Australian Theme- developing local, regional and national economies.

NSW Theme- environment- cultural landscape. 

Local Themes- activities associated with interaction between humans and the interaction with their physical surroundings.

Landscape, national park, nature reserve, market garden, rose garden, park, avenue of trees, plantation, place important in arguments for nature or cultural heritage conservation.

The government established Commissioners for Crown Lands throughout New South Wales and appointed government surveyors.  It was the duty of these surveyors ‘to mark out village reserves and roads, allotments for sale and those to be set aside for churches, schools, post offices, police stations and court houses, as well as general mapping of the area with definition of county boundaries’.

Reserves were set aside in townships and villages and in time a number of these became parks.  Once Shires were established then local government took responsibility for the maintenance of these areas of parkland and names were selected.  Once services clubs were created they also developed parkland as community projects.

Reserves identified by the Geographical Names Board of NSW:

• Captain Cook Park- Situated in County Burnett, Parish Warialda; a reserve about 300 metres W of Warialda Public School and 500 metres W of Warialda Post Office; assigned 27 April 1979.
• Coolatai Common- Situated in County Burnett, Parish Mandoe; reserve no. R58115 notified in 1925 for commonage; located at Coolatai about 7 kilometres north of Nanny Goat Hill; assigned 11 July 1980.
• Copeton State Recreation Area- Situated in County Murchison, Parish Mehi; a reserve situated on the southern shore of Copeton Dam on the Gwydir River, about 35 kilometres south west of Inverell by road; about 263 hectares; assigned 6 February 1976.  (For diagram see NSW Gazette notice,12 July 1974).
• Cunningham Park- Situated in County Murchison, County Bingara; a reserve on Halls Creek about 500 metres NE of Bingara Post Office; named after Allan Cunningham who crossed the Gwydir River near this park in 1827; assigned 27 July 1979.
• Mehi Flora Reserve- Situated in County Murchison, Parish Evans; located within Mehi State Forest, about 4.5 kilometres N by E of Braemar Hills; assigned 12 February 1988.
• Sepoy Flora Reserve- Situated in County Murchison, Parish Mehi; located within Sepoy State Forest about 3 kilometres SW of Diamond Bay; assigned 4 July 1986.

R.S.L. Memorial Garden, Bingara

John Byrnes’ flourmill was once located in Finch Street on the site now occupied by the R.S.L. Memorial Garden.  Following the death of John Byrnes and the sale of his property, the mill was demolished and the memorial garden was created.  Therefore, the site has archaeological value.  See the report of ‘Flour Mills’ in the Chapter entitled SECONDARY INDUSTRY.

Gwydir Park (Gwydir Oval) 

A reserve for public recreation in Bingera was dedicated on 14 March 1881.  Cunningham Street, Frazer Street South, Riddell Street South and Heber Streets bound the reserve.

In April 1899 the newspaper reported that the government voted a sum of money for improvements to Gwydir Park and in April 1899, the trustees of the park (the Bingara Council), called tenders for erection of a pavilion. In this case, J. Hall won the tender.

The State President of the Association, Mrs. J.A. Lander on 20 September 1957, officially opened the C.W.A. Park.

Captain Cook Park, Warialda

The Captain Cook Park was created as part of the 1970 celebrations held throughout Australia to commemorate Captain Cook Park.  Today the park includes an obelisk to commemorate a World War One memorial, an Unknown Soldier memorial, memorial gates dedicated to Ronald Mackay and the archaeological remains of the Warialda brick police quarters.

Photograph left: Captain Cook Park War Memorial, Blake & Wilson 2006

(a) Obelisk

A brick cement rendered small obelisk is located to the west of the Ronald Mackay Memorial Gates.  C.H. Edmonds and John S. West presented the memorial to Warialda Municipal Council in honour of soldiers who enlisted from Warialda and District in the Great War 1914-1919.

(b) Memorial Gates

Residents of the Warialda District erected the brick and wrought iron gates to the memory of the late Ronald Mackay in 1939.  Long-term supporter and former President of the Warialda Agricultural Show, Ronald Mackay, died at the family home ‘Ithaca’, Burwood on Monday 9 November 1936.  Details of the monument’s construction are provided in the Monuments and Memorials Section. © Yallaroi Shire Council, Historic Site, No. 6 Police quarters, brick construction, 1893-1970.

On 23 September 1892 the Government Architect, Walter Vernon called tenders for a new brick police quarters at Warialda.  The contract was awarded on 2 November to H.M. Lewis.  In 1893, he erected barracks at the corner of Hope and Holden Streets containing quarters, an office, a stable and a tracker’s hut.  The complex cost ₤1512 19s 11d to build and later served as the Police Station and Sergeant’s residence.  The building was vacated in 1968 and was demolished to make way for a park; consequently the site has archaeological potential.

Cunningham Park (formerly Junction Park), Bingara

A Back to Bingara Weekend was held in May of 1969.  The Apex Club started the idea and decided to erect a monument on the Gwydir River banks to commemorate Allan Cunningham’s crossing on 23 May 1827.  A number of clubs and organizations were invited to be present including the newly formed Bingara Historical Society.  A committee was established and Bingara Council was invited to change the name of Junction Park to Cunningham Park.

On Saturday 24 May 1969, Cunningham’s re-enactment party arrived at Cunningham Park and a handover ceremony took place, with all participants dressed in period costumes.  Mrs Madge Fisher of ‘Singapore Station’ unveiled the monument that had been erected by members of the Bingara Apex Club.