1890
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BATHURST
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PARISH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST GULGONG |
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FOUNDED 1890 |
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DIOCESE BATHURST |
| PARISH CHURCH | STATION CHURCHES | HISTORIC CHURCHES | OTHER BUILDINGS |
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PARISH CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST |
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| PARISH | CHURCH |
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 | PARISH |
| THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD SAW THE GAZETTING OF THE GULGONG GOLDFIELD THEREBY SPARKING OFF A MAJOR GOLDRUSH. THERE WERE 500 PEOPLE ON THE SITE WITHIN SIX WEEKS AND WHEN THE TOWN WAS GAZETTED IN 1872 THERE WERE REPUTEDLY 20 000 PEOPLE IN THE AREA. GULGONG BECAME A MUNICIPALITY IN 1876 ALTHOUGH THE GOLD HAD ALREADY BEGAN TO DWINDLE. BY 1881 THE POPULATION WAS DOWN TO 1212 AND THE BOOM YEARS WERE OVER, ALTHOUGH GOLD WAS FOUND IN SMALL QUANTITIES UNTIL THE END OF THE CENTURY. FROM THAT POINT ON THE TOWN WAS SUSTAINED BY AGRICULTURE. GULGONG WAS ORIGINALLY DETACHED FROM MUDGEE PARISH IN 1890 AND INCLUDED A LARGE AREA EXTENDING NORTH TO COOLAH AND SOUTH TO BOTOBOLAR. IN 1922 THE NORTHERN SECTION WAS DETACHED TO FORM THE PARISH OF DUNEDOO AND DURING THE 60's THE SOUTHERN HALF (WOLLAR, BOTOBOLAR,STONEY CREEK,BYLONG) WAS ATTACHED TO MUDGEE. TODAY THE PARISH COMPRISES THE STATIONS OF GOOLMA AND ULAN AND THE FORMER STATIONS OF MOOLARBEN AND WILBERTREE. GULGONG WAS ALSO NOTABLE FOR BEING ONE OF THE EARLIEST JOSEPHITE FOUNDATIONS AND BOTH THE CONVENT AND SCHOOL ARE STILL IN USE. NEXT |
| CHURCH |  |
| ST JOHN'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, LIKE MANY OF THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF GULGONG, WAS BUILT IN THE BOOM YEARS OF THE 1870'S. BUILT IN DARK BRICK, IT IS A MOST IMPRESSIVE BUILDING COMPRISING A NAVE WITH AN APSIDAL EAST END AND A MAGNIFICENT SOUTH-WEST TOWER WITH AN OPEN TOP AND A CAP-LIKE STEEPLE. ENTRANCE IS VIA A SMALL WEST PORCH. IT IS ADORNED WITH SOME BEAUTIFUL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS GIVING THE INTERIOR A WARM MYSTERIOUS GLOW. TOP STATION CHURCHES |
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| STATION CHURCHES | ||
| GOOLMA | ULAN | |
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| CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER, GOOLMA | |
 | STATION |
| GOOLMA, A SMALL LOCALITY ON THE ROAD TO WELLINGTON, HAS BEEN A STATION OF GULGONG FROM ITS COMMENCEMENT. | |
| CHURCH | |
| THE LITTLE CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER IS THE SECOND CHURCH AND DATES FROM THE 60'S. IT IS MODERN IN STYLE REFLECTING THE LITURGICAL CHANGES OF THE TIME. THE WATER TANK AT THE REAR OF THE CHURCH IS A COMMON FEATURE OF COUNTRY CHURCHES. TOP STATION CHURCHES NEXT | |
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| CHURCH OF ST PIUS X, ULAN | |
 | STATION |
| ULAN OWES ITS EXISTANCE TO THE HUGE COAL RESERVES IN THE AREA. EVEN TODAY THE ULAN COAL MINE IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING. AN ORIGINAL PART OF GULGONG, ULAN HAD NO CHURCH UNTIL THE 40's. CLOSED IN THE 70's IT WAS RE-OPENED DURING THE 90's. | |
| CHURCH | |
| THE SMALL WEATHERBOARD CHURCH OF ST PIUS X BUILT IN THE 40's AMPLY DEMONSTRATES THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM "GODBOX" TO DESCRIBE THESE LITTLE BUSH CHURCHES - A NAVE AND A PORCH FULFILLING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF A HOUSE OF GOD. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |||
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| MOOLARBEN | WILBERTREE | ||
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| CHURCH OF ST PHILOMENA, MOOLAREBEN |
| MOOLARBEN IS A SMALL LOCALITY EAST OF GULGONG OF WHICH IT WAS A STATION UNTIL THE 50's WHEN IT WAS CLOSED DOWN. THE PRESENT FATE OF THE CHURCH IS UNKNOWN. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES NEXT |
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| CHURCH OF ST LUKE, WILBERTREE |
| WILBERTREE WAS ONE OF THE OLDEST STATIONS OF GULGONG PARISH. THE STATION CHURCH LOCATED THERE CONTINUED TO BE USED UNTIL THE EARLY 70's WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. THE PRESENT FATE OF THE CHURCH IS UNKNOWN. TOP HISTORIC CHURCHES OTHER BUILDINGS |
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| OTHER BUILDINGS | |
| GULGONG JOSEPHITE CONVENT |
GULGONG ALL HALLOWS' SCHOOL |
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| CONVENT OF ST JOSEPH, GULGONG | |
 | FOUNDED BY THE SISTERS OF ST JOSEPH OF PERTHVILLE IN 1883, THE CONVENT OF ST JOSEPH AT GULGONG IS ONE OF THE OLDEST JOSEPHITE CONVENTS STILL IN USE TODAY. BUILT IN THE LATE 1800's OF BRICK WITH A WIDE VERANDAH AND BALCONY TO COPE WITH THE SUMMER HEAT, THE BEAUTIFUL TWO STORY CONVENT IS A GEM OF COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS NEXT |
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| PARISH SCHOOL OF ALL HALLOWS, GULGONG | |
 | ALL HALLOWS SCHOOL WAS OPENED IN 1883 THE YEAR THE SISTERS OF ST JOSEPH ARRIVED IN GULGONG. ALTHOUGH UNDER LAY DIRECTION IT CONTINUES IN USE TO THIS DAY. THE SCHOOL, CONSTRUCTED IN THE LATE 1800's OF BRICK AND CEMENT RENDERED, IS IN SPANISH MISSION STYLE, AN UNUSUAL CHOICE IN THIS AREA WHERE ENGLISH MODELS PREDOMINATED. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES OTHER BUILDINGS |
