Gol Gol, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Gol Gol
state = nsw

---

caption = The Sturt Highway, passing through Gol Gol
lga = Wentworth Shire Council
postcode = 2738
pop = 1800 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC17323 | name = Gol Gol (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | quick = on]
est =
stategov =
fedgov =

Gol Gol is a small town in the far western region of New South Wales, Australia in Wentworth Shire. It is situated on the banks of the majestic Murray River, which forms part of the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria. Gol Gol is part of a larger fruit growing region known as Sunraysia, of which Mildura (located across the Murray River in north-western Victoria) is the principal city. Rapid development in recent years has rendered Gol Gol virtually a suburb of Mildura.

History

On March 17th, 1836, a surveyor by the name of Thomas Livingston Mitchell set out on an expedition from Boree with 25 men, 2 boats, a train of bullock carts and a herd of at least 100 cattle, which was to be used for food when wild animals were scarce.

It was on this trip of Mitchell's that he encountered some local Aboriginals and he learnt the area next to the Murray River was called Gol Gol (meaning meeting place). Mitchell generally used Aboriginal names when marking his maps as he felt that a map was more use if a settler could ask a local Aboriginal where it was. When Mitchell returned to his base camp on the June 4, 1836 he passed on the name of Gol Gol to his superiors.

Development of the Gol Gol Township

In 1865 a survey was initiated to determine the site for the township of Gol Gol and was completed in February 1866. The area proclaimed as the site for the township of Gol Gol was notified on the 15th June, 1886 in the Government Gazette convert|95384|acre|km2 for the township. Although Government sales began in March 1871. It was almost a decade before allotments in the village were occupied. A Post Office was opened in 1877 and closed in 1879. Subsequently, a Post Office existed from 1885 to 1887, 1902 to 1919, then from 1927 until the present.Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=NSW&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ]

Early settlers lived in crude dwellings along the banks of the river. These dwellings were made from Mallee boughs and branches covered with mud and bags. Others lived in tents, struggling to earn a living from the soil due to frequent dust storms which blew across the scorching deserts.

Gradually facilities improved with the progression of communication and transport making necessary goods and materials more readily available.

In October 1881, Gol Gol was described as an under-developed township on the river Murray, populated by six families with about 25 children. The population increased steadily, especially after 1907 as a result of development of irrigation works in the area and the expansion of nearby Mildura in Victoria.

By 1917 Gol Gol had become "a suburb of Mildura" and the community continued to progress and become less isolated and with the development of irrigation, lost some of its rough frontier days.

Gol Gol Today

Gol Gol currently has a population of about 1800 people. Within the township there is a hotel, garage, general store, school, pre-school and a number of government depots. The major industries of the area include citrus, vegetable and grape growing made possible by the large irrigation system which has been installed. Large areas of land have been set aside for future residential development and this will further enhance the town's population.

Gol Gol has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Millewa Football League.

References