Q is for Queen City of the South

My post for Q in the A to Z challenge has the theme of Queen City of the South. But where is that? It’s location is Goulburn, NSW. I first came across the term when doing some research lately on the history of Goulburn, as some ancestors of mine settled in the Goulburn area back in the 1800s. My google search turned up a lovely old publication entitled ‘Goulburn, Queen City of the South’ which was published in 1946. The publication is filled with some interesting photos and tidbits about the town of Goulburn, and it intrigued me as to where the Queen City of the South part came from.

 

One reason for this name could be the way in which Goulburn officially became a city. Goulburn was declared a city on 14 March 1863 by Royal Letters Patent issued by Queen Victoria, which gave Goulburn the distinction of being the first inland city. So I can see how having your city ‘officially’ proclaimed by the Queen could lead to your town being known as the Queen City of the South.

Thomas and Ellen Dawson (centre) outside their ‘Royal Palace’

But this was not Goulburn’s only link to royalty. Further internet digging turns up articles about a local Goulburn woman name Ellen Dawson who was a local to Goulburn in the mid-1800s. What is interesting about Ellen is that she was the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of the South’. Her husband Thomas Dawson was likewise known as the ‘King of the South’ and the couple lived in a hut which they had christened their ‘Royal Palace’ complete with a Union Jack flag. By all accounts, Ellen was an eccentric woman who took her self-proclaimed queenship seriously. Accounts describe her as being regal in her bearing and dress. Ellen and Thomas were even involved in a few ‘royal scandals’ just like real royalty!

Even though the Dawsons aren’t relatives of mine, they lived in Goulburn in the same period as my ancestors so it adds some local colour to the stories of my ancestors. Even though Goulburn was large enough to warrant it being declared a city, even in modern regional cities the unique individuals stand out and I can’t help but believe that my ancestors may have encountered Ellen and her husband or at least have known of them.