For years all I really knew about Beechworth was that it was in north-eastern Victoria, was apparently very pretty, had a Ned Kelly association and a famous bakery. Now I know a great deal more about the town. It is indeed pretty, its history is fascinating and the bakery's reputation, in my limited experience, is somewhat inflated. But we'll get to that later.
Of one thing I have no doubt. The preservation of many of Beechworth's old buildings and the registration of those known as 'The Beechworth Historical and Cultural Precinct' under the auspices of the National Trust, the National Estate and Heritage Victoria have assured this town of a continuing and flourishing tourist trade.
There really is a great deal to see and learn here and I confess to have been struggling somewhat as to how to present it without rambling on for pages and pages. I have decided to divide the town into two.....'The Historical Precinct' and 'the rest' (from our perspective). In this missive I'll focus on the history.
The majority of the significant historical buildings can be found in a line along the eastern side of Ford Street.
I found it impossible to capture them all in one shot. Here are the buildings of the Courthouse, the Gold Receiver's Office (or Sub-Treasury), the Chinese Protector's Office and the Gold Warden's Office. Just out of shot on the right side is the Telegraph Station building and at the rear of these buildings is the open expanse of the 'Police Reserve' and the old Stone Lock-up. I am disappointed that I was unable to find any aerial shot which would put all this into perspective (you know how I like perspective!) so we'll just have to deal with all these one by one.
Liz and I decided that a guided tour of the historical area would be money well spent, and it was. Ian Sinclair, our guide, is a long-time Beechworth resident and son of one of the town's earlier constabulary. He is a real character, dresses for the occasion and has clearly knows his subject.
I was interested to later discover that much of the historical information now available is a direct result of the fact that in Beechworth's heyday two daily newspapers circulated throughout the district and indeed throughout the colony of Victoria. In fierce competition with each other, and quite openly reflecting the views of their respective readerships, copies of 'The Ovens and Murray Advertiser' (which still survives as the local paper to this day) and 'The Constitution and Mining Intelligencer' have been effectively preserved and archived and now act as a rich research source for historians.
Before we begin our 'trudge through history' I must make this comment. Beechworth's place in the general scheme of things is, to me, something like striking a match.....there is an initial brief flare of real intensity and heat, and from that point the flame reduces and burns quietly and steadily.
So it was with Beechworth. Its 'golden heyday' only lasted a mere five years or so. From 1852 to 1857 this was an extraordinarily rich gold region and centre of government, and although gold was mined here well beyond that first few fabulous years, Beechworth's power, wealth and influence were relatively short lived.
Fortunately for us (and uncommonly for the time) Beechworth's early administrators had the vision to realise the gold would not last forever. They made substantial investment in public amenities. A hospital for the aged, gaol, general hospital and mental asylum were all constructed or upgraded during the 1850s and 60s. It was the presence of these major institutions that maintained the economic strength of Beechworth after the gold years and into the 1990s.
Enough words for now. Let's take a look at what the far sighted burghers of Beechworth have left us in the historical precinct, beginning at the Court House. Built in 1858, this building remains one of the finest 'gold rush courthouses' in the country and it was still in use until 1989. But it was not Beechworth's first 'home of justice' as we shall see. Nevertheless it was in this building that the Kelly family made many appearances as did the other notorious bush ranger of the area, Harry Power.
And in this building we have another fascinating link with our past. It was here that Isaac Isaacs began his legal career. Who, I hear you ask. Good question. Sir Isaac, who grew up in nearby Yackandanda and was one of the first pupils at that town's primary school (which we visit later) and who was more latterly schooled in Beechworth, went on to become the first Australian citizen to be appointed Governor General (in 1930) after a distinguished legal and political career.
Next to the Court House is what is now called Ned Kelly Vault, a name given it merely because it now houses 'the world's largest collection of authentic Kelly gang materials' (or so the tourist blurb says). What is now a museum of sorts began life as the Gold Receiver's Office and Sub Treasury. When the gold ran out it was taken over by the local constabulary and remained Beechworth's Police Station until a new facility was built quite recently.
Security of the gold being brought into Beechworth from all the surrounding districts became an increasing problem from the time of the first discoveries. This building provided the answer. And it was from here that the gold was transferred to Melbourne, in massive quantities. For example, in the first year of its existence, 1856, 14,000 ounces of the precious metal were sent to the colonial capital.
