...a place in the KellyGang story
The area had been part of the squatting run of Carraramgurmungee.
Started as a gold mining center on Spring Creek called Mayday Hills. At a height of 550 meters. A Gold Commissioners camp was established in the area in 1852. For the first few years the town consisted of tents with very few buildings.
The area had had the official name of the May Day Hills, but it was often known as Spring Creek or Reid's Creek. In 1853 the town was surveyed and named Beechworth. By 1856 the area had a population of about 10,000.
Between 1855 and 1860 most of the major public buildings that we enjoy today were built.
The Ovens and Murray Exhibition was a significant event (Argus23/8/66)
Former major gold mining centre, east of Wangaratta, and still one of the largest towns in North Eastern Victoria
cattle sales (OMA18/1/79)
Beechworth Mining Board (Mr Wm Ward (Chairman)(OMA5/4/1879)
Town with the horse with the golden shoes. What really happened (T&C8/4/1871)
The city was the site of many great parades and marches.
Description of the town (Argus26/2/73)
Beechworth was the centre of the Ovens gold field (Argus22/1/76)
Production levels (Alexandra24/5/1872)
How was the gold mined in the area; detailed description. (Argus22/1/76)
Before the railway arrived, the cost or transport was an issue (Argus10/4/60) (Argus25/6/60) (Argus2/4/61)
The Rocky Mountain Extended Company, in 1875 started cutting a tunnel through granite, over 700 yards long, under Beechworth
On Boxing Day 1879 there was a fire brigade hose and reel competition between teams from Beechworth and Chiltern that was watched by a large crowd in Ford Street.
The main routes to Beechworth where from Melbourne via Greta and over the Ovens and from Wodonga in the north. Prior to the arrival of the railway Wangarratta was largely cut off from Beechworth because of the state of the road into the mountains; "it would shake the teeth out of a saw".
Was the rail line to go to Beechworth (Argus22/8/68) (Argus1/8/70)
Train line, why was it needed? The state of the Beechworth economy. (Argus17/4/75)
The railway from Wangaratta to Beechworth was completed in late August 1876
- the opening of the line (Argus30/9/76)
Post Office
Mr Deverell was the
post master (RC13854)
RB Hodgson
Postal services started in 1853 and the post office on the corner Ford and Camp Streets was started in 1858.
Postal service from Beechworth to Everton
to Yacandandah via Wooragee;
to Wahgunyah via Chiltern,
Indigo, and Rutherglen
to Hillsbrough via Stanley
and to Tarawingee Station via Reid's Creek, Woolshed, Reidford, and Eldorado
and between Wangaratta ,Oxley, Milawa, Moyhu Post Office, Taylor's Gap, Murmungee,and Beechworth
Artillery
12 solderers from the artillery
were stationed in Beechworth in early 1879 under Sergeant O'Neill.
Beechworth Goal
The first lock up was built in 1852. Work on the present building was commenced
in 1857. Mr Castieau was the jailer. He was in charge of the Melbourne
Goal at the time of Ned Kelly's execution.
Beechworth Court House
Beechworth Mining Board (Alexandra11/6/1869)
Bible Society (OMA27/2/79)
Buckland Gap
The Buckland Gap is about 5km south of the town
Burke Museum
A suit of armour was wanted for the Burke Museum (OMA1/7/80)
Chemist
Mr Gammon
Mr Geddes, Camp Street
Chinese
At the heigh of gold mining in the area the Beechworth area had a Chinese population of over 4,000
see also http://www.beechworthchinese.com.au
Coaches
Royal Mail Coaches left
Beechworth daily for many locations in the area including Stanley,
Hillsbrough, Running Creek, El dorado,
Chiltern, Wandiligong, Yackandandah
and Tarrawingee.
Companies
Ovens Gold and Tin Mining Company No Liability
Cricket
Hear about how the Cricket team went. See (OMA11/2/1879)
Dentist
George Hall
S De Saxe (OMA13/2/1879)
Doctors
Dr Hutchinson practiced
in the late 1850s
Dr Cleary (Argus8/11/78)
Dr Thomas Dick practiced in the late 1870s
Dr Frederick Peter Deshon practiced in the late 1870s
Dr William Augustus Dobbyn, see Aaron
Sherritt's inquest (Argus7/5/74)
(OMA27/2/79) looked after Ned Kelly (Herald8/8/80)
Henry Tregellis Fox (Argus7/5/74)
Dog Catchers
Phelan, Asked to serve an order on Aaron Sherritt for Mr Willis. (RC14044)
Funerals
Grieg and Wilson
Gold Mining (Argus22/8/60) (Argus8/2/64) (Argus15/8/64)
Hotels
The famous fight between Ned Kelly and Wild Wright statred
when they met at the Imperial, a protestant pub.
In 1857 at the hight of the golden days of Beechworth there were about 60 licensed hotels.
