The Punt Hotel

 

Darlington Point
Quiet and attractive town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River
Darlington Point is a sleepy little town of about 1000 people 621 km west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. 33 km south of Griffith in the Riverina district it is situated on the banks of the Murrumbidgee where the riverside beaches are ideal for camping, picnicking, fishing and swimming. The town is surrounded by a tranquil red gum forest which is home to numerous birds and animals. The local economy is sustained by sawmilling, egg and poultry production and the more traditional pursuit of grazing.

The town developed around a ford which provided a crossing when the river was low. The first run was taken up in 1844 by John Peter who named it 'cooba' after the Aboriginal word 'coob' for a common local tree. The crossing was used by bullock teams and stock en route to the Victorian markets or stations on the opposite side of the river. As a result of this usage, Surveyor Townshend reserved land for a future township in the early 1850s.

In 1864 George Rogers acquired 56 acres of the 'Cuba' station. He named the area 'Darlington', for reasons unknown, and established an inn adjacent to both the Wagga-Hay Road and the road that lead from there to the crossing. Another hotel was built on the southern side ultimately leading ot the development of the Waddi township. Drovers, shearers, travellers, station hands and timber-getters supplied the bulk of the trade.

River steamers began to ply the Murrumbidgee in 1853. Darlington became a wooding station for the steamers. In 1866 the new owner, Edward Grimley, of the Darlington Inn bought a punt which could carry 1700 sheep and opened a store near the inn, both of which increased local custom.

The following year the bushranger 'Blue Cap' (Robert Cotterell) and his gang engaged in a drinking binge at the hotel. They terrorised an old shepherd they suspected of stealing a booty-laden swag. He confessed but claimed he couldn't remember where he had hidden it, owing to an excess of alcohol. They strung him up from the verandah then let him down and told him they were going to shoot him. He fled into the bush at the first opportunity. Blue Cap was caught a couple of months later and sentenced to ten years.

Between 1864 and 1875, when the town had three hotels, a store and a blacksmith's store, little development took place. A steamer company established a wool store in 1876 and a small wharf went up alongside. A growing population (there were said to be 1000 in a 12-mile radius in shearing season) led to the establishment, by 1883, of a post office, courthouse, police barracks, school and telegraph service.

The Warangesda Aboriginal Mission was established 4 km from town in 1880 by pastor John Gribble who was appalled at the living conditions of the Aboriginal peoples and the indifference of local whites. Gribble set up the mission to try and help them. However, the government later decided it wished to discourage concentrations of Aborigines. After Gribble's departure it made life impossible for the residents by throwing them off the land, forcibly removing children to white homes, resuming land and terminating financial assistance. The mission bell now adorns St Paul's Anglican Church in town.

Things to see:  

Exploring around the town
A pontoon bridge went up at Darlington Point in 1880. The following year a public ferry service was established, the railway arrived en route for Hay and a public wharf was built. The remains of the latter can be found just past the town beach. The population was then 120. The first church (Presbyterian) was not built until 1893.

A lift bridge was built in 1905, part of which was reconstructed for the bicentenary and can now be found at the entrance of the Darlington Point Caravan Park. It was replaced by a concrete bridge in 1979. The Catholic Church was opened in 1925 and dedicated to Saint Oliver Plunket. The Punt Hotel dates back to 1869 but the current structure was erected in the 1920s after a fire destroyed the original building.

There is also a museum in Darlington St featuring antiquated domestic and farm equipment, although it is only at the developmental stage as yet (02 6968 4130). It is housed in the old courthouse building. At nearby Waddi is a collection of unusual free-standing sculptures by Ron Clarke, a skilled artist whose medium is steel.

 

 

 

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Darlington Point