📍14 Best Things To Do In Gundagai, New South Wales. (2024.)
LOOKING FOR THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN GUNDAGAI?
Gundagai is a charming rural town located on the Hume Highway, about halfway between the regional city of Wagga Wagga and the picturesque country township of Yass in the expansive Riverina Murray region of New South Wales.
It’s famously known for its iconic Dog On The Tuckerbox monument, but as I discovered stopping by during my travels through New South Wales and Canberra, that’s not the only thing to see there. Whether learning the story of two local Aboriginal Heroes, touring the old gaol or visiting the scenic lookouts, there are many things to do in Gundagai that make visiting it well worth the turn off the highway. Plus, it’s the northern gateway to Kosciuszko National Park, Australia’s largest wilderness area, making this small town a great pitstop to discover en route to all those destinations.
👉 My top 3 picks for what to do in Gundagai:
- Visit the Dog On The Tuckerbox.
- Enjoy some time by the water at Lake Burrinjuck.
- Explore the Gundagai Gaol with a self-guided audio tour.
Planning Your Trip? Use My Favourite Resources!
Tours/Experiences: I recommend Viator.
Accommodation: I recommend Booking.com.
Renting Vehicles: I recommend RentalCars.com.
Best Things To Do In Gundagai.
1. Drop By And See The Famous Monument.
Dog On The Tuckerbox.
No trip to Gundagai would be complete without stopping at the town’s most famous tourist attraction, the endearing Dog On The Tuckerbox Statue. This iconic monument 8km from the township beside the Hume Highway is a tribute to the early pioneers of Gundagai, humorously depicted through a poem called Bullocky Bill and anonymously published Bowyang Yorke about a bullock driver faced a misfortunate accident and his dog just casually sat upon the tuckerbox.
With a dedicated cafe and space to roam, it’s a great pit stop to stretch your legs and get a few photos of the adorable attraction, both for those visiting Gundagai or just passing through. Adding even more classic Australian humour to the site, there also appears to be a doggy outhouse where you can deposit your puppy’s packaged droppings.
👉 Nearby is also a koala, which is another fun place to get photos, especially for those travelling with kids.
2. Explore The Local Gaol And Hunt Some Ghosts.
Gundagai Gaol. – $.
One of the best and most unique things to do in Gundagai is visit the old gaol. While many places across Australia have heritage prisons to explore, this one is different in that the only way to access it is by heading to the information centre and picking up a key, map and headset before going there and taking a self-guided audio tour to learn about the most famous names to be confined there, such as the infamous bushrangers Moonlite and Peisley, while roaming the very cells that housed in.
If you’ve always wanted to hunt down ghosts like the Ghostfacers (Supernatural) or Ghostbusters, the Gundagai Gaol also periodically offers spooky guided Ghost Hunts, where participants are given special access to the prison at night and handed ghost-hunting equipment to track paranormal activities and perform experiments to see if they can communicate with the spiritual world. It’s a fun and unique way for the whole family to make contact with the other side and see which inmates are still haunting the prison to this day.
Note: Daytime entry to the gaol is only available between 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, so ensure plenty of time to buy the key, map and headset from the Information Centre before then. I didn’t know about it, so by the time I did, they weren’t letting anyone else in. Luckily, the sides of the gaol are so escapingly low, so even if you missed out, you can still see part of it.
👉 You can visit Captain Moonlite’s grave in the local cemetery.
3. See The Artwork That Was 28 Years In The Making.
Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece.
While picking up the keys to the goal, don’t miss out on seeing Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece. This stunning series of artworks also lies at the information centre and a must-see for anyone visiting Gundagai.
Crafted using almost 21,000 individual pieces of marble and depicting numerous famous landmarks from around the world, these magnificent structures full of detail and fine precision were a painstaking labour of love that took the master artist Antonio Barton Rusconi a whopping 28 years to complete and is, unquestionably, one of the best things to see in town.
4. Discover Some Town History.
Gundagai’s Architectural Heritage Walk.
