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Bigambul people[edit]
Bigambul (also known as Bigambal, Bigumbil, Pikambul, Pikumbul) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Bigambul people. The Bigambul language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Goondiwindi Regional Council, including the towns of Goondiwindi, Yelarbon and Texas extending north towards Moonie and Millmerran.
British colonisation[edit]
The first British pastoralist to take up land in the area was Richard Hargrave who, in 1840, was employed by John Hosking to form a cattle station along the Macintyre River. Hargrave took 5,000 head of cattle and formed the Gundi Windi (Goondiwindi), Callandoon, Wyemoo and Beeboo stations. The name Goondiwindi derives from an Aboriginal word with goondi indicating droppings or dung and windi indicating duck, probably connected with the roosting place on a large rock in the Macintyre River.
Over the following years, the Bigambul resisted the occupation of their lands, attacking Hargrave's livestock and shepherds as well as those of other nearby colonists. In 1843, John Hosking became insolvent but Hargrave stayed on at Gundi Windi until 1844 when he was defeated by Aboriginal resistance and forced to abandon the property.
Around 1848, Richard Purvis Marshall and his brother re-established the Gundi Windi pastoral station with the financial backing of Henry Dangar. Frontier conflict with the Aboriginal people resumed until Frederick Walker and the mounted Native Police under his command arrived in 1849 to crush most of the opposition. In July of that year, Walker and his troopers, accompanied by Marshall and other squatters, routed a large band of Aboriginal warriors at Carbucky, ten kilometres to the west of Gundi Windi. Some reports indicated up to a hundred Aborigines were killed in this skirmish, with Walker expressing that he would have annihilated them all if he had more daylight. This battle ended Aboriginal resistance in the vicinity. Marshall soon after became a Native Police officer, and in 1855 he was appointed Commandant of that force.
Township of Goondiwindi[edit]
On 19 June 1860, the Queensland Government sold town and country lots in the village of Goondiwindi.
Gundiwindi Post Office opened by 1860. It was renamed Goondiwindi by 1861.
Goondiwindi State School opened on 1 September 1864.
Major flooding affected the town in 1921
Goondiwindi was first proclaimed a municipality on 20 October 1888. The town boundaries have not altered to this day, and, before the Federation of Australia in 1901, the town served as a border crossing between Queensland and New South Wales. The customs house from that era is now a museum.
Goondiwindi East Provisional School opened on 4 July 1898, becoming Goondiwindi East State School in 1909. The school closed about 1914, reopening again in 1920. It finally closed in 1947.
Goondiwindi West Provisional School opened in 1900, becoming Goondiwindi West State School on 1 January 1909. It closed about 1950.
The South Western railway line from Inglewood reached Goondiwindi on 13 October 1908 with the eastern part of the locality being served by Mooroobie railway station (now abandoned, 28°34′06″S 150°22′37″E / 28.5684°S 150.3769°E / -28.5684; 150.3769 (Mooroobie railway station)) and the town being served by the Goondiwindi railway station (28°32′19″S 150°18′24″E / 28.5385°S 150.3068°E / -28.5385; 150.3068 (Goondiwindi railway station)). The next section of railway line from Goondiwindi to Talwood opened on 4 May 1910, with the western part of the locality being served by Hunter railway station (now abandoned, 28°30′37″S 150°15′02″E / 28.5103°S 150.2505°E / -28.5103; 150.2505 (Hunter railway station)).
Goondiwindi North Provisional School opened in 1901, becoming Goondiwindi North State School on 1 January 1909. It closed due to low student numbers about 1911 but reopened on 24 November 1913 as the Moogoon Road State School. The school closed again due to low student numbers in 1925, but reopened in 1931. It finally closed about 1939.
St Mary's Convent and School, 1924
St Mary's Catholic School opened in 1911 operated by the Sisters of Mercy providing for boarding and day students through Years 1 to 7. In 1965, the school added a secondary department to extend the schooling to Year 10 but the secondary department was closed in 1972. The Sisters operated the school until December 1983, after which lay teachers were employed.
On 28 January 1919, the Queensland Government placed restrictions on the border crossing at Goondiwindi to prevent the spread of the Spanish flu into Queensland, which were enforced by the Queensland Police. A medical screening process was used to determine if Queensland residents could safely return to the state.
The Goondiwindi War Memorial was originally located in Herbert Street and was dedicated on 21 September 1922 by the Queensland Governor, Matthew Nathan. The gates were unveiled in April 1949.
Goondiwindi State High School opened on 28 January 1964.
The most famous resident of Goondiwindi was Gunsynd, a Thoroughbred race horse known as "The Goondiwindi Grey". Guided by Bill Wehlow, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Gunsynd had 29 wins including the 1971 Epsom Handicap and the 1972 Cox Plate and came third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup. The name "Gunsynd" came from Goondiwindi Syndicate (Gun=Goondiwindi, Synd=Syndicate). There is a statue of Gunsynd in the town centre. There is also a Gunsynd museum located in the Goondiwindi Regional Civic Centre at 100 Marshall Street.
Another school, the Goondiwindi Christian Education Centre, opened in 1991 but closed on 13 December 1996.
The Border Rivers Christian College was established in 2015, as a primary and secondary school (P–12) although only P–8 schooling was available in its first year, with Years 9 to 12 classes commencing each successive year. The school commenced using the buildings of the former Goondiwindi Christian Education Centre at 111 Calladoon Street.
The current Goondiwindi Public Library building was opened in 2015.
