Eat, See and Do in Gunning
Gunning: A Whole World in a Small Place
Visit, Dine, Stay and be entertained, while soaking up some local history
While here for a gig with modern classical outfit Ensemble Offspring, Claire and her bandmates went browsing and shopping. She was delighted with the striking magpie earrings she found at a local craft shop across the road from the venue and wore them for the performance.
Like to know more? Then come with us on a short trip around the Gunning CBD to see what we offer. All these attractions are within a short distance of each other. Free parking is readily available on the street or nearby.
Gunning Courtroom: Gunning’s Home of Chamber Music
We begin at the Gunning Courthouse because it will be the destination for many visitors going to a fine music concert.
A working Court of Petty Sessions from 1879 to 1984, the Courtroom is now a multi-purpose community facility.
Its acoustics combine with its new, very comfortable audience seating and historic, intimate atmosphere to create a uniquely exceptional chamber music venue. Musicians and music lovers alike say being there for a performance is a joy.
Acclaimed string ensemble, the Acacia Quartet, has performed twice in the Courtroom in recent years. Both we and they look forward to them returning in the future.
Creative Gunning
Directly across the street from the Courtroom is the home of Creative Gunning. Creative Gunning members create lovely arts and crafts items they market through this venue.
Visiting this excellent shop is a terrific opportunity to find a beautiful handmade gift for yourself or someone else and help support local craftspeople.
The shop is open Friday to Monday, 10 am to 4 pm, and often stays open longer when there are Courtroom concerts so patrons can visit the shop after the performance.
The Picture House Gallery & Bookshop
Next door to Creative Gunning, in the 1937 Coronation Theatre building, is the Picture House Gallery and Bookshop. It is owned by acclaimed actor and artist Max Cullen and internationally renowned artist Margarita Georgiadis.
The gallery houses a first-rate collection of original artworks, second-hand books, prints, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics by local and interstate artists.
Opening Hours: 10 – 4 Sat, Sun & Public Holidays or By Appointment
Electric Vehicle Charger
There is a credit card-operated electric vehicle charging station in front of Bailey’s garage, capable of providing up to 22 kW AC. Bring your own cable. See https://www.plugshare.com/location/351117
Old Hume Cafe
The Old Hume Cafe is a place to escape and refresh. We bring old-world country charm with a warm and friendly welcome, great coffee, and fresh and flavourful food in a relaxed hideaway.
With a playground for kids, plenty of parking for motorcycles and car clubs, and freshwater bowls plenty for our four-legged friends, we welcome one and all to come and enjoy the Old Hume Cafe.
Open: Every day 6.30 am – 4 pm.
Will and Russ
If there’s a scent that smells like coming home, it is the fragrance that strikes you when you open the door and walk into Min Byrnes’s shop, Will&Russ, just beside the Old Hume Cafe.
Will&Russ is a foraged goods store where customers are inspired to bring a touch of nature into their homes. It is a gift shop with a twist.
Open: 9 am to 3 pm Friday Saturday & Sunday. Or by appointment.
Phil’s Fruit and Veg
On most concert days, Phil’s Fruit Van is between Bandicute and the Telegraph Hotel between 9.30 am and 4 pm. For some people, Phil’s van is one of Gunning’s main attractions.
Phil’s fare comprises fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, and, from time to time, a variety of jams, lemon butter and passata sauce, as well as a range of small goods.
Bandicute
At our next stop, you enter a world of creativity at Ellen and Jess’s unique shop, Bandicute. A visit to their charming space is not just a shopping experience; it’s a journey into the vibrant tapestry of their mother-daughter duo’s creative magic.
Their exclusive Australian-made educational products and children’s clothing are loved by thousands of parents and educators with 500+ five-star reviews!
Opening hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9 am – 2 pm
Sophera
We now come to an unprepossessing shopfront in the circa 1881 London House building. Lacking plush furnishings or elegant signage, it does not look like the place to find top-end Hi-Fi speakers. Go inside though, and you will be amazed.
This is the workshop, studio, and home where Michael Brown crafts his Sophera spheres—handmade, polished concrete loudspeakers highly praised by audiophiles.
Michael’s singular speakers are so desired by Hi-Fi connoisseurs because they combine art with high technical expertise and experience. They have been described as more akin to a fine musical instrument than a technical object.
Michael may be at home when you visit. You can also contact him at 4845 1573 to arrange an appointment. For more information, go to https://static.theceomagazine.com/content/downloads/pdf/ANZ-2016.06-I_Michael_Brown_speakers.pdf
Merino Café staff with Home and Away star Rohan Nichol.
Merino Cafe
The Merino Cafe prides itself on the quality and consistent lusciousness of its homemade country meals, coffee, and cold beverages.
It offers a broad range of house-baked cakes, slices, and sweet treats.
The Merino also offers accommodation for visitors.
Open: Every day 7 am – 4 pm
The Telegraph Hotel and Bistro
The historic Telegraph Hotel and Bistro pub-style food and drink, including barista coffee, is popular with both locals and visitors.
Open: Open seven days as follows:
Bar and lounge: Mon-Fri noon- late
Sat-Sun 11 am – late
Bistro: Lunch 12 pm–2.30 pm. Dinner 5 pm – 8 pm
Bar
Bistro
Mobil Gunning
Mobil Gunning is a country petrol station and mini-supermarket beside the hotel and bistro. It has most things a traveller or somebody on their way home after visiting the village might need.
Open every day from 6 am to 8 pm.