One of the best things to do around Gundagai to get acquainted with the beautiful New South Wales township is to pick a brochure for the Architectural Heritage Walk at the Information Centre and enjoy a leisurely walk around the town.
There are 30 points of interest to discover, the first being Rusconi’s Marble Masterpiece with the Dad, Dave, Mum and Mabel statue just outside. The most fascinating is the Great Rescue Statue of Yarri and Jacky Jacky, where two local aboriginal men have been immortalised in the local folklore as they selflessly helped rescue many lives who were swept up in the devastating flood of 1852.
5. Explore Gundagai’s Heritage.
Gundagai Historical Museum. – $.
Those with a penchant for discovering history will love exploring the exhibits at the Gundagai Historical Museum.
It is home to numerous artefacts and memorabilia showcasing from the pioneering and bushrangers days to the early 20th century, including wagons, farm machinery, clothing, appliances, coins and more. One of the most notable items on display are the two medallions awarded to Yarri and Jacky, the two aforementioned aboriginal Wiradjuri heroes who saved many lives during the 1852 great flood.
6. Discover The Trucking Industry.
Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre (ARTHC). – $.
Trucks are the lifeblood of Australia, and one of the best ways to appreciate them is at the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre. This fantastic attraction is one of the top things to see in Gundagai thanks to its impressive collection of vehicles, equipment and other specialty items that played a key role in the development and evolution of the Australian road transport industry, particularly the ones that operated on the Hume Highway transports all sorts of goods and wares between the state capitals of Sydney and Melbourne.
7. Enjoy Seeing The Sun Set Over The Town.
Gundagai Rotary Lookout.
Those looking for somewhere scenic to watch the sun set on another day needn’t go far. At the end of Luke Street in the heart of town lies Gundagai Rotary Lookout, a gorgeous bald hilltop with panoramic views looking every which way.
There are a couple of benches that allow those who’d like to be in fresh air to sit and enjoy the scenery, but with little between the parking lot and the landscape, it’s also a fantastic car lookout for those days when getting outside is too cold or unpleasant. And because it’s so close to town, it’s also a lovely place to stay after the sun dips below the horizon and all the town lights begin coming on.
8. Check Out The Other Viewpoint.
Mount Parnassus Gundagai Lookout.
Another beautiful place to take in the town’s beautiful undulating landscapes is the Mount Parnassus Lookout on Hanley Street. The lovely lookout also has sweeping views across the countryside, and with a large parking area atop a hill, it is another fantastic place to enjoy the picturesque scenery from the car.
9. See The Old Train Station.
Gundagai Railway Museum.
Like many country towns, Gundagai also has an old, disused railway station from the days when train travel was the primary mode of transportation. Today, it’s a keepsake from the past and visitors can explore a brief history of the bygone service and how it shaped the town with the museum that is now inside the platform.
👉 Just down the road are more town heritage sites, the Prince Alfred Bridge Viaduct & the Old Mill on Sheridan Street.
10. Spend Some Time At The Lake.
Lake Burrinjuck.
For those looking to spend some time basking in the serenity of nature, a fantastic place to visit between Gundagai and Yass is Lake Burrinjuck. This large lake is one of the 16 dams that make up the Snowy Mountain Scheme, a monumental engineering project that took 100,000 people 25 years to complete and provides hydroelectric and irrigation for the Murrumbidgee and Murray River basins.
The visitable water body is a haven for water sports enthusiasts, with boat ramps at the campground grounds allowing people to launch boats, jetskies, sailing vessels, kayaks and more to have fun out on the massive irrigation dam.
Nearby Burrinjuck Waters State Park is a lovely place to enjoy bushwalking, with trails ranging from easy to challenging. The park is also an access point to the historic Hume and Hovell track, which follows a gorgeous 440km section of the original Sydney to Melbourne trail between the nearby town of Yass and Albury on the New South Wales, Victorian border.
For those who prefer a slower change of pace, it has a quaint picnic area where you can relax and take in the picturesque surroundings.
