Cookardinia is a rural locality in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The locality is south of the regional city of Wagga Wagga and east of the town of Henty. Its surrounding area has an approximate population of 283 persons. The place name 'Cookardinia' is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "the place of the giant kingfisher", probably a reference to the Kookaburra and hence the phonetic similarity. Only several buildings remain, including the old 'Buckaringa' woolshed on the Cookardinia-Henty Road and the Memorial Hall built in 1925. On the intersection of the Henty, Culcairn and Holbrook roads can be seen the (rapidly deteriorating) ruins of the Squatter's Arms Inn which was built in 1848. The Squatter's Arms Inn closed its doors to official trading in 1925 but then was briefly restored internally when it featured in the 1976 filming of Mad Dog Morgan, starring Dennis Hopper. History Pastoral runs In 1943 Robert Burke occupied the ‘Buckaginga’ pastoral run in the Murrumbidgee Pastoral District. At the time he was “the first settler in that part of the country, there being no other person occupying land within a circuit of 100 miles”. Six months later John Post, an ex-convict, took up the ‘Cookardinia’ run, adjoining ‘Buckaginga’ to the south. In 1847 the ‘Buckaginga’ license was sold to John Morrice. Later Morrice sold ‘Buckaginga’ to Osborne who ran the property as a sheep station. John Post lived on the ‘Cookardinia’ run with his wife and children. The property was used to raise fat cattle and for running a dairy. From January 1852 a lease “for Pastoral purposes only” was granted to John Post and John Keane for the ‘Cookardinia’ run. John Post's wife Bridget died in September 1863. Squatters' Arms Hotel As the district developed and nearby towns were established the ‘Cookardinia’ run happened to be located on the main road between Albury and Wagga Wagga, near the junction of branch roads to Henty and Culcairn. John Post took advantage of the position by building a roadside inn to provide accommodation and other amenities for travellers. From the early 1860s the hotel at ‘Cookardinia’ was managed by Elizabeth Stamp. The inn was often referred to as “Mrs. Stamp’s hotel”. In June 1863 the bushranger Dan Morgan and another man held up four young men “at Mr. Post’s station, Cookendina, near Albury”. The young men “were proceeding from Ten-mile Creek