Gunnedah Shire Council

On the banks of the Namoi River, Gunnedah Shire is the traditional land of the Gunn-e-darr people of the Kamilaroi tribe. The traditional language is known as Gomeroi (or commonly Gamilaraay). The name Gunnedah originates from the Gunn-e-darr people and is thought to mean the “Place of White Stones”. Cumbo Gunnerah (also known as the Red Kangaroo or Red Chief) was a clever chief and might warrior. Legend has it that Cumbo Gunnerah defeated a large opposing Aboriginal tribe with only a handful of warriors by leading them into the Wallaby Trap, a natural trap created by the land form and vegetation, and used by the Kamilaroi tribe to hunt wallabies. Gunnedah is situated in the centre of the highly productive Liverpool Plains, and hosts a diverse agricultural industry including grains, cotton and beef cattle. The town has numerous historical monuments to the communities history, as well as a booming cultural precinct. The region is known for it's a profound impact on local poets including Australian poet Dorothea Mackellar, who based her evocative poem ’My Country’ on the region. Her family owned property in the district, and when you visit you can see the surrounding sunburnt country, sweeping plains and wide brown land she immortalised in verse and also in large scale public art tribute in the township. Gunnedah includes the surrounding villages of Curlewis, Breeza, Carroll, Mullaley, Emerald Hill, Tambar Springs and Kelvin all that have their own historical and contemporary cultural tributes.