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Wagga Wagga
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WAGGA WAGGA
, known simply as "Wagga" to the locals, is the most populous inland city in Australia with around 58,000 inhabitants, but it still has the appearance of a slow and solid country town. Its curious name comes from the Widadjuri, the largest of the New South Wales Aboriginal peoples: Wagga means crow and its repetition signifies the plural. Set on the Murrumbidgee River just under 100km east of Narrandera, with a beautiful sandy river beach to swim in close to the main street, it is the capital of the Riverina region, with its own
university
, Charles Sturt, boasting a well-regarded wine course and its own on-campus
winery
which is open for tastings and cellar-door sales (Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; tel 02/6933 2435), an ABC radio station, and a regional theatre.
Wagga's main attractions, though, are on the edge of the city. To the south, about a half-hour hike by foot, are the impressive Botanic Gardens at the base of Willans Hill, a huge place with such attractions as a walk-through bird aviary where over three hundred species flit about, a children's petting zoo (aviary and zoo daily 9am-4pm; free), bush trails and picnic areas, specialist gardens of cacti and succulents, and a Chinese-style garden, plus a kiosk cafe. On the first and third Sunday of each month, a model train takes children around about for 80? a ride. There's a Historical Museum on Lord Baden Powell Drive, by the Botanic Gardens, with a hotchpotch collection of old farm machinery, printing presses and a display of over 200 door knockers. Further to the south, the artificial Lake Albert is a popular spot for water-skiing. Canoe cruises are also available down by the Murrumbidgee River ($12 for 2 hr; tel 02/6926 1777). Back in the centre, the Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery on Baylis Street (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm; free) is home to the National Art Glass collection, a stunning array of contemporary glass pieces, and the Carnegie Print Collection, with over five hundred originals from innovative Australian printmakers from 1940 on; if you're lucky, Sally Robinson's vivid Kakadu series might be on display. The adjacent Museum of the Riverina (free) keeps the same opening hours and often hosts exhibitions on indigenous artists and local crafts.
On Sunday mornings a bit of life is sparked by the
markets
(7.30am-noon), at the Grace Bros car park on O'Reilly Street, which have secondhand clothes and books, crafts, local produce and cakes on sale. The
Ngungilanna Culture Centre
, 11 Gurwood St (call to check opening hours on 02/6921 8982), is also worth checking out: run by the Wagga Advancement Aboriginal Corporation, it sells locally made crafts and clothes, as well as books, cards and paintings from around Australia. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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