THE name 'Bong Bong' lives on today in our area as the main street of Bowral, a bridge, a racecourse and an historic Common.
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Bong Bong Common preserves the site of the first surveyed township in the Southern Highlands. An obelisk made from polished trachyte, the unique local stone, was erected there in 1947 to mark the site's significance.
The trachyte was taken from the Mt Gibraltar quarries of Loveridge and Hudson (Bowral). Bricks used in the foundation have an interesting link with early settlement days as each bear the stamp of Hickman and Co, Stroudbridge (England). These were obtained from The Briars nearby which was undergoing remodelling at the time.
The obelisk is engraved with gold lettering and with a stylised map of the original site. Generously donated by Mr H Talbot Sanderson of Wongabri, Bong Bong, the obelisk stands on a small parcel of land made available by him, on the left side of Moss Vale Road about 200 metres north of the Bong Bong bridge.
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The Governor of NSW, General Sir John Northcott, unveiled the commemorative obelisk on January 18, 1947, in the presence of local and visiting lovers of history.
In 1996 the Bong Bong Common Committee and Wingecarribee Shire Council adopted a concept plan by consultant Michael Bligh that was modified to include greater emphasis on the history of the site.
Professor Ian Jack of the Royal Australian Historical Society and a member of the Bong Bong Committee, is reported in the Southern Highland News of June 26, 1996, as making the following observations in respect of the significance and features of the Bong Bong Common:
"The primary significance of the site is historical and archaeological; its secondary importance is as public open space with a potential for quiet leisure and educational pursuits, both for local people and for tourists.
The wooden and stone causeway which took the original south road (the Argyle Road) over the Wingecarribee is the only structure of its sort surviving from the 1820s in New South Wales - a well-preserved and visible artefact with potential for excavation around the eastern end, it has high national historical and scientific significance.
The site of the original 1820s township of Bong Bong consisting of five identifiable buildings including the soldiers' barracks and the gaol, has been precisely located and has not been built upon since it was abandoned in the 1840s.
As the site of the earliest public buildings in the Southern Highlands, the township site has high historical and archaeological significance at regional level.
The crop and stock enclosures, with the site of service huts along the river, belong to the 1820s - they constitute an essential suite with the township and are historically significant.
The site of William Bowman's Argyle Inn (1827-1848), with an associated rubbish dump, is an integral part of earliest Bong Bong, set on a high position overlooking the settlement and causeway.
The site as a whole preserves the visible relationship between the various elements of the 1820s' occupation, and preserves also the important sight-line from Bowman's Inn to Throsby Park where the magistrate lived."
The historical significance of the area was taken into account when the now well-used walk/cycle-way route was planned so that it avoided all sensitive areas.
Access to the site for pedestrians from the eastern side of Moss Vale Road starts at the obelisk, goes under the bridge and curves up to the first terrace level (where the township site is located) and then the path proceeds several kilometres north-west by the river. Signage along this cycle/walk-way provides a brief outline of the historical features.
Those who do explore this historic local area will find that just behind the Bong Bong obelisk is a 200 metre track that leads into the Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve.
This is a significant wet-land managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. There are several kilometres of easy walks and an information display lists the history, wildlife and scientific data of the reserve. Picnic tables, barbecues and toilets are available.
Within easy walking distance also is the historic Christ Church and graveyard, built in 1845 on land given by the Throsby family.
Bong Bong is really worth a visit, especially on a fine spring day.
This article is sourced from the archives of Berrima District Historical & Family History Society, corner of Old Hume Highway & Bowral Road, Mittagong.
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