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A HISTORIC WALKAROUND HEATHCOTE
Visitor Information CentreThis building was designed to portray the use of materials usedduringthegoldrushdaysof1850s.1. Bakers Wood OvenBuilt prior to 1870. John Paver Flowers, baker, was the originalowner.GerhardJongebloedbuiltthebakehouseandshopin1933- it is now the home of Fletching Treasures Antiques, Cafe and fine accommodation.2. Mechanics Institute – 1900From humble beginnings, the Institute offered reading rooms,books,newspapersandlendinglibraryasfarbackas1860s.ItnowaccommodatesSeniorCitizens,GirlGuidesandLionsClub.3. Courthouse CraftsTheCourthouseservedthetownfrom1864to1989.4. TownHallandShireOffices1864tothepresent.WeeklydancesandconcertswereheldintheTown Hall. Adjoining offices were shared with the Courthouse. A steellockupbehindtheCourthouseaccommodatedthoseawaitingcourtappearances.5. Returned Services League1955tothepresent. It isusedasamajorfunctionhallwithinthetownship.6. The Commercial Bank – 1886Openedinotherpremisesin1877andclosedasWestpacin1995.Nowoperatesaslicensedrestaurant,historiccentreandmuseumunderthetitle‘TheBankHeathcote’.7. Uniting Church – 1886PreviouslyMethodistChurchuntilunitedwithPresbyterianChurch1969.8. PostOfficeandResidence–1890The first post office was a tent on Camp Hill. Then in 1860, the post office and telegraph office amalgamated in Victoria and were positionedopposite theEmeuHotel.Theymoved to thepresentsiteintoasmallbuilding,whichhasbeenextendedintothecurrentPost Office and Residence.9. The Commercial HotelSiteofCampHotel1869-1904.Demolished1904andrebuiltastheCommercial Hotel. After a fire in 1978 was rebuilt again.
10. Flour Mill – 1869MooreChristie&Spinks(nowaprivateresidence).AllofHeathcote’smillswereofthestonegroundingtype,poweredbysteam.Thesecouldnotcompetewiththesteelrollermills,sowereclosedsoonafteropening.Christiesmillisstillstanding,muchasitwasthedayitopened-seethechimney.
11. State Savings Bank, 153 High Street – 1922OriginallybuiltfortheStateSavingsbank,thisweatherboardbuildingwas laterusedby theCommonwealthBank.Latterly thebuildingwasusedbythe‘McIvorTimes’whichwasestablishedin1863andhaswitnessedmostofHeathcote’shistory.12. St Johns Anglican Church – 1868The only church to remain on its original site granted by thegovernmentin1853.13. Budd Hall – 1854The first church to be built in Heathcote, it was then named Christ Church.14. Union Hotel – 1856Heathcote’soldestexistinghotel,wasopenedin1856andcompletedin1871.Itisstillmostlyinoriginalcondition.15. Heathcote Winery – 1860OriginallyCraven’sGeneralStoreto1941,whichincludedabakeryandcoachservice.16. The Emeu Hotel – 1858-1870Now the Emeu Inn Restaurant, Bed & Breakfast and Wine Centre. The small shop at the side was Brady’s Butcher Shop.This partof the building has now been refurbished to become the“BradySuite” named after the first owner of the Emeu Hotel. Wine Centre openedFeb2001.
Cross the road now!
17.SurveyOffice–1853(Nowaprivateresidence)ThedistrictsurveyorPhillipL.S.Chauncey,surveyedthetownship in1853-54.Theoriginalbuildingseestonesection at rear, was extended in 1897 for private residence anddoctorspractice.18. Site of First Council Meetings, 166 High Street – 1856(KnownlocallyasWinterCreek).Thiscottagewasthesiteofthefirst council meeting in 1859, for which purpose a rent of 65 pounds peryearwaspaid.BuiltbyMr JamesKennedywhoalsoheld thelicencetotheUnionHotelinthelatterpartof1863.19. Mona Lisa Gallery, 146 High Street – 1850sHeathcote’sStAndrewsPresbyterianChurch,movedandrelocatedhere in 1863.The brick churchwas built next door in 1955, butdeconsecrated in 1969. Now used as a gallery, cinema and liveperformance. Visitors welcome.20. The Stamper – remnant of the goldrush.Usedtocrushoreintheextractionofgold.21. The National Bank – 1926Site of the Mount Ida Hotel, 1854-1925 – first licensed hotel completedinHeathcote.Frequentedbyhorseandracingfraternity.PassengerandmailcoachesleftfromtheHotel.22. Masonic Hall – 1859Buildingcommencedandwascompletedin1890.
