Did you know...

Ginger Meggs 

Australia's most popular and longest-running comic strip, Ginger Meggs, was created in the early 1920s by Bowral resident Jimmy Bancks. Although it is not named, Bowral is the setting for many of this young red-haired mischief-maker's escapades.
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Other past and present notable residents of Bowral include author P. L. Travers (Mary Poppins), artist Tim Storrier AM, author Bryce Courtenay AM, neuroscientist Elspeth McLachlan and of course, the legendary Sir Donald Bradman to name but a few.

 

What is “Bong Bong”?

Aboriginal  word meaning 'blind or a watercourse lost in a swamp'.
(RAHS Journal Vol.1; Prt.8).
Also: many watercourses; many frogs.
(McCarthy; 1963)

The very first township on the Southern Highlands wasn't Mittagong, Bowral or Moss Vale, but the settlement of Bong Bong beside the Wingecarribee River.

Bong Bong is a place of great significance, with important layers of history and meaning going back in time to Aboriginal occupation of the land. It is the site of the first European settlement in the Southern Highlands where the township of Bong Bong was established in 1820.

You will notice the name appears often in and around Bowral - 
Bong Bong Road, Bong Bong Hill, Bong Bong Inn and the wonderfully-named Bong Bong Picnic Race Club.

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Image: View of Throsby Park by Conrad Martens, c1836. Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Sydney Living Museums

Sights

Nestled at the base of Mount Gibraltar, Bowral has always been a popular holiday destination for Sydneysiders. It offers stunning private gardens (a delight in autumn) or for the more adventurous there's horse riding and fly-fishing. The town is also well located to enjoy the many surrounding natural highlights. We have noted a few of our favourites below but there are many more to be enjoyed. 

Mount Jellore Lookout
Bushwalking in Gibbergunyah Reserve
Morton National Park and Fitzroy Falls
Kangaroo Valley (and its Pie Shop)

Bowral

Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands and the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands.

During pre-colonial times the Bowral area was a part of land occupied by the Tharawal Aboriginal Tribe. The name Bowral is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal word "Bowrel" which loosely translates into the word "High".

The first Europeans to traverse the area were ex-convict John Wilson and his search party in 1789 as part of a commission by Governor Hunter to explore south of the new colony of Sydney. 

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Biota Dining

The Southern Highlands has some fantastic dining options. 

One of the highlights of the weekend will be the Wedding Reception, and the wonderful food at Biota Dining.

We love Biota Dining, not only for the exceptional food and service, but also for the restaurants genuine commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, sourcing food ethically and running itself sustainably. The restaurant takes the words “locally produced” to a new level; Biota’s menu changes seasonally and many of the ingredients are grown metres from the dining tables, whilst others are sourced from farmers in the Southern Highlands or in local forests.

James Viles, Executive Chef and Owner, has created his very own self sustained eco system with a spring irrigated vegetable and herb garden, yabby-filled pond and a greenhouse for propagating seedlings. Chickens, ducks and geese also wander the grounds and contribute to the eco system.

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The Kangaloon Uniting Church

Located on Kangaloon Road, in a paddock between the hamlets of Kangaloon and East Kangaloon, is a little church and its graveyard, where a dedicated, albeit small, group gathers to worship on the first Sunday of each month and on Easter and Christmas. On a Sunday morning, one might expect 10-25 worshippers, including 3 to 6 children. Four times a year, in March, June, September and December, the small congregation celebrates Holy Communion and then continues with a meal outside, to which members have brought food to share. On Christmas Eve the numbers swell to over 100, as the local citizens turn out for a candlelight carol service.

You may be interested to know that Reverend Michael Earl, who is the minister of Kangaloon Uniting Church, writes his own hymns.

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