There are four villages in the Shire: Coolac, Tumblong, Muttama and Nangus, with populations ranging from 40 to 90 people. Climate Gundagai has a warm temperate climate. Under Köppen climate classification, the town has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with characteristics of the Mediterranean climate (Csa). Seasonal variation is great, especially about the maximum temperatures. Summers are hot, sunny, often sweltering and prone to severe drought, whereas winters are cool and cloudy with frequent rainy days and occasional sleet, though settling snowfalls are rare. Heritage listings Gundagai has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Cootamundra-Tumut railway: Gundagai Rail Bridge over Murrumbidgee River Cootamundra-Tumut railway: Gundagai railway station Middleton Drive: Prince Alfred Bridge Economy Other than tourism generated by bush appeal and the historic bridges, Gundagai's economy remains driven by sheep and cattle, as well as wheat, lucerne and maize production. As of 2005, secondary industries in Gundagai included the Gundagai Meat Processors Plant and D J Lynch Engineering. The meatworks is the shire's largest single employer, with over 100 employees. The latter firm has produced work for major construction projects, including building steel spans for the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. Gold mining Gold was identified by the geologist Rev. W. B. Clarke at Gundagai in 1842. A gold rush hit the area in 1858 following further discoveries of gold. Mining continued initially until 1875, with a second gold rush in 1894. Mines operated again until well into the 20th century with some mining activity still occurring in 2007. The best known historical mines were the Robinson and Rice's Mine (Long Tunnel Mine) a few miles to the south west of Gundagai and the Prince of Wales Mine (where Herbert Hoover, the future President of the United States, was the mining engineer in about 1900) a few miles to the immediate west of Gundagai. Both mines struck the orebody in quartz reefs along serpentine/diorite contact zones with finds of gold telluride (of bismuth origin) also found. Nangus Island in the middle of the Murrumbidgee River at Nangus is marked as one of the early goldfields and was previously named 'M'Arthur Island'. It is adjacent to where the highly auriferous Adelong Creek enters the Murrumbidgee. Asbestos mining Asbestos was first mined commercially in Australia, at Gundagai. Actinolite was mined along Jones Creek just to the west of the town but there are several deposits in the immediate area. Some fibres were two