History of Gilgandra
Indigenous History
Gilgandra is Aboriginal for long water hole, and the traditional custodians of our ancient land describe Gilgandra as being a meeting place between the Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi & Wailwan nations.
Coo-ee March
The famous 1915 Coo-ee March started from Gilgandra when 25 men set off from Gilgandra to march to Sydney to help in the WW 1 effort.
Find out about more of this famous recruitment drive at the Coo-ee Heritage Centre or visit the Gilgandra Diggers website.
The aim of the Gilgandra Diggers website is to collect and record stories of the men and women connected to Gilgandra & District who served in WW1. You may also like to visit their Facebook page.
Hitchen House
Hitchen House is named after the Hitchen Brothers, William and Richard Hitchen who lived in the house at the time they made the decision to start the 1915 Coo-ee March.
Town of Windmills
Gilgandra is known as the town of windmills, as in times gone by the skyline was dotted with the large steel structures. By the 1950’s there were over 300 windmills pumping water. In 1966 Gilgandra moved to an articulated water system (town water) and with the invention of the water pump, the windmills have slowly disappeared.
General History
The town was proclaimed in 1888.