Gunning Motel
Our last stop on this side of Yass Street is the Gunning Motel, which offers quiet, unpretentious, affordable, and comfortable accommodation. Here, you can relax and unwind from a long trip or stay overnight after a concert before you go home the next day.
Barbour Park
Barbour Park, is ideally situated alongside picturesque Meadow Creek. This park is perfect for picnics or relaxing, with a nearby playground and many shaded grass areas. It is also an excellent place to enjoy a takeaway lunch on a sunny day before going to a concert.
It provides free camping for a maximum of two nights. Facilities include hot showers, toilets, and free barbecues, all within a short stroll of the main street.
Gunning Nearly Antiques and Collectables
Our next stop returning to the Courtroom is Gunning Nearly Antiques & Collectables.
Visiting this excellent little store will arouse your interest and lift your spirits. Looking somewhat like a cross between an art gallery and museum, it displays a large and assorted array of antique, nearly antique, and otherwise collectable items, including pictures and pottery, tableware, kitchenware, and memorabilia. Whether you are a browser or collector, you will surely see something to admire.
Opening Hours: Sat – Sun 10 am – 3 pm
Gaol Cells
Next, just before we reach the Courtroom, we come to Gunning’s historic Gaol Cells.
Built in the 1870s and believed to have been in use for over 100 years, the gaol is now home to a historic display. It is open on special days and by request.
Please contact the Gunning and District Historical Society at gunninghistory@gmail.com for more information.
Pye Cottage Museum
The Pye Cottage Museum is some 240 metres from the Courtroom. Re-erected on this site in 1974, it was moved here piece by piece from its original site near Dalton by the Gunning & District Historical Society.
The slab hut cottage is furnished with some period pieces. It houses photographs that relate to significant people and sometimes sensational events in the district. There are household items and agricultural artifacts, particularly about our rich wool heritage.
The museum frequently hosts special displays featuring people and events important to the district’s history; they also hold rare documents, primarily written records, that provide glimpses into the past.
The museum is open on the second Sunday of the month – Spring, Summer & Autumn, and other special occasions. Contact 02 48456339
Whimsical Wares
“Saving the planet one gift at a time” is the guiding philosophy of Lisa Cullis and her team of friends and family at Whimsical Wares at the corner of Plews Lane and Nelanglo Street.
Whimsical Wares has a retail outlet in Goulburn. Here in Gunning, you can visit its HQ and warehouse to find upcycled furniture, jewelry, free pour candles, spiced hot chocolate, spice rubs, old wares, eco products, and heaps more.
Lisa
Connect@Gunning Station
This new arts facility brings the station to life with exhibitions, heritage displays, programs, events, workshops, community meetings, and gatherings following a glorious restoration by Transport for NSW.
Gunning Showgrounds Bushland Park
The Gunning Showgrounds Bushland Park is a 2.2 ha reserve in the south-western corner of the Gunning Showgrounds.
The Park contains Box Gum Grassy Woodland (an Endangered Ecological Community) and has accessible gravel paths, several park benches, and a yarning circle. Interpretive and educational signs provide insight into the woodland’s importance.
Self-Guided Heritage Walk of Gunning
You can explore the rich history and heritage of Gunning with a self-guided, three-kilometre heritage walk. It takes you to significant buildings and sites of interest. Free copies of the guide are usually available at Pye Cottage and Mobil Gunning, but to be sure you have one on the day, you can download a copy beforehand at https://www.visitupperlachlan.com.au/see-do/explore/walking-trails/
DALTON
The small village of Dalton is just a short 10-minute drive from Gunning.
It has a pleasant public park with a picnic table and shelter, barbecue facilities, public toilets, a tennis court, and an outdoor gym. For many, though, the main attraction is the outstanding fossil leaf rock display near the picnic table. This display, listed as a geological heritage site, shows plants from the early Miocene era, around 21 million years ago, in outstanding detail.
Oolong Creek, which runs through the park, is the home of the endangered Southern Pygmy Perch, a threatened fish species. This is one of only 3 populations remaining in NSW. Local landcarers have been working on the aquatic and riverine environment along the creek to improve the habitat for the fish.
The Royal Hotel
The Royal Hotel Dalton (circa 1865) is worth a visit, offering delicious classic pub food. Relax at the bar, dining room or beer garden area, which provides the perfect environment to get family and friends together for brunch, lunch, or dinner. It is a favourite stop for vintage car and motorcycle clubs to enjoy lunch with plenty of parking.
Come challenge your mates with a game of pool in the pool table room.
The hotel also has 4 boutique accommodation rooms available.
Opening Hours
Thursday 3 pm – 8 pm
Friday/Saturday 10 am – 9 pm
Sunday 10 am – 7 pm
25-27 Gunning St, Dalton NSW 2581
The Dalton Public Hall
The recently renovated Dalton Public Hall celebrated its centenary in 2023. With great acoustics, the hall is a regular venue for touring events of the Small Halls Festival and other musical concerts, plays, and movie nights.
Biannual market days are held in the hall, as well as exercise classes and crafting retreats. It is a well-appointed venue for hire for workshops, parties and community use. (Find us on FaceBook: “Dalton Public Hall-NSW”)
Accommodation Options
We have already introduced you to the accommodation available right in the village. But there are other options only minutes away – some within walking distance. You are sure to find something to suit you at https://www.airbnb.com.au/gunning-australia/stays
Make a Day of It in Gunning
Whatever first draws you to our village, many other things here are worth your time. So, why not make a day of it in Gunning? There’s plenty to see and good food to be had at the local cafes.