Nundle: Gold history, wool spinning and trails along the Peel River

Nundle combines trade and architectural history with wool processing and trails along the Peel River. If you’re looking for a hotel in Nundle, you can plan your visit around the topics that interest you most: local history, traditional spinning machines or activities by the river. These different focuses give your planning a clear direction.

Trade, architectural history and collections

John Odgers and William McClelland founded the Odgers and McClelland Exchange Stores and began trading in the early 1890s. The stores supplied the surrounding agricultural community and also served as an exchange for gold and produce. Nundle’s trading history therefore combines two functions: supplying farms and trading gold and goods.

The Nundle Courthouse Museum is housed in a two-storey red-brick building with distinctive arched windows. Local builder George Davidson constructed it in 1880; in 1975, the Australian Heritage Commission classified the building as an outstanding example of 19th-century colonial architecture. The museum’s exhibits include agricultural equipment, kitchen utensils, furniture, clothing and the Nundle Aboriginal Memorial. There is also information about the 1948 crash of the Lutana DC-3 on Crawney Mountain, in which three crew members and ten passengers lost their lives. Exhibits may change over time.

Another collection is housed at Nundle Library, 8 Innes Street: the Gil Bennet Rocks, Gems and Minerals Collection contains around 1,300 specimens. The late Gilmore Thomas Bennet of Tamworth assembled it over more than 20 years. The Peel Inn is also one of Nundle’s oldest surviving buildings.

Wool processing and gemstone country

Nundle Woollen Mill is one of the last operating spinning mills in Australia. Using traditional spinning machines, it processes raw wool into Nundle knitting yarn in 8-ply, 12-ply and 20-ply weights. Several machines are almost 100 years old. The long-used technology and named yarn weights represent two aspects of the mill: its traditional methods and the specific yarns it produces.

Nundle is one of nine stops on the Fossickers Way tourist route through gemstone country. You can also fossick for gold and sapphires in Nundle. Permits are required for gold panning. The route connects the town with gemstone country; fossicking is a specific activity you can factor into your plans.

Along the Peel River

The Nundle Riverside Walkway is a one-kilometre paved path that follows the Peel River through town. It connects Nundle’s historic walking loop with a natural riverside trail. The paved section runs through town; on the natural trail, you can walk, fish and watch birds. This lets you give different weight in your plans to a clearly defined section of the path and activities by the river.

Practical information

The Nundle Visitor Information Outlet offers guidebooks, maps and itineraries for Nundle and the surrounding region. These materials can help you find your way around the local and regional attractions. Opening hours listed for the Nundle Courthouse Museum are Saturdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and Sundays from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Check before your visit whether these hours apply on your chosen date.

Discover more destinations: Tura Beach, Laurieton, Tuross Head, Morisset, Glendon Brook, Segenhoe, Urunga, Glenwood

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