...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.
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)
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
Bible Society (OMA27/2/79)
Buckland Gap
The Buckland Gap is about 5km south of the town
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
Dog Catchers
Phelan, Asked to serve an order on Aaron Sherritt for Mr Willis. (RC14044)
Funerals
Grieg and Wilson
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.
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
Tuthill
William Zincke,
Licensing Magistrates
John Turner
George Gammon
Registrar of Mines
Mining Surveyor H Davidson
Mining Board (OMA27/2/79)
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
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)
Swimming Baths
Swiming races. J Morrison, bath keeper(OMA13/2/1879)
Telegraph
Mr HE Cheshire was the officer in charge of the telegraph station.
He accompanied Mr Foster to
investigate Aaron Sherritt's
death (RC13363)
There is no telegraph office at Glenrowan and Mr Cheshire,on
hearing that the Kelly gang had broken out there, proceeded with the Beechworth
detachment of police by train on Monday morning, and on arrival had the wires
cut, and connected with a small pocket telegraph instrument, thereby Glenrowan
in telegraphic communication with the city. (Argus2/6/1880)
Following the meetings of the Reward
Board in December 1880 Mr Cheshire recieved a reward of about £25
Wool brokers
Hastings, Cunningham, and Co (OMA13/2/1879)
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
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
19-feb-10
Enjoy this wonderful part of our history, but Please respect the privacy of the current owners