Goondiwindi Hotels

Goondiwindi is an Australian town of approximately 5,023 people (Census 2004) with an annual population growth of 1.3% over the year. The name Goondiwindi derives from a local Aboriginal word meaning "the resting place of the birds". Goondiwindi was first proclaimed a Municipality on the 20 October 1888. The town boundaries have not altered to this day, and before Federation the town served as one of few border crossings between QLD and NSW. The customs office which was used in that era stands today and is open for tourists. The most famous resident of Goondiwindi was Gunsynd, a thoroughbred race horse known as "The Goondiwindi Grey". In the late 1960s and early 1970s Gunsynd had 29 wins including the 1971 Epsom Handicap and the 1972 Cox Plate and came third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup. The name "Gunsynd" came from Goondiwindi Syndicate (Gun= Goondiwindi, Synd= Syndicate). A statue of Gunsynd is located in a park in the town centre. In 2007–2008 amalgamation of the local government areas of Goondiwindi Town Council (population 4,713), Waggamba Shire Council (population 2,871) and Inglewood Shire Council (population 2,533) formed the Goondiwindi Regional Council (combined population 10,117). The town is situated on the MacIntyre River in Queensland near the New South Wales border, 350 kilometres (220 mi) south west of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane. The twin town of Boggabilla is located a short distance away on the New South Wales side of the border. Most of the area surrounding the town is farmland.