Recently, we spent a weekend in the town of Creswick as place from which to visit the old gold towns of Creswick, Clunes, Talbot and Maryborough. In the 1850s these towns were booming centres in the gold rush that contributed significant levels of wealth to the State of Victoria.
The weather over the weekend was typical of this area in winter. On our first day, the maximum temperature didn’t exceed 7C and on the following day it reached a tropical maximum (in comparison) of 10C.
I’ve posted about these towns before but there is always something interesting to explore and see.
Creswick is a well preserved historic town that has evolved into a popular and attractive rural township servicing the surrounding district which is known for its forestry, grazing and agriculture. It is characterised by a broad main street, ancient volcanic hills, a substantial number of impressive historic buildings and extensive bushwalking areas.
The male population of this region was decimated in World War One. Therefore there are a good number of “Avenues of Honour” in surrounding towns. The practice of planting an avenue of trees was popularised during and after World War I, particularly in the state of Victoria, where 472 Avenues were planted. (More than 200 of these Avenues of Honour still stand.
These living memorials are a poignant reminder of the devastating impact of war on families and communities. They were a way for a community to show its grief and to ensure that those who lost their lives in the line of service are remembered. Those that died in various WW1 battles are actually buried thousands of kilometres away from their families, so local war memorials became a substitute grave that widows could visit and these avenues of trees (all named for an individual serviceman ) became significant memorials.
One of them, the Creswick Shire Avenue of Honour is located five kilometres out of town, in Kingston. This majestic Avenue of 286 Dutch Elm trees stretches for 2.9km, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. All the trees were planted by the local community.
The gold mining history of this area is illustrated by one of the gold mines, the Berry No. 1 Deep Lead Gold Mine, which can be seen from the roadside along the drive between Smeaton and Clunes. One of the many massive old gold mines on the Berry Lead, all that remains of this mine are the charming ruins of a brick pump house.
Although the Berry Lead was extraordinarily rich in gold, the Berry No. 1 mine has been described as “spectacularly unprofitable”. The mine was floated on the stock exchange in March 1881, and by the end of 1884 the shaft had been sunk 494 feet with no payable results. Very large sums were spent on wages and plant.
This mine faced difficulties with large flows of water, heavy drift clogging the pumps, declining yields, foul air, and exhausted capital. Over twenty years, with operating costs of £278,764, its record was 50,000 ounces of gold and dividends of less than £5,000. The Berry No. 1 mine shut down at the turn of the century. MIning is not a ‘sexy’ business and mounds of earth and mullock heaps still litter the landscape after the passing of nearly 200 years.
The town of Clunes is regarded as the best preserved 19th century historic town in the country. It is a full of historic buildings with the main street being wide and elegant – full of 19th-century shops with original store-fronts and distinctive verandas. Historically, it can fairly claim that it was the site of Victoria’s first gold strike. Located in a steep valley surrounded by hills which are extinct volcanoes, it is known for its antique and collectable stores, its vineyards, its pleasant walks and its charming collection of sandstone, bluestone and brick buildings.
By the end of 1858, the mines were paying well and everyone was prosperous. By then, the population had reached 1,000 and by 1861 had increased to 1,083 and there were 470 dwellings. At that time, Clunes had its own council and 292 children attended five schools. The population increased in 1866 to 3,526. There were 8 schools, 850 dwellings, 5 churches, and 7 quartz mines. By 1862 Clunes possessed a Freemasons Lodge, a Manchester United Order, Oddfellows, Forresters, St. Andrews Society, Hiberian Society, Rechabites, Orange Lodge, Protestant Alliance, Good Templars. There were 15 hotels, 12 grocers, 1 baker, 6 butchers, 4 fruit and confectionery shops, 2 restaurants, 4 boarding houses, 2 tailors, 3 drapers, 4 bookshops, 2 painters and paperhangers, 2 ironmongers, 4 blacksmiths, 2 wheelwrights, 2 stationers, 5 churches, 2 doctors, 3 foundries, 1 gas works and several brickmaking yards.
About 14 kms up the road is another old gold town – Talbot. The town’s website describes it as “a living ghost town” but this is not really correct. TIme has certainly stood still but it still has excellent accommodation and a couple of good eateries. It also has a number of art galleries. There are some excellent Aboriginal artefacts nearby and the town has a another rich collection of interesting, historic buildings.
One of them, Talbot railway station was opened on 2 February 1875 and was closed on 12 September 1993. It reopened on 22 December 2013, when the current station was established. It was built in the same style as the stations in Clunes and Creswick. Passenger trains passed through here until September1993, when the overnight “Vinelander” service to Mildura was cancelled, and the only remaining daylight service along the Mildura line, that ran several times a week, the “Sunraysia” had already succumbed at the end of May, 1990. The station was attended until 1994, and closed for all purposes the same year.
There were plans to demolish ithe station but, thankfully, it has been turned into a railway museum and nursery, and recent pictures show that it is well maintained, and the platforms are covered in plants. The goods shed has also survived, and has been repainted, along with the crane.
Further along, Maryborough was once a hugely successful gold mining town with a population which may have reached as high was 53,000 prospectors, It is now a small city with a number of impressive buildings of which the railway station is particularly impressive.
Mark Twain visited this town in 1885 and observed that Maryborough was “a railway station with a town attached”. He added that “You can put the whole population of Maryborough into the station and give them a sofa apiece, and have room for more.”
The reason why the station is so large is that because there was a vision for a rail-connected Victoria in the age that preceded the motor engine. Maryborough was expected to be a crucial junction between the Wimmera, Geelong, Ararat, Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne, especially for freight such as wheat. Sadly, this growth did not eventuate but the station was already there.
This Queen Anne style red brick building with stucco trimmings and Dutch-Anglo influences was erected in 1890-1, with 25 rooms, an ornate clock tower, Flemish gables, oak wall panels, a large portico, and a spectacular platform veranda – the longest in country Victoria.
Other parts of Maryborough also illustrate the amount of gold money in the town The grand civic square with the town hall, post ofice and court house are indicative of a very wealthy time.
Princes Park in Maryborough would rival any capital city park and sporting venue. This is one of Victoria’s oldest recreation reserves. It has been the site of sporting events since it was first used as a cricket ground in 1857, only a few years after Yarra Park (1853) and Albert Park (1855) in Melbourne.
Erected in 1905 to celebrate the town’s golden jubilee the ornate band rotunda also stands in Princes Park. The particularly ornate cast ironwork caught my eye and is recorded as being Late Victorian style. It’s certainly more ornate than your average pub veranda. In this modern era, it’s hard to imagine bands playing in the park on a Sunday afternoon without the use of electricity.
