Gerogery, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Gerogery is a small village in Greater Hume Shire Council
in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Gerogery serves a rural farming community. The village is located on the Main South railway line between Sydney and Melbourne, where it intersects with the Olympic Way
. At the 2006 census
, Gerogery had a population of 979 people. Gerogery has a temperate climate. It lies close to the Great Yambla Range, with its striking Tabletop and Sugar Loaf ridge at the southern end.
people. In English, the place name is pronounced Jer-rodge-er-rree; however, in Indigenous language it could have been a repeated "Jerro-Jerro ee". Local understanding is the place is named after the Wiradjuri word for magpies
, plentiful in the locality.
The arrival of European settlers meant that trees were extensively cleared and wheat planted, along with sheep and cattle grazed.
During the 1860s bushranger
Mad Dan Morgan
held up Sam Watson at Gerogery East. His hideout, "Morgan's Cave" is located in the Yambla Range, and was used in between holdups around Tumbarumba, Kyeamba, and as a place to take refuge after the alleged killing of several police and a Wagga Wagga judge. (The bushranger was subject of a Dennis Hopper
film Mad Dog Morgan
.)
Gerogery was at the eastern-most extent of nineteenth century German immigration up the Murray River
from South Australia
.
Gerogery Post Office opened on 15 April 1875.
The coming of the Sydney Great Southern Railway in 1880 made Gerogery the temporary terminus while building proceeded on to Albury
. This railway resulted in moving the centre of population from an original settlement (now Gerogery West) to the railway line. The station master's residence is a beautiful two story house listed by the National Trust. The original station was removed in the 1980s.
A one-teacher government school was set up close to the railway line in 1884, as part of the general plan by the New South Wales government to stem the spread of religious-based education that was springing up for the poor of the colony.
Not far from Gerogery on the way to Walla Walla
is a peak of rocks which was used as a meeting place and lookout to help break the shearer
s' strike of 1891.
The Gerogery Commemoration Hall was built in the 1920s. Many concerts and gatherings, including for the monthly Country Women's Association
branch, have met here. In the 1930s the area was populous enough to support sporting teams.
Gerogery Creek was "straightened" behind Gerogery as part of a work-for-the-dole
scheme in the 1930s.
Being twenty miles (32 km) from Albury, and on a stock route, the Gerogery Pub attracted Sunday clientele from Albury, who were able to use a statutory loophole to evade Sunday closing and order a drink.
Prosperity brought by the Korean War
wool
boom saw the expansion of Gerogery township in the 1950s, with a few general stores, but this had contracted to just one combined post office store by the late 1960s.
In 1974 the area was included in the area to be developed as part of a proposed greater Albury-Wodonga region, proposed by the Whitlam Government
as part of its national decentralisation
program, but these plans were dismantled by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
's successor, Malcolm Fraser
. By the end of the twentieth century increased use of the car meant that Gerogery had become a dormitory suburb of Albury
.
In the 1960s Aboriginal stone tools were found a couple of kilometres north-west of the township.
In 2009, following a long period of drought, several homes were destroyed, and seven thousand hectares burned out, by a bushfire.
The railway has a crossing loop at Gerogery. Under the AusLink
plan, the line between Gerogery and the next crossing loop to the south, Tabletop
, will be duplicated
. The duplicated line will be about 14 kilometres (9 mi) long and will allow for running crosses, where trains in opposing directions need not slow down or stop, and where flights of trains can also pass each other.
Due to cost saving measures, the length of the passing lanes have been reduced to approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi).
In 2001, there was a fatal accident
at a level crossing on the railway line along Bells Road on the Olympic Way
. As a result the level crossing has been replaced by the Five Mates Bridge.
During the December 2009 Gerogery bushfire, the Sydney-Melbourne rail link was temporarily closed.
rubbish tip, and spread in high winds (estimated to be 100 km/h) across farm land between Glenellen and Gerogery. It took less than an hour to travel 10 kilometres, burning out an estimated seven thousand hectares.