Of course this was also the era of the Australian bushranger and highway brigand. Overt gold convoys were a prime target, irrespective of the size and firepower of any escort. Recognising this, the clever and resourceful folk of Beechworth devised another scheme. The gold from this town was trans-shipped by means of what appeared to be 'everyday travellers' of all different kinds.....cattle drovers, merchants, families on the move and so on. And it all got through unsullied. Hidden in plain sight as they say....brilliant.....and how incredible that this kind of clever 'outside the square' thinking could have originated in the halls of the public service of the time. Were that there were more of them today!
The next two building in this row are identical and reflect the designs and specifications of public offices of the time. In the foreground is the Gold Warden's Office whilst the other building housed the Chinese Protector.
The Chinese Protector? Here, of course, is another story. As happened all over Australia, gold discoveries brought thousands of Chinese to this country. Beechworth, El Dorado and the Woolshed Valley were no exceptions.
By 1857, when the Chinese Protector's office was opened, the Beechworth population of this ethnic minority had grown to over 4,000. Many came to this area after the anti-Chinese riot in the Buckland Valley drove them from the Mount Buffalo area. Although things never deteriorated to that extent in Beechworth, tensions between the Chinese and Europeans simmered. It was the task of the Protector to 'forge harmonious relations on the Spring Creek (in particular) goldfields', and in this case the incumbents seemed to have had some success. He was also responsible for collecting the required miner's rights and business licences.
The task of the Gold Warden was exactly the same, but he operated within the European community.
And this would seem a timely spot to provide another (for me at least) fascinating snippet about the discovery of gold at Beechworth.
The district was first explored by Hume and Hovell in 1824. Subsequently, based on their reports of the potential for good grazing, one David Reid, a retired British naval surgeon, took up land at what was originally know as Mayday Hill. His holdings were later taken over by his sons, who employed shepherds to look after their sheep flocks. One of these had come to Australia from the gold fields of California and was quick to recognise the features of his surroundings and an opportunity.
Whilst checking on his workers in February 1852, Reid came across two of them (including the recent arrival from America) sitting on the banks of Spring Creek, pans in hand. Naturally he was curious to know what they were up to, and after some argy bargy he found to his astonishment that they had panned an accumulated total of 14 lbs of alluvial gold (a staggering amount). Neither party was happy about the revelation....Reid because he knew that this would be the end of his peaceful grazing life and his employees because they would no longer have this bonanza to themselves.
Despite entreaties and promises on both sides for secrecy, the word was soon out and the rush was on. Miners came from around the world including Europe, UK, USA and Asia. From a humble settlement of campsites and timber huts, rapid social and economic change occurred with the arrival of mining families and businesses to support the growing community.
Within five years the population of Beechworth had grown to over 10,000, and during the boom the town supported a wide range of ancillary industries which included a tannery, blacksmiths, jewellers, boot makers, livestock sale yards, a brewery, and as one would expect, many pubs.
Fifteen years after the initial discovery of gold in the area, more than four million ounces had been recovered. To provide some perspective (there's that word again!) the dollar value of this horde today would be in the several billions, yes billions!
In another innovative move for a town of this era, in 1859 a Powder Magazine was built just outside the main township to store all the gunpowder used for blasting on the goldfields. Set behind these stone walls,
the building which housed the powder was designed to ensure that the damaging effect of any explosion would be minimised.
But back to the present day and the historical precinct. The last of the group of buildings facing Ford Street is the old Telegraph Station, which opened in 1858. This was the 'Internet of the day'. From here Beechworth was linked by Morse code transmissions to Melbourne, Sydney and many other centres. It is still operational, and for a $2 fee visitors can send a message to anywhere in Australia.....and for $4...anywhere in the world (probably excluding North Korea!)
Backing these buildings was the expanse of the Police Reserve. In the early 1850's this precinct harboured the police barracks, officers' and superintendent's quarters, the stables and the stone police lock-up. With thanks to 'travelvictoria' for this photo, this is all that now remains here (the stone lock-up can be seen in the middle distance). I am grateful to be able to use this photo to show you the open grassed area because,
on the day of our visit, this entire patch was being invaded by a group of 'carnies' who were setting up their stalls in preparation for the coming Easter holiday.
We did tramp across the heath to have a good look at the old Stone Lock-up. Here both male and female prisoners, usually on remand, were held, with as many as thirty being accommodated at any one time in what are obviously very small rooms. With one bucket for drinking water and another for the obvious, and an exercise period outside of one hour per day, I'll leave it to your imagination to ponder conditions here.
