Gunning & District Historical Society

Nine Magpies   Etching by Joseph Austin reproduced by permission of the artist. The Gunning sportsmen put paid to more than nine such birds in 1880 In March 1880 the Goulburn Herald and Chronicle 's Gunning correspondent reported on a novel sporting event: " Magpie Shooting - Nearly all the male population of Gunning and a sprinkling of the fair sex, assembled on and about the flat on Monday afternoon to take part in and witness the sweep-shooting.  Magpies were used in place of pigeons, both as being cheaper and more easily procurable. Mr W Grovenor procured the birds;  in fact that gentleman is to be thanked for his enterprise in getting up the sport. Everything passed all very pleasantly and satisfactorily, there being an unexpectedly large number of competitors. Match Report Summary There were two events, an open competition with a 5 shilling prize and a handicap sweep for 3 shillings - both with 3 birds per competitor.  Between them 10 competito...

Yass Street, Gunning in 2005 (Photo by Peter Ellis CC-BY-SA-3.0) The following description of the town of Gunning appeared on page 2 of the Goulburn Herald and Chronicle  on 3 November 1875. This is one of the best primary sources indicating the locations and uses of the buildings in the main street and surrounds, many of which remain in existence today. The full article can be viewed on Trove . Town and District of Gunning The houses of Gunning were described not long since by a writer in the  Town and Country Journal  as the "pig-sty style of architecture;" but were he to visit the neighbourhood now such a charge would no longer be a fair one, such extensive alteration and improvements having been made by most of the leading townsmen that Gunning has become almost a new place. Nestling in a pretty valley surrounded by low hills, on a tributary creek of the river Lachlan, the traveller comes upon the town almost before he is aware of it -- a turn of the road...