The Wild Reed: Australian Sojourn

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Australian Sojourn – April-May 2026

Part 4: Gunnedah

I share this evening a few images from my recent time in Gunnedah, my Australian hometown.

Gunnedah and its surrounding area were originally inhabited by Indigenous Australians who spoke the Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) language. The area now occupied by the town was settled by Europeans in 1833. Through my maternal grandmother’s family, the Millerds, my family can trace its connection to Gunnedah back to the town’s earliest days. For more about the town’s history and my family’s connection to it, see the previous Wild Reed posts, My “Bone Country” and Journey to Gunnedah.

Above: A depiction of Gambu Ganuurru, “Red Kangaroo,” the Indigenous Australian warrior and leader of the Gunn-e-dar people of the Kamilaroi tribe. After his death in the late 1700s, he was buried in the traditional way inside a carved tree.

Above and below: In driving from Port Macquarie to Gunnedah, one of my favorite sights is the area just on the other side of the mountains before one arrives at the town of Walcha. The landscape is dotted with popler trees, which at this time of the year (autumn in Australia) stand like columns of living flame. Just beautiful!

While in Gunnedah I stayed with my dear Aunty Ruth, my mum’s younger sister and only surviving sibling. We had a wonderful time.

While in Gunnedah I caught up with a number of childhood friends and neighbors, and enjoyed visiting places and viewing sights that feel part of my very bones.

NOTE: Commentary on the following images to follow.