Tucked away on the Olympic Highway, an hour’s drive north of Wagga Wagga,Cootamundra might be a small town, but it’s made a big contribution to Australian identity, in the form of theCootamundra wattle - and the greatest cricketer in history.
Cootamundra is the birthplace of the celebrated Australian cricket captain Don Bradman. Bradman was so good that during one Ashes tour of Australia, England invented the controversial tactic of ‘Bodyline’ bowling in an effort to neutralise his extraordinary batting.
Cootamundra was the home of another Australian cricket captain, Bill Murdoch. He, Bradman and the 40 other Australian cricket captains are commemorated in the town’s Captain’s Walk. The cricket captains, along with the 19th century Aboriginal cricketer Unaarrimim, are immortalised as bronze statues in a peaceful park.
