Bundanoon, New South Wales

Bundanoon /ˈbʌndəˌnuːn/ is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2016 census, Bundanoon had a population of 2,729.[1] It is an Aboriginal name meaning "place of deep gullies"[2] and was formerly known as Jordan's Crossing. Bundanoon is colloquially known as Bundy/Bundi.

Bundanoon
New South Wales
Bundanoon Town Centre at dusk
Bundanoon
Coordinates34°39′S 150°18′E
Population2,729 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2578
Elevation675 m (2,215 ft)
LGA(s)Wingecarribee Shire
CountyCamden
ParishSutton Forest
State electorate(s)Goulburn
Federal Division(s)Hume
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
28 °C
82 °F		 2 °C
36 °F		 1,155.6 mm
45.5 in
Localities around Bundanoon:
Exeter
Penrose Bundanoon Meryla
Wingello

Bundanoon, like its fellow Southern Villages of the Southern Highlands, has had a boom-and-bust economic cycle. The town became a well-known tourist destination early in the 20th century; its picturesqueness and the scenery of what is now Morton National Park, combined with being served by the railway network, made it a pleasant and convenient holiday area for city dwellers who could not afford more expensive accommodations at the popular Blue Mountains resort area. By the 1950s, however, changes in lifestyle, particularly the affordability of the motor car, gave city dwellers more options and Bundanoon declined.

The Sydney real estate boom of the early 21st century made Bundanoon an affordable haven within commuting distance of the city. Property values increased several-fold, and houses in Bundanoon were selling for over a million dollars by 2007.

Several houses in the town were destroyed by a bushfire in January 2020.

Population

The 2016 census recorded 2,729 people living in Bundanoon. The town's population was significantly older than the general population: their median age was 56 years, 18 years older than the national median age of 38. Children aged under 15 made up 13.8% of the population (fewer than the national average of 18.7%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 36.0% of the population (more than double the national average of 15.8%). This is reflected in the low workforce participation, with only 1,078 of the 2,729 people reporting themselves as being in the labour force. Of these, 49.6% were employed full-time, 41.7% were employed part-time and 4.2% were unemployed.[1]

76.6% of people living in Bundanoon were born in Australia; the next most common countries of birth were England 8.7%, New Zealand 1.4%, and Germany 1.1%. 92.5% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 29.4%, Anglican 27.4% and Catholic 18.7%.[1]

Annual events
  • Brigadoon Highland Gathering - every April (established 1977) - attracts Scottish participants and tourists from around the world.
  • Garden Ramble - every October (established 1996)
  • Bundanoon hosts the Sydney Gilbert & Sullivan Opera every spring over 1 x weekend. Performances are a sellout at the Soldiers'Memorial Hall and are a much loved annual event.

Churches

Anglican: Part of the Sutton Forest parish.[3] In 1879, Holy Trinity Anglican church was built on its present site. (The timber church was destroyed by bushfire in December 1904; rebuilt in stone in 1905.)[4]

Catholic: Part of the parish of St Paul's in Moss Vale.[5] St Brigid's Catholic Church was built in 1895. Prior to that, Roman Catholic services were conducted at Sutton Forest.[4]

Uniting: Part of the Moss Vale–Bundanoon–Robertson parish.[6] By 1870 the Primitive Methodist Church was established on the corner where the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall now stands. The Primitive Methodists moved to a new building in 1885 (now the Uniting Church) and leased the original site to shop owners.[4]

School

Bundanoon Public School was established in 1871 and had an enrolment of 191 students as at 2016.

The Primitive Methodist Church hall served as the first school, with Mrs Dinah Osborne as teacher. A new school of two rooms was built in 1880 and is still used as the school library.

Transport

Bundanoon railway station is located on the Southern Highlands line. Most services terminate at Moss Vale, meaning Bundanoon only receives limited services. Sydney to Canberra services also stop at the station.

Local bus services are provided by Berrima Bus Lines.[7]

On the day of the 2011 census, 4.1% of employed people travelled to work on public transport and 65.3% by car (either as driver or as passenger).[8]

Sport
  • Rugby League – Bundanoon has a rugby league team currently playing in the Second Division competition of Group 6.

Heritage listings

Bundanoon has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

History

Ban on bottled water

In July 2009 "Bundy on Tap",[10] a community initiative in Bundanoon, declared itself opposed to the sale of bottled drinking water on environmental grounds; local businesses instead committed themselves to filling re-usable bottles with tap water on request.[11][12] The issue of bottled water was to protest against companies Norlex and Coca-Cola (that owns Australian bottled water brands Neverfail and Mount Franklin) extracting water from the town's groundwater.

2020 Bushfire

In January 2020 the town was affected by a bushfire during the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. Several homes were destroyed.[13][14]

gollark: I see.
gollark: No, because it doesn't really explain anything.
gollark: Actually, more number → more good.
gollark: I'm already up to Web4!
gollark: I expect this will replace standalone laptops for most users by 2030.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Bundanoon". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  2. "Bundanoon". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  3. "Service Times". Part of the Sutton Forest. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Moss Vale Uniting Church".
  7. "Berrima Buslines".
  8. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bundanoon". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  9. "Bundanoon Railway Station and yard group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01104. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  10. "Bundy on Tap".
  11. "Banning the bottle puts Bundy on the map". ABC. 9 July 2009.
  12. "The Australian town that kicked the bottle". The Independent. 28 September 2009.
  13. Fernandez, Timothy (7 January 2020). "Bundanoon had no warning of out-of-control bushfire that leapt 30km in two hours". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  14. Vivian, Steve; McLaren, Nick; Dugan, Caitlin (5 January 2020). "Blaze rips through properties in idyllic Southern Highlands south-west of Sydney". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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