Moruya Off The Beaten Path

This tip takes you to the former goldmining village of Nerrigundah. To get there, head 25km down the Princes Highway to Bodalla, then turn right and into the hills for about another 15 km. Little is left of the village apart from a few houses and the memorial seen in the accompanying photo: and that is what this tip is about.

On 8 April 1866, the Clarke Brothers bushranging gang rode in, just as darkness fell, and took over the town. Most of the police were away on patrol, but Trooper Miles O'Grady had been laid up with some strange disease known as "Colonial Fever". The bushrangers had based themselves in the store, which also was the main gold dealing office - however the owner had managed to dispose of the key to the safe and also managed to send word to Trooper O'Grady.

Trooper O'Grady was then reported to have said I must do my duty and, grabbing his gun went down the street where he confronted and shot one of the bushrangers who was menacing a citizen for his money. The other bushrangers promptly shot the Trooper, who later was buried in Moruya. With due ceremony, the colonial government of the day also erected this memorial to him in what was then the main street of Nerrigundah.

And the bushrangers? Well, they took off into the distance, but the other police promptly returned and organised a posse. They managed to locate the bushrangers, but an ineffective shootout (from both sides) ensued with only a packhorse being shot before the bushrangers escaped. The Clarke brothers were declared outlaws after this event and went on to further adventures - as you can read in the travelogue on my Braidwood page.