Bicentennial Park, Walla Walla
Alive with Opportunity
Walla Walla
In 1839 the first licence is recorded
for the Walla Walla Station (a total
of 50 square miles), by Mary
Larkham of Sydney who was 80
years old at the time. Following a
succession of owners including
Stephen Henty and the Stitt
Brothers, Walla Walla Station was
run by the trustees of Charles Hill
Douglas until the NSW government
purchased the station in 1908. It
was resurveyed into 113 farms,
ready for ballot on 18 January 1909.
‘The Trek’ party arrived in the Walla
Walla area in January 1869
travelling in 14 wagons and 2 spring
carts from Ebenezer, South
Australia to take up land being
allocated by the NSW government
(Robertson Land Act of 1861). A
party of 8 families consisting of 56
people (28 were less than ten years
old) left Ebenezer on 13 October
1868 and arrived at Jindera NSW
on 20 November 1868. The wagons
were of the original German design,
thought to have been built in South
Australia, traversing the Murray,
Edward and Murrumbidgee Rivers
until reaching the final destination
at Jindera. The journey took nearly
six weeks, they suffered no
sickness and few difficulties. Upon
reaching Jindera, the men moved
onto camps near Walla Walla and
selected land. Once registered, the
women and children left Jindera for
their new homes, yet to be built.
The original party comprised of
members from the following
families; Altus, Fiedler, Fischer,
Hanschk, Hennersdorf, Klemke,
Lieschke, Luhrs, mickan, Pannach,
Schmidt, Terlich, Weiss and
Mural of ‘The Trek’, Walla Walla
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www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au | Walla Walla
Wenke. Many were experienced
farmers who knew good land when
they saw it. The sandy soils of
South Australia were a poor
substitute for the brown, earthy
loams they found at Walla Walla,
along with the relatively close
proximity of other German settlers,
a few miles to the south.
First called Ebenezer after the town
in South Australia, this was
changed later to Walla Walla
(aboriginal for “place of many
rocks”). In honour of ‘The Trek’ a
memorial Cairn, unveiled 29 March
1954, stands on the site of the
historic tree where the men of ‘The
Trek’ spent their first night, before
selecting land. Unfortunately, the
original historic tree no longer lives
however a young descendant of
the old gum tree now grows on the
site.
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Place of Worship
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Alive with Opportunity | www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au
Major Road
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Eating Out
Bowling &
Recreation Club
Zion Lutheran Church, Walla Walla
The first Lutheran Church was built
in 1872, the second one was built
in 1889 and is now the church hall.
The German heritage survives
today with Walla Walla home to the
Zion Lutheran Church. Built in 1924,
it is the largest Lutheran Church in
New South Wales and seats almost
600 people.
Standing close by is a faithfully
restored replica of one of the
German Wagons that made ‘The
Trek’. Original German wagons
were painted with a blue body and
red wheels. This colour
combination was first used in early
Lutheran churches, with blue
symbolising heavenly love or the
colour of truth, and red
representing the colour of blood or
fire and symbolising confession as
well as the Holy Spirit. German
wagons typically had outward
sloping sides and due to their
weight and bulk (constructed from
red or blue gum) could not be
imported and thus were
manufactured in Australia.
At the turn of the twentieth
century, Walla Walla was
characterised by its close-knit
community, together with its
preservation of the German
language and the old ways.
Although World War I fostered a
sense of nationalism (albeit strongly
allied to the British Empire) this
proved a challenging time for the
Walla Walla community due to its
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ethnicity and the political issues of
conscription and
disenfranchisement from the
electoral roll. Four local residents,
including two Justices of the Peace
and members of the Culcairn Shire
Council were interned in the
Holsworthy Concentration Camp.
Tellingly, the honour board at the
Walla Walla Soldiers Memorial Hall
describes the war as one against
‘Prussian militarism’ rather than
Germany. The outbreak of World
War II saw tensions resurfacing and
attention was directed toward the
Lutheran pastors in the region,
rather than its civic leaders. This
was because conscription was no
longer the issue that it had been
during World War I and some
Lutheran pastors had shown
pro-German sympathies with the
resurgence of Germany. These
pastors were questioned and their
activities were monitored.