The Rural Fire Service reported sheds, crops, cars and four dwellings were destroyed; the tennis courts were burned down, part of the Olympic Way
was closed, and the Benambra Range was under threat. At least 50 fire trucks were deployed in the Gerogery area.
The Greater Hume Shire Council
provided $200,000 to help landowners replace approximately 300 km of boundary fences and help in the removal of fallen tree debris.
Greater Hume Shire Council
Greater Hume Shire Council is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed in 2004 incorporating Culcairn Shire, the majority of Holbrook Shire and part of Hume Shire....
in the state of 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...
, Australia
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...
. Gerogery serves a rural farming community. The village is located on the Main South railway line between Sydney and Melbourne, where it intersects with the Olympic Way
Olympic Way
Olympic Highway is a New South Wales trunk road that links Cowra and Albury at a distance of 318 kilometres. It is designated National Route 41 and was formerly known simply as the Olympic Way...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Gerogery had a population of 979 people. Gerogery has a temperate climate. It lies close to the Great Yambla Range, with its striking Tabletop and Sugar Loaf ridge at the southern end.
History
Gerogery is on land originally inhabited by the WiradjuriWiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
people. In English, the place name is pronounced Jer-rodge-er-rree; however, in Indigenous language it could have been a repeated "Jerro-Jerro ee". Local understanding is the place is named after the Wiradjuri word for magpies
Australian Magpie
The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
, plentiful in the locality.
The arrival of European settlers meant that trees were extensively cleared and wheat planted, along with sheep and cattle grazed.
During the 1860s bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
Mad Dan Morgan
Dan Morgan (bushranger)
John Fuller was an Australian bushranger.Fuller was born in Appin, New South Wales, Australia around 1830 to George Fuller and Mary Owen. He was their illigitimate son and from the ages of 2 to 17 he lived with an adoptive father, John Roberts...
held up Sam Watson at Gerogery East. His hideout, "Morgan's Cave" is located in the Yambla Range, and was used in between holdups around Tumbarumba, Kyeamba, and as a place to take refuge after the alleged killing of several police and a Wagga Wagga judge. (The bushranger was subject of a Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
film Mad Dog Morgan
Mad Dog Morgan
Mad Dog Morgan is a 1976 Australian bushranger film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson and David Gulpilil. It is based upon the life of Dan Morgan...
.)
Gerogery was at the eastern-most extent of nineteenth century German immigration up the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
from South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Gerogery Post Office opened on 15 April 1875.
The coming of the Sydney Great Southern Railway in 1880 made Gerogery the temporary terminus while building proceeded on to Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
. This railway resulted in moving the centre of population from an original settlement (now Gerogery West) to the railway line. The station master's residence is a beautiful two story house listed by the National Trust. The original station was removed in the 1980s.
A one-teacher government school was set up close to the railway line in 1884, as part of the general plan by the New South Wales government to stem the spread of religious-based education that was springing up for the poor of the colony.
Not far from Gerogery on the way to Walla Walla
Walla Walla, New South Wales
Walla Walla is a town in Greater Hume Shire Council in New South Wales, Australia. It is about north of Albury-Wodonga and south of Wagga Wagga.Walla Walla had a population of 581 people in 2006 and has the largest Lutheran church in New South Wales....
is a peak of rocks which was used as a meeting place and lookout to help break the shearer
Sheep shearer
A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...
s' strike of 1891.
The Gerogery Commemoration Hall was built in the 1920s. Many concerts and gatherings, including for the monthly Country Women's Association
Country Women's Association
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
branch, have met here. In the 1930s the area was populous enough to support sporting teams.
Gerogery Creek was "straightened" behind Gerogery as part of a work-for-the-dole
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
scheme in the 1930s.
Being twenty miles (32 km) from Albury, and on a stock route, the Gerogery Pub attracted Sunday clientele from Albury, who were able to use a statutory loophole to evade Sunday closing and order a drink.