Many sympathizers and other gathered at the Empire at the start of Ned Kelly's trial (Herald5/8/80)
Hospital
The district hospital was a major building and the nearest hospital in New
South Wales was in Goulburn. Work commenced
in 1856 and added to during the 1860s and 1870s. Today only facade and a few
major trees remain.
Members of the hospital Board (OMA27/2/1879)
Dr Antoine Mousse
Dr Dobbyn
Lawyers
Langtree (RC14044)
Frederick Mitchell
Albert Read (JJK)
Tuthill
William Zincke,
Licensing Magistrates
John Turner
George Gammon
Mechanics' Institute and Free Library
Registrar of Mines
Mining Surveyor H Davidson
Mining Board (OMA27/2/79) (Argus15/8/64)
Mining Companies
Rocky Mountain Extended Gold Sluicing Co Limited Spring Creek 1876
Office, William St
Manager, John Turner
Directors, William Telford, Thomas Dalziel
The Star Mining Company
South Alabama Quartz Mining Company Limited
MULOOF
Met in Oldfellows Hall once a mnoth
Newspapers
' 'The Ovens and
Murray Advertiser' was started in 1855. 'The Constitution and Mining Intelligence'
was started by Mr Nixon in 1856 and it produced its last edition in 1867.
Ovens Benevolent Aslum
A major building
Ovens District Hospital
,
Police
By 1878 the three police districts of Benalla Ovens and Upper Goulburn were brought together with the head quarters in Beechworth. It was the largest town in the area. Soon after the police district was based in Benalla.
Insp Brook Smith was in charge at Beechworth at the time of the murders at Stringy Bark Creek (RC134)
SConst Mullane, Det Ward, Const Williamson were stationed at Beechworth.
Beechworth was the home base of a police district in the days before the KellyGang. (RC186)
Const Fitzpatrick was stationed at Beechworth for a time (RC12807)
Const Henry Casey.
Powder Magazine
Magazine keeper Const Samuel Maude
Railway Station
The station was built in the late 1870s. Beechworth was serviced by special engines on the line from Wangarratta because of the gradient on the line as it climbed into the mountains
Shops
Patrick Allen
Gammon Chemist (OMA13/2/1879)
Mr Reynolds
Wertheim's (RC14630)
London House (OMA29/6/1880)
Boot maker ;W Jacobs Boot Manufacturer, Ford Street Beechworth
(OMA29/6/1880)
Dress maker ; Miss G F Aitken (OMA29/6/1880)
Schools
Beechworth Grammar School (OMA29/6/1880)
Surveyor
Mr Morres, district surveyor (Argus6/3/79)
Swimming Baths
Swiming races. J Morrison, bath keeper(OMA13/2/1879)
Telegraph
Mr HE Cheshire was the officer in charge of the telegraph station.
Alex Thomson the chief operator (OMA1/7/80)
Water supply (Argus2/4/61) (Argus1/5/80) (Argus8/2/64)
water supply was always an issue. Gold mining took lots of water and there were attemps to control its use from the earlier day of mining
Wool brokers
Hastings, Cunningham, and Co (OMA13/2/1879)
The Local Government Commission came to town (Argus26/2/73)
Hare was stationed at Beechworth in 1856 Recomm 1303
Steve Hart was born in Beechworth in 1859
Military from the Garrison Artillery sent to Beechworth to protect banks in town some time after the Euroa robbery and they were reinforced in January 1879 (RC2ndreportX) (RCApp8)
Soon after the Jerilderie robbery Dan Kelly was seen riding towards the Buckland Gap (RC1276)
In late 1879 when there was a threat that the KellyGang might hold up the banks Mr Deverell, the Postmaster, erected a telegraphic communication between all the banks and the police station, by wires being placed, and the uniting of these wires would cause an alarm at the banks and station, at any hour of the day or night that the KellyGang was likely to come. If they came to one of the banks, the station bell would ring, and police would be able to respond to the alert. (RC13584)
Aaron and Belle Sherritt were married on Boxing Day 26/12/1879 by Father Tierney of St Joseph's Church in Beechworth.
Joe Byrne's girl Maggie worked at The Vine Hotel. After Aaron Sherritt's body was brought to town it was identified by Anton Weekes at the Vine Hotel
Ned Kelly was drinking in the bar of Dreyer’s Hotel, Beechworth. (Argus7/8/80)
Maggie Skillion, Tom Lloyd and David Gaunson stayed at the Hibernian during Ned Kelly's committal hearing. (Argus7/8/80)
Royal Commission
The Royal Commission into the KellyGang outbreak conducted hearings in Beechworth in 1881.
The Royal Commission said it was a grave error to reduce the size of the Beechworth police station (RC2ndReport)
Visit the town of Beechworth and the surounding area
privacy policy
14-jun-12
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