It is said that both Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen were familiar with the interior walls of this Taj Mahal of incarceration, something I have no reason to doubt.
Our good guide and true did point out that the exercise was conducted in an enclosed yard which used to surround the cell building. Apparently some years ago a prominent member of the local authority declared that the wall was unsafe. It was demolished, only to later apparently reappear at his home in a different form. Hmmmm....any relation to previous occupiers?
For the final piece of our jaunt around the historical precinct, we cross the road. Opposite all the fine 'champange granite' buildings (the Scottish masons employed to construct these buildings were so taken by the light colour of the local granite and the surface texture which looks like bubbles that they gave it that name.....being more than familiar with the grizzly grey granite of Scotland's buildings I can understand their delight in this material) stands the grand Beechworth Town Hall.
Originally this 1858 building housed not only the Shire Offices but also the Court of Petty Sessions. The three holding cells beneath the building were linked to the Court Room by a narrow spiral staircase.
One of these small rooms is now known as the Harry Power's cell and can be accessed through a door at the rear of the Town Hall building,
near which is this informative sign which provides all the relevant detail (reading glasses on!)
Like the Stone Lock-Up, these cells were not places of luxury. Behind this forbidding steel door
are the small wooden rooms in which the prisoners were held pending their court appearances (impossible to photograph meaningfully.....but I tried)
and here is all that now remains of the spiral staircase up which these unfortunates were led to meet their various fates at the hands of the Magistrate above.
Our tour of the 'formal historical buildings of Beechworth' would not be complete without another reference to the Chinese of the town.....the Chinese Burning Towers, which thanks to 'flickr.com' can be seen here at the front of the Beechworth Chinese Cemetery (which we did not get around to visiting)
And here, obviously, is another story. These towers were used by the friends and relatives of the dead for burning paper money in their memory. Initially, those Chinese who died on the Beechworth goldfields were sent home to China, as was the custom of the time, to be buried at their birthplace. However, after local officials discovered that many of these corpses weighted much more than they should have (you've guessed it.....gold is not light, not even smuggled gold), this practice was banned and local interment was demanded. These towers were then built to allow the Chinese to practice their burial beliefs.
And on that somewhat quirky note, I would conclude our tour of what I call 'formal historical Beechworth' This is not to say, however, that is the sum of the many interesting things we saw here during our visit. As I noted at the beginning of this missive we shall deal with 'the rest' in my next. The only problem is, there is just so much of it!
Of one thing I have no doubt. The preservation of many of Beechworth's old buildings and the registration of those known as 'The Beechworth Historical and Cultural Precinct' under the auspices of the National Trust, the National Estate and Heritage Victoria have assured this town of a continuing and flourishing tourist trade.
There really is a great deal to see and learn here and I confess to have been struggling somewhat as to how to present it without rambling on for pages and pages. I have decided to divide the town into two.....'The Historical Precinct' and 'the rest' (from our perspective). In this missive I'll focus on the history.
The majority of the significant historical buildings can be found in a line along the eastern side of Ford Street.
I found it impossible to capture them all in one shot. Here are the buildings of the Courthouse, the Gold Receiver's Office (or Sub-Treasury), the Chinese Protector's Office and the Gold Warden's Office. Just out of shot on the right side is the Telegraph Station building and at the rear of these buildings is the open expanse of the 'Police Reserve' and the old Stone Lock-up. I am disappointed that I was unable to find any aerial shot which would put all this into perspective (you know how I like perspective!) so we'll just have to deal with all these one by one.
Liz and I decided that a guided tour of the historical area would be money well spent, and it was. Ian Sinclair, our guide, is a long-time Beechworth resident and son of one of the town's earlier constabulary. He is a real character, dresses for the occasion and has clearly knows his subject.
I was interested to later discover that much of the historical information now available is a direct result of the fact that in Beechworth's heyday two daily newspapers circulated throughout the district and indeed throughout the colony of Victoria. In fierce competition with each other, and quite openly reflecting the views of their respective readerships, copies of 'The Ovens and Murray Advertiser' (which still survives as the local paper to this day) and 'The Constitution and Mining Intelligencer' have been effectively preserved and archived and now act as a rich research source for historians.
Before we begin our 'trudge through history' I must make this comment. Beechworth's place in the general scheme of things is, to me, something like striking a match.....there is an initial brief flare of real intensity and heat, and from that point the flame reduces and burns quietly and steadily.
