from an Aboriginal word meaning "the resting place of the birds".
History
Goondiwindi was first proclaimed a Municipality on 20 October 1888. The town boundaries have not altered to this day, and before Federation the town served as a border crossing between Queensland and New South Wales. The customs house from that era is now a museum. The most famous resident of Goondiwindi was GunsyndGunsynd
Gunsynd was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won 29 races and A$280,455 in prizemoney. In his seven starts over one mile he was only once defeated, by half-a-head in the Epsom Handicap....
, a Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
known as "The Goondiwindi Grey" Guided by Tim Lowe, in the late 1960s and early 1970s Gunsynd had 29 wins including the 1971 Epsom Handicap
Epsom Handicap
The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the...
and the 1972 Cox Plate
Cox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
and came third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
. The name "Gunsynd" came from Goondiwindi Syndicate (Gun=Goondiwindi, Synd=Syndicate). There is a statue of Gunsynd in the town centre.
Geography
Goondiwindi is on the MacIntyre RiverMacIntyre River
The Macintyre River is a river in northern New South Wales, Australia, part of which forms the border with Queensland.The headwaters of the Macintyre River rise west of Guyra and south of Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
near the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
border, 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) south west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The twin town of Boggabilla
Boggabilla, New South Wales
Boggabilla is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. In 2006, the town had a population of 647 people....
is nearby, on the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
side of the border. Most of the area surrounding the town is farmland.
Transport
The town is a major transport nexus between the southern states and Queensland. The NewellNewell Highway
The Newell Highway is the longest highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs parallel to the eastern coast about 400 kilometres inland, and is the main inland direct road link from Victoria to Queensland, bypassing the more congested coastal areas of New South Wales...
, Leichhardt
Leichhardt Highway
The Leichhardt Highway is a major transport route in Queensland, Australia. It is a continuation northward from Goondiwindi of the Newell Highway....
, Gore
Gore Highway
Gore Highway is a highway in Queensland running from Goondiwindi to Toowoomba. Together with Goulburn Valley Highway and Newell Highway, it is a part of the National Highway's Melbourne-Brisbane link. It is signed as ....
, Cunningham
Cunningham Highway
The Cunningham Highway is a National Highway in Queensland, Australia. It is named after the explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham who followed a route close to where the modern day highway runs.-Route:...
, Barwon
Barwon Highway
The Barwon Highway is one of the more obscure state highways of Queensland. It joins the Leichhardt Highway a few kilometres north of Goondiwindi and travels west for a couple of hundred kilometres until it reaches the Carnarvon Highway at Nindigully, 44 kilometres south of St George, and then...
and Bruxner Highway
Bruxner Highway
The Bruxner Highway is one of the more obscure State highways in New South Wales, Australia. It forms an east-west link from the Northern Rivers coast, across the Northern Tablelands in northern New South Wales, close to the border with Queensland...
s all merge at Goondiwindi or close by. The town is the administrative centre for the Goondiwindi Region. Goondiwindi is a popular stopping point for interstate travellers, and has several motels and restaurants.
Education
Goondiwindi has three schools: a public primary school, a private primary school and a public high school. These schools are well-established, have solid community ties, and contribute to the community and surrounding areas. Goondiwindi State High SchoolGoondiwindi State High School
- History :Goondiwindi State High School opened on 28 January 1964. Enrolments in February that year totaled 178 students....
won the 2006 Showcase award, given to schools which display excellence in all areas.
Retailers
Goondiwindi has many large retailers, including a Bilo, a Mitre 10 Home & TradeMitre 10
Mitre 10 is the trading name of retail and trade hardware store chains, over 700 locations throughout of Australia. Operations are based on a co-operative system where the store owners are members of the national group and each has voting rights...
, Retravision, The Reject Shop and a Foodworks (Goondiwindi Co Op).
Farming
Goondiwindi is a centre for agriculture, producing a diverse range of crops and fibres including wool and beef, cotton, sorghum, corn, wheat, barley and chickpeaChickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
s. Average annual rainfall for this region is 525 millimetres (20.7 in).
Attractions
Goondiwindi hosts the Natural Heritage and Water Park. The development of the Park is a result of the closure of nearby Boobera LagoonBoobera Lagoon
Boobera Lagoon is a permanent water hole approximately 20 kilometers west of Goondiwindi, Australia. It is located at . It lies several kilometres south of the Macintyre River, which forms the border between Queensland and New South Wales, and is just north of the Mungindi - Goondiwindi road...
to power boats. The Lagoon had been a favourite spot for waterskiing for the local area and was the only suitable waterbody for the purpose. The Goondiwindi Town Council petitioned the Federal Government, which responded (through Environment Australia) by funding the National Heritage & Water Park, to make available skiing and boating facilities and to provide a focal point for tourism and recreation in the town and district.
The 210 ha recreational water park opened in early 2004, and offers activities for all ages. The purpose built 3 km water channel allows water sports such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, canoeing and boating. It is home to a varied bird life; it provides picnic and swimming areas. Remedial work was performed in 2008 to seal leaks, which caused the lagoon to be dry for a period.
Goondiwindi has an active sporting community, with rugby union, rugby league, cricket, golf, tennis, Australian football, netball, swimming etc. The town built a large indoor gymnasium for use by the general public and school groups. A major sports highlight is the annual "Hell Of The West" triathlon, in February, which sees entrants from across the country.
Boobera Lagoon
Boobera Lagoon
Boobera Lagoon is a permanent water hole approximately 20 kilometers west of Goondiwindi, Australia. It is located at . It lies several kilometres south of the Macintyre River, which forms the border between Queensland and New South Wales, and is just north of the Mungindi - Goondiwindi road...
is a permanent water hole to the west of the town. Bendidee National Park
Bendidee National Park
Bendidee is a national park north east of Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia, 264 km west of Brisbane.The endangered Bull oak jewel butterfly has been found in the park....
is located a short drive to the north east of the town.