Today, Mothers Day, many people will be giving their Mum's tickets to a concert, the theatre or to see a movie, or perhaps a CD or some other type of music. Music is a very popular way to tell people, like our Mum's that they are special. It's a little known fact, but Roy is a great singer so I suggested that for Mothers Day he sing something special for his Grandma, who always comes on our outings. He thought that was a great idea, but of course he also wanted to take her somewhere special where he could sing. When I suggested the Prince Of Wales Opera House in Gulgong (not far from Mudgee in Central NSW), he thought this would be perfect.
The Prince Of Wales Opera House in Gulgong was first built well over a century ago, in 1871, though the original building was very different to the one which is there today. It was built by John Hart Cogdon and was constructed of bark and timber. In fact, there are some who think that it was the biggest bark building ever constructed, though whether this is true or not is impossible to prove. Later the Opera House was rebuilt, first in weather board and then in brick. During the first half of the 20th century the Prince Of Wales Opera House underwent a name change and became the local cinema, The Roxy. Despite its changes it is reputed to be the oldest still operating Opera House in the Southern Hemisphere! To learn more about the Prince Of Wales Opera House, click here.
You might assume that the Opera House was built simply to house local productions and amateur theatre, but this is not the case. Many of the people who have sung on its stage have been world famous, including Dame Nellie Melba, one of the most famous Opera Singers in the world at the turn of the 20th century! More recently, the Prince Of Wales Opera House has hosted such famous performers as Roger Woodward and James Morrison. Roy and I proved that the accoustics of the theatre are fantastic when he sang for his Grandma!
Although today you might wonder why such a small, country town has its own Opera House, at the time the Prince Of Wales Opera House was built, Gulgong was a thriving Gold Rush town. Gulgong was gazetted as a gold field in 1866, though at first little gold was found. In 1870 though, this all changed when a man named Tom Saunders discovered a large amount of gold at Red Hill. This sparked a major gold rush to the area and by 1872, not long after the Opera House was built there are apparently 20,000 people in Gulgong!
If you would like to visit the Prince Of Wales Opera House, it is 'open' 7 days a week, though you will need to visit the craft shop next door and ask to be shown around. They're happy to show off their beautiful theatre to anyone who is interested.