Prosperity brought by the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
boom saw the expansion of Gerogery township in the 1950s, with a few general stores, but this had contracted to just one combined post office store by the late 1960s.
In 1974 the area was included in the area to be developed as part of a proposed greater Albury-Wodonga region, proposed by the Whitlam Government
Whitlam Government
The Whitlam Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. It was made up of members of the Australian Labor Party in the Australian Parliament from 1972 to 1975.-Background:...
as part of its national decentralisation
Décentralisation
Décentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
program, but these plans were dismantled by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
's successor, Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
. By the end of the twentieth century increased use of the car meant that Gerogery had become a dormitory suburb of Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
.
In the 1960s Aboriginal stone tools were found a couple of kilometres north-west of the township.
In 2009, following a long period of drought, several homes were destroyed, and seven thousand hectares burned out, by a bushfire.
Railway
- See also: Gerogery railway station, New South WalesGerogery railway station, New South WalesGerogery is a closed and disused railway station on the Main South railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The station is located in the small village of Gerogery on the Olympic Highway. It opened in 1880and consists of a signal box and weatherboard station building...
The railway has a crossing loop at Gerogery. Under the AusLink
AusLink
AusLink was an Australian Government land transport funding program, established in June 2004 and administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services. In 2009 it was replaced with the Nation Building Program under the Nation Building Program Act 2009...
plan, the line between Gerogery and the next crossing loop to the south, Tabletop
Tabletop, New South Wales
Tabletop is a small village in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It serves a rural community. It is located on the Main South railway line between Sydney and Melbourne, and lies on the Olympic Way.- Railway :...
, will be duplicated
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
. The duplicated line will be about 14 kilometres (9 mi) long and will allow for running crosses, where trains in opposing directions need not slow down or stop, and where flights of trains can also pass each other.
Due to cost saving measures, the length of the passing lanes have been reduced to approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi).
In 2001, there was a fatal accident
Gerogery level crossing accident
The Gerogery level crossing accident was a vehicle-train crash that occurred at Bells Road on the Olympic Highway, where it crossed the Main Southern railway in Gerogery, New South Wales, Australia...
at a level crossing on the railway line along Bells Road on the Olympic Way
Olympic Way
Olympic Highway is a New South Wales trunk road that links Cowra and Albury at a distance of 318 kilometres. It is designated National Route 41 and was formerly known simply as the Olympic Way...
. As a result the level crossing has been replaced by the Five Mates Bridge.
During the December 2009 Gerogery bushfire, the Sydney-Melbourne rail link was temporarily closed.
Tourist attractions
The architecture of the station master's house, the Gerogery Pub, and Commemoration Hall, are worthy of note. The Gerogery Doll Museum is also an attraction.Bushfire 2009
About 1pm on 17 December 2009, a fire began at the smouldering Walla WallaWalla Walla
Walla Walla can refer to:*Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named-Places:Washington state, United States*Walla Walla River, the river along which the Walla Walla tribe lived...
rubbish tip, and spread in high winds (estimated to be 100 km/h) across farm land between Glenellen and Gerogery. It took less than an hour to travel 10 kilometres, burning out an estimated seven thousand hectares.
The Rural Fire Service reported sheds, crops, cars and four dwellings were destroyed; the tennis courts were burned down, part of the Olympic Way
Olympic Way
Olympic Highway is a New South Wales trunk road that links Cowra and Albury at a distance of 318 kilometres. It is designated National Route 41 and was formerly known simply as the Olympic Way...
was closed, and the Benambra Range was under threat. At least 50 fire trucks were deployed in the Gerogery area.
The Greater Hume Shire Council
Greater Hume Shire Council
Greater Hume Shire Council is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed in 2004 incorporating Culcairn Shire, the majority of Holbrook Shire and part of Hume Shire....
provided $200,000 to help landowners replace approximately 300 km of boundary fences and help in the removal of fallen tree debris.