Day Trips From Gundagai.
If you have more time to spend in Gundagai, why not explore the surrounding areas with a day trip as it is conveniently close to numerous towns and Australia’s biggest national park? Here are some of the best places to travel to nearby.
11. Tumut & Adelong.
Tumut is a lovely town located 36km south-southeast of Gundagai, making it the perfect distance to enjoy a relaxing day trip. Its stunning wetlands provide a tranquil escape for nature lovers, while the nearby Blowering Dam is a great place to get up close to one of the Snowy Mountains Scheme’s 16 interconnected lakes. It is also where Ken Warby broke the water speed record over 40 years ago.
If there’s still time to spare after visiting Tumut’s handful of attractions, I highly recommend heading to the town next over and exploring the Adelong Fall Gold Mill Ruins at Adelong. This historic site contains the fascinating remnants of an old gold mill from the 1800s and is the favourite I’ve ever come across. It’s a great place to learn about the country’s Gold Rush era and take in some beautiful scenery too.
12. Kosciuszko National Park.
Gundagai and Tumut are the northern gateway to Kosciuszko National Park, so head out early and see some of what this incredible wilderness area, famous for its breathtaking landscapes has to offer. Within day trip vicinity are the Blowering Cliffs walking trail, a scenic 5km return track to a horsetail waterfall and Blowering Dam, where boaties and kayakers can spend a few hours exploring the world record holders’ vast expanse.
13. Yass.
East along the Hume Highway lies Yass, another fantastic place to visit near Gundagai. It’s here where Australia’s first native-born explorer, Hamilton Hume, lived out the last 30 years of his life and is buried.
Amongst the charming town’s lovely attractions, visitors can take a step back in time and go to the local cemetery to see where he is buried, explore his home, called the Cooma Cottage, and undertake the monumental Hume to Hovell trail, a 426km hiking trail that partially retraces the steps of his landmark expedition in 1824 with William Hovell discovering a viable route between Sydney and Melbourne.
14. Wagga Wagga.
About 80km in the other direction along the Hume Highway is Wagga Wagga. This regional country NSW city is an excellent day trip destination from Gundagai thanks to its intriguing Museum Of The Riverina which showcases touring shows of national significance and local stories about life living in this part of the state and the beautiful Lake Albert, which is a fantastic place to stretch the legs and breath in some fresh air and the National Art Glass Gallery, home to one of Australia’s most significant collections of contemporary glass art.
Gundagai Map.
Accommodation: Where To Stay In Gundagai.
- Best Budget: Tuckerbox Motor Inn.
- Best Mid Range: Gundagai Tourist Suites.
- Best Luxury: Nimbo Fork Lodge.
Visiting Gundagai: Frequently Asked Questions.
How Far Is Gundagai From Sydney?
Gundagai is approximately 376km from Sydney along the Hume Highway (M31). Driving takes about 4 hours in reasonable traffic, passing by the beautiful country towns of Goulburn, famous for having the Big Merino, and Yass, the former home and final resting place of Australia’s first native-born explorer, Hamilton Hume.
Gundagai is also reachable by commercial flight to Wagga Wagga Airport, then a 73km drive east.
What Is The Distance From Gundagai To Canberra?
The distance from Gundagai to the nation’s capital, Canberra, is about 160km along the Hume (M31) and Barton Highways (A25), which takes about 2 hours to drive. It also passes through Hamilton Hume’s hometown of Yass. However, if you love nature, I highly recommend detouring to Wee Jasper, where visitors can explore underground at Carey’s Cave and enjoy camping in the beautiful serenity amongst the village’s gorgeous undulating hills.
Alternatively, direct buses travel between the two places, which also takes about 2 hours.
Conclusion: Best Things To See In Gundagai.
Although it’s only a tiny country town, there are some fantastic things to do in Gundagai, making dropping by a must. From seeing the iconic Dog On The Tuckerbox monument to watching the sunset from the lookouts and exploring the old gaol, even the shortest trip here will leave visitors with endearing memories.
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