GILGANDRA Gilgandra is the next town encounted when traveling north (or south) on the Newell Hgy. Gilgandra is a small town that has quite a bit going for it. The town is easily missed and the diversion for a visit should be taken. The name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "long waterhole" and may be related to fact that town stands on the Castlereagh River. The town was proclaimed in 1888, and the first town blocks were sold in 1889. The area had been previously settled and Gilgandra’s Post Office was established in 1867 and in 1881 a local school opened, and the first court hearing in the Gilgandra court house was in 1884. The shire was constituted in 1906. During World War I, a recruitment march to Sydney began in Gilgandra. The march was known as the Cooee March, after the distinct call of "cooee" they shouted at each town along their journey to attract recruits. Twenty-six men left Gilgandra on 10 October 1915. They were feted at each town on the route and recruitment meetings were held. By the time they reached Sydney just over one month later on 12 November, the numbers had swelled to 263 recruits. There is a Rural Museum, which has old coaches, shearing sheds and equipment, as well as some of the old rooms, decked out as to how they were in the former days. There is Cactus World, which has a large range of cacti to look at. From the small to the large, there are all types. Gilgandra has an observatory open from Wednesday to Sunday. Gilgandra has three traditional pubs. The Railway by the rail. All are over a century. The Catholic Church is an ugly. The Anglican and Presbyterian are  traditional and the United and the Lutheran modern. The Gilgandra War Memorial is at the entry to the cbd. A stroll in Gilgandra could determine a stopover; it is that sort of place.