So it was with Beechworth. Its 'golden heyday' only lasted a mere five years or so. From 1852 to 1857 this was an extraordinarily rich gold region and centre of government, and although gold was mined here well beyond that first few fabulous years, Beechworth's power, wealth and influence were relatively short lived.
Fortunately for us (and uncommonly for the time) Beechworth's early administrators had the vision to realise the gold would not last forever. They made substantial investment in public amenities. A hospital for the aged, gaol, general hospital and mental asylum were all constructed or upgraded during the 1850s and 60s. It was the presence of these major institutions that maintained the economic strength of Beechworth after the gold years and into the 1990s.
Enough words for now. Let's take a look at what the far sighted burghers of Beechworth have left us in the historical precinct, beginning at the Court House. Built in 1858, this building remains one of the finest 'gold rush courthouses' in the country and it was still in use until 1989. But it was not Beechworth's first 'home of justice' as we shall see. Nevertheless it was in this building that the Kelly family made many appearances as did the other notorious bush ranger of the area, Harry Power.
And in this building we have another fascinating link with our past. It was here that Isaac Isaacs began his legal career. Who, I hear you ask. Good question. Sir Isaac, who grew up in nearby Yackandanda and was one of the first pupils at that town's primary school (which we visit later) and who was more latterly schooled in Beechworth, went on to become the first Australian citizen to be appointed Governor General (in 1930) after a distinguished legal and political career.
Next to the Court House is what is now called Ned Kelly Vault, a name given it merely because it now houses 'the world's largest collection of authentic Kelly gang materials' (or so the tourist blurb says). What is now a museum of sorts began life as the Gold Receiver's Office and Sub Treasury. When the gold ran out it was taken over by the local constabulary and remained Beechworth's Police Station until a new facility was built quite recently.
Security of the gold being brought into Beechworth from all the surrounding districts became an increasing problem from the time of the first discoveries. This building provided the answer. And it was from here that the gold was transferred to Melbourne, in massive quantities. For example, in the first year of its existence, 1856, 14,000 ounces of the precious metal were sent to the colonial capital.
Of course this was also the era of the Australian bushranger and highway brigand. Overt gold convoys were a prime target, irrespective of the size and firepower of any escort. Recognising this, the clever and resourceful folk of Beechworth devised another scheme. The gold from this town was trans-shipped by means of what appeared to be 'everyday travellers' of all different kinds.....cattle drovers, merchants, families on the move and so on. And it all got through unsullied. Hidden in plain sight as they say....brilliant.....and how incredible that this kind of clever 'outside the square' thinking could have originated in the halls of the public service of the time. Were that there were more of them today!
The next two building in this row are identical and reflect the designs and specifications of public offices of the time. In the foreground is the Gold Warden's Office whilst the other building housed the Chinese Protector.
The Chinese Protector? Here, of course, is another story. As happened all over Australia, gold discoveries brought thousands of Chinese to this country. Beechworth, El Dorado and the Woolshed Valley were no exceptions.
By 1857, when the Chinese Protector's office was opened, the Beechworth population of this ethnic minority had grown to over 4,000. Many came to this area after the anti-Chinese riot in the Buckland Valley drove them from the Mount Buffalo area. Although things never deteriorated to that extent in Beechworth, tensions between the Chinese and Europeans simmered. It was the task of the Protector to 'forge harmonious relations on the Spring Creek (in particular) goldfields', and in this case the incumbents seemed to have had some success. He was also responsible for collecting the required miner's rights and business licences.
The task of the Gold Warden was exactly the same, but he operated within the European community.
And this would seem a timely spot to provide another (for me at least) fascinating snippet about the discovery of gold at Beechworth.
The district was first explored by Hume and Hovell in 1824. Subsequently, based on their reports of the potential for good grazing, one David Reid, a retired British naval surgeon, took up land at what was originally know as Mayday Hill. His holdings were later taken over by his sons, who employed shepherds to look after their sheep flocks. One of these had come to Australia from the gold fields of California and was quick to recognise the features of his surroundings and an opportunity.
Whilst checking on his workers in February 1852, Reid came across two of them (including the recent arrival from America) sitting on the banks of Spring Creek, pans in hand. Naturally he was curious to know what they were up to, and after some argy bargy he found to his astonishment that they had panned an accumulated total of 14 lbs of alluvial gold (a staggering amount). Neither party was happy about the revelation....Reid because he knew that this would be the end of his peaceful grazing life and his employees because they would no longer have this bonanza to themselves.
