Bundanoon, New South Wales

Bundanoon
New South Wales

Bundanoon Town Centre at dusk
Bundanoon
Coordinates 34°39′S 150°18′E / 34.650°S 150.300°E / -34.650; 150.300Coordinates: 34°39′S 150°18′E / 34.650°S 150.300°E / -34.650; 150.300
Population 2,419 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 2578
Elevation 675 m (2,215 ft)
LGA(s) Wingecarribee Shire
State electorate(s) Goulburn
Federal Division(s) Hume
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
28 °C
82 °F		 2 °C
36 °F		 ?

Bundanoon is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. In 2011, Bundanoon had a population of 2,419 people,[1] up 17 percent since 2006. 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, like its fellow Southern Villages of the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, 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.

Bundanoon is known for its annual Garden Ramble every October, and for its Brigadoon Highland Gathering every April that attracts Scottish participants and tourists from around the world. Bundanoon has a rugby league team, currently playing in the Second Division competition of Group 6.

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.[3]

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).[1]

People

The 2011 census recorded 2,419 people living in Bundanoon. The town's population was significantly older than the general population: their median age was 54 years, 17 years older than the national median age of 37. Children aged under 15 made up 15.7% of the population (fewer than the national average of 19.3%) and people aged 65 years and over made up 30.2% of the population (more than double the national average of 14.0%). This is reflected in the low workforce participation, with only 988 of the 2,419 people reporting themselves as being in the labour force. Of these, 49.4% were employed full time, 40.9% were employed part-time and 4.1% were unemployed. 76.9% of people living in Bundanoon were born in Australia; the next most common countries of birth were England 9.3%, New Zealand 1.7%, and Germany 1.0%.[1]

Churches

Anglican: Part of the Sutton Forest parish.[4] 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).[5]

Catholic: Part of the parish of St Paul's in Moss Vale[6] St Brigid’s Catholic Church was built in 1895; prior to that, Roman Catholic services were conducted at Sutton Forest.[5]

Uniting: Part of the Moss Vale – Bundanoon – Robertson parish.[7] By 1870 the Primitive Methodist Church was established on the corner where the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall now stands. This building also 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. The Primitive Methodists moved to a new building in 1885 (now the Uniting Church) and leased the original site to shop owners.[5]

Ban on bottled water

In July 2009 "Bundy on Tap",[8] 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.[9][10] 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bundanoon (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "Bundanoon". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  3. ↑ "Berrima Buslines".
  4. ↑ "Service Times". Part of the Sutton Forest.
  5. 1 2 3 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  7. ↑ "Moss Vale Uniting Church".
  8. ↑ "Bundy on Tap".
  9. ↑ "Banning the bottle puts Bundy on the map". ABC. 9 July 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Australian town that kicked the bottle". The Independent. 28 September 2009.
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