BUNGENDORE Bungendore is last small town prior to arriving at the ACT region. Not quite as isolated as Braidwood being on an alternative route to Goulburn. Bungendore is a very spread community, insofar there is no single main street. That said plenty of history is on display. This is another central highlands heritage centre. The first Europeans in the vicinity were members of the exploratory party of Dr Charles Throsby in 1820, who, along with Hamilton Hume, also originally explored the Braidwood area. A year or two later, the first European settlers arrived. The mail service to Bungendore was introduced in 1837, enhancing the importance of the village and contributing to the proclamation of Bungendore as a "town" in the same year. When the railway arrived on 4 March 1885, the town grew quickly. New buildings appeared rapidly, such as churches, the courthouse/police station, The town remained a railhead from 1885 until the line reached Queanbeyan in 1887, but by then, Queanbeyan was emerging as the major town in the area. In 1894, gold was discovered at Bywong and then in 1901, Lake George and Bungendore were proposed as sites for the nation's capital city. This did not eventuate, as the draw card of Lake George failed to impress the visiting Commissioners of the time. Weekend tourism is now a major contributor to the economy with the town having day trip appeal to the ACT region and Goulburn. Bungendore has two pubs. Both being well over 100 years old. The Bungendore War Memorial is opposite the Post Office. The major denominations are represented and the churches and buildings are heritage listed. Bungendore is another of those towns to allow a bit of time to absorb. Refreshment at the xxx Hotel will top off the visit.