Despite entreaties and promises on both sides for secrecy, the word was soon out and the rush was on. Miners came from around the world including Europe, UK, USA and Asia. From a humble settlement of campsites and timber huts, rapid social and economic change occurred with the arrival of mining families and businesses to support the growing community.
Within five years the population of Beechworth had grown to over 10,000, and during the boom the town supported a wide range of ancillary industries which included a tannery, blacksmiths, jewellers, boot makers, livestock sale yards, a brewery, and as one would expect, many pubs.
Fifteen years after the initial discovery of gold in the area, more than four million ounces had been recovered. To provide some perspective (there's that word again!) the dollar value of this horde today would be in the several billions, yes billions!
In another innovative move for a town of this era, in 1859 a Powder Magazine was built just outside the main township to store all the gunpowder used for blasting on the goldfields. Set behind these stone walls,
the building which housed the powder was designed to ensure that the damaging effect of any explosion would be minimised.
But back to the present day and the historical precinct. The last of the group of buildings facing Ford Street is the old Telegraph Station, which opened in 1858. This was the 'Internet of the day'. From here Beechworth was linked by Morse code transmissions to Melbourne, Sydney and many other centres. It is still operational, and for a $2 fee visitors can send a message to anywhere in Australia.....and for $4...anywhere in the world (probably excluding North Korea!)
Backing these buildings was the expanse of the Police Reserve. In the early 1850's this precinct harboured the police barracks, officers' and superintendent's quarters, the stables and the stone police lock-up. With thanks to 'travelvictoria' for this photo, this is all that now remains here (the stone lock-up can be seen in the middle distance). I am grateful to be able to use this photo to show you the open grassed area because,
on the day of our visit, this entire patch was being invaded by a group of 'carnies' who were setting up their stalls in preparation for the coming Easter holiday.
We did tramp across the heath to have a good look at the old Stone Lock-up. Here both male and female prisoners, usually on remand, were held, with as many as thirty being accommodated at any one time in what are obviously very small rooms. With one bucket for drinking water and another for the obvious, and an exercise period outside of one hour per day, I'll leave it to your imagination to ponder conditions here.
It is said that both Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen were familiar with the interior walls of this Taj Mahal of incarceration, something I have no reason to doubt.
Our good guide and true did point out that the exercise was conducted in an enclosed yard which used to surround the cell building. Apparently some years ago a prominent member of the local authority declared that the wall was unsafe. It was demolished, only to later apparently reappear at his home in a different form. Hmmmm....any relation to previous occupiers?
For the final piece of our jaunt around the historical precinct, we cross the road. Opposite all the fine 'champange granite' buildings (the Scottish masons employed to construct these buildings were so taken by the light colour of the local granite and the surface texture which looks like bubbles that they gave it that name.....being more than familiar with the grizzly grey granite of Scotland's buildings I can understand their delight in this material) stands the grand Beechworth Town Hall.
Originally this 1858 building housed not only the Shire Offices but also the Court of Petty Sessions. The three holding cells beneath the building were linked to the Court Room by a narrow spiral staircase.
One of these small rooms is now known as the Harry Power's cell and can be accessed through a door at the rear of the Town Hall building,
near which is this informative sign which provides all the relevant detail (reading glasses on!)
Like the Stone Lock-Up, these cells were not places of luxury. Behind this forbidding steel door
are the small wooden rooms in which the prisoners were held pending their court appearances (impossible to photograph meaningfully.....but I tried)
and here is all that now remains of the spiral staircase up which these unfortunates were led to meet their various fates at the hands of the Magistrate above.
Our tour of the 'formal historical buildings of Beechworth' would not be complete without another reference to the Chinese of the town.....the Chinese Burning Towers, which thanks to 'flickr.com' can be seen here at the front of the Beechworth Chinese Cemetery (which we did not get around to visiting)
And here, obviously, is another story. These towers were used by the friends and relatives of the dead for burning paper money in their memory. Initially, those Chinese who died on the Beechworth goldfields were sent home to China, as was the custom of the time, to be buried at their birthplace. However, after local officials discovered that many of these corpses weighted much more than they should have (you've guessed it.....gold is not light, not even smuggled gold), this practice was banned and local interment was demanded. These towers were then built to allow the Chinese to practice their burial beliefs.
And on that somewhat quirky note, I would conclude our tour of what I call 'formal historical Beechworth' This is not to say, however, that is the sum of the many interesting things we saw here during our visit. As I noted at the beginning of this missive we shall deal with 'the rest' in my next. The only problem is, there is just so much of it!
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