The first school in Walla Walla was
a congregational school established
in 1873. Instruction was conducted
in German. This school operated
from the original Zion Church
building until 1883 when a
mudbrick schoolhouse was
opened. In 1885, the responsibility
for educating the local children was
passed to the NSW Department of
Public Instruction. Germanspeaking classes continued to be
conducted but only for several
afternoons a week and then only
until the outbreak of World War I.
www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au | Our Smaller Communities
Home base for Men’s and
Ladies Lawn Bowls, Croquet,
Pool. Bonanza Draws and
Restaurant Meals Friday
nights. Auditorium and kitchen
available for hire. Open 5pm
daily. Join us for a drink and
chat at our Family friendly
meeting place.
5 Scholz St, Walla Walla
NSW 2659
Ph: 02 6029 2146
St Paul’s College was opened in the
church hall during 1948 to provide
secondary education to Lutheran
youth. In 1950 the school moved to
its present campus and was one of
the first co-educational boarding
schools in NSW. Today St Paul’s
College caters for students from all
over Greater Hume Shire, across
Australia and overseas. Students
choose from a wide range of
academic and practical subjects
including agriculture on the school
farm, and horsemastership at the
school’s Equine Centre.
Six kilometres north of Walla Walla
is Morgan’s Lookout, an impressive
white granite natural rock formation
which was called “Wallan Wallan”
by the local indigenous people. It is
famous for having been a vantage
point used by bushranger Mad Dan
Morgan, who terrorised the district
between 1860 and 1865. Today
Morgan’s Lookout is a popular spot
for a picnic, and a challenge to
climb the steps to the top of the
lookout, where there is a
spectacular 360° view of the
surrounding countryside. Also
worth a visit is the Gum Swamp
Reserve, a high conservation River
Red gum wetland located 2 kms
north of Walla Walla. The size and
diversity of plants and trees at the
Swamp provide many opportunities
for wildlife. When the Gum Swamp
fills, many birds use it for breeding
and foraging. 150 species of birds
have been identified; these include
the Brown Treecreeper, GreyCrowned Babbler, the Brolga and
White-Bellied Sea Eagle. It is also
an ideal habitat for frogs and home
to threatened species, including the
Fishing Bat and Squirrel glider.
There are tracks in the western
portion of the Gum Swamp
Reserve (off Lookout Road) that
allow easy access for walkers, and
there is a picnic table located
adjacent to the Swamp at Petrie’s
Creek.
Nearby King’s Bridge Reserve is
another significant high
conservation area, well worth
investigating, especially for bird
watchers.
Explore Walla Walla
Walla Walla today is a busy
agricultural and manufacturing
centre whilst still retaining its quiet
country image. Locally
manufactured sheds are still being
produced on the site of the famous
old Heppner Wagon Factory. Walla
Walla provides many family and
sporting facilities such as football,
cricket, netball, bowling, croquet,
swimming and tennis, as well as
the restored Walla Walla Literary
institute and memorial Hall which
caters for community events
including plays, concerts, dinners,
weddings and meetings.
n go bowling or croquet
striking at Walla Walla
Bowling green.
n visit the majestic Zion
Lutheran Church and view a
replica of a German Wagon.
n relax and enjoy Bicentennial
Park, which includes
swimming pools, gardens
and the recently restored 25
pounder gun.
n go birdwatching at Walla
Walla Gum Swamp Reserve.
n picnic at Morgan’s Lookout
and enjoy the incredible 360º
views.
n take a stroll along the
heritage trail.
Tours leading to
Jindera
• Mountains to the Plains
Expedition
• Trekkers Trip
• Birdwatchers Trek
• Bowlers Drive
• Golfers Swing
• Eco Adventure
• Cemetery Journey
• Museum Exploration
Tennis at Walla Walla
Zion Lutheran Church sign
Literary Institute, Walla Walla
Explore the Region | www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au
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