1840s–2018
Two settlements, a reading room and a bridge
Gundaroo's colonial village history is only one layer of the Yass Valley's past. The council's regional history recognises Ngunnawal and Wiradjuri peoples as traditional inhabitants. The later settlement developed in two places: Upper Gundaroo and the surveyed village around Cork Street.1, 2
Upper Gundaroo had a hotel by 1840 and a post office by 1848. After surveyor John Mann laid out the newer village, its lots initially attracted little interest. In 1856 John Wishart, helped by William Affleck, built a store there. Commercial activity gradually acquired a new centre.2
Affleck's buildings trace that growth. The Royal Hotel was built for him in 1865. A cottage he built for rent in 1888 became something different in 1897, when he donated it to the Mutual Improvement Society. The Literary Institute served as a library and reading room.3, 4
The river crossing also changed. A timber truss bridge opened in 1900, was replaced in 2009 and demolished in 2014. In June 2018 reclaimed timber returned to Gundaroo for community projects. The historical society's account follows that material from bridge to storage yard and back to the village.5