HISTORIC HEATHCOTE
Formoreinformation,pleasecontact
Heathcote Visitor Information Centre Opendaily9am-5pm(exceptChristmasDay) (03)54333121
Heathcote&McIvorHistoricalSociety (03)54332058
A brief historical walk...
BRIEF HISTORY OF HEATHCOTEAtthefootofMtIda,HeathcoteissituatedamidstaNationalParkandStateForestsbesideMcIvorCreek.109kmsnorthofMelbourneviaNorthenHighway,itisaconvenientdistancefromBendigoandEchuca,220metresabovesealevel.Thedistrictpopulationisapprox.3500.
HeathcoteisclusteredaroundHighStreetwhichpresentsaninterestingand diverse streetscape of old shopfronts, hotels, churches, somedistinguished homes and the post office. The trees that line the main streetandtheplantationatQueenMeadowwereplantedinthe19thcentury on the advice of Baron Von Mueller who made a significant contribution to Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
Anumberofprehistoricquarry siteshavebeen foundatMtCamelRange, north of Heathcote, providing evidence of ancient Aboriginal associationswith the land. It isclearlyevident that theWuywurrungPeopleinhabitedthedistrictwellbeforeEuropeansettlement.
The first Europeans in the area was the exploration party of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836. Mitchell named the McIvor creek after amemberofhispartyandthistitlewaslaterappliedtotheShire.
Pastoralists soonmoved into the area and a trackwith a coupleofroadside inns, developed through what would later become thetownsite.Producewascartedalongthisroutetoandfromthenorthernsheepstations.
However, the town itself developedon the backof a seriesof goldrushes alongMcIvorCreek commencing in1851.Oneof themajorstrikes (1852) was a Golden Gully, behind the old courthouse. By1855, thealluvial goldwasrunningoutandreefminingcommenced.Consequently,thepopulationdroppedtoabout6,000by1860asex-minerstookuplandorbegantimbercuttingintheforests-anindustrymuchaidedbythearrivaloftherailwayaround1890.
Atthepeakofthegoldrushestherewereupto35,000people,largelyhoused in tents and shanties on the fields. 3,000 Chinese walked to the digging from Robe in South Australia where they had disembarked to avoid paying a tax levied upon Chinese disembarking in Victoria. There were at least 3 breweries; 22 hotels; 2 flour mills, reflecting the emergenceofwheatgrowinginthedistrict;abaconfactory,hospital,banksandseveralwineries.
ThetownwasapparentlynamedbyLordHeathcote,notinhonorofhimself,butbecauseofthequantitiesofheathgrowinginthedistrict-ifthatisplausible.
Although the population remained steady until 1880’s, it was downto 1,090 by 1891 as gold reserves dwindled. Other local miningcommunities were Balmoral (now known as Redcastle) which reputedly had 17,000 people but ceased to exist when mining ended around1910. Costerfield once employed 700 men and closed in 1925 - it once produced92%ofthestate’santimony.Graytownwasreportedtohavehad 30,000 on its fields, but that was short lived.
23. Old Oriental Bank – 1860, Cnr High & Jennings St.BuiltbyBankofAustralasia,takenoverbyOrientalBank6monthslater, sold to Bank of Victoria 1865. Note remnant stone guttering, leftatownersrequestwhenkerbandgutteringwasmodernised.
Cross the road now!
24. The Heathcote Hotel: Originalbuilding1854,rebuilt1953.Always the hub of Heathcote meetings, town planning, socialfunctions,concertsandcoachchangingstation.
25. Grants store – 1850sThisgeneralstorehashadsomeinterestingnamesovertheyears,Heathcotehall,NewEraStore,AlbionHouse,BeehiveStoresandthenGrantsStore;lateritbecameGoodfellowsandIGAFriendly.Attherearwasasmokehouseusedforproducingbacon.Thisbuildingiscurrentlyvacant.
26. A Gaggle Of Geese – 1860sNamed McIvor Store, then Federal Bakery. In 1923 the McIvorTimeswasboughtbyJackBaillyandprintedhere.Thefamilyownedthepaperfor57years.Since1988,therestauranthasbeenagoodplacetosoakupcountryatmosphereandcooking.
27. The Newsagency – 1860sOriginallyhoused two shops andconverted toone in the1960s.Thisproperty(aswithmostothersinHeathcote)containedawaterwellinitsbackyard.Somearestillinexistencetoday.
28. Camp Hill AreaIntheGoldrushof1853,thegovernmentsetupatentbasedcamphere. Extensive building started: government offices, police barracks, gold office, courthouse, communications, lockup, stables, store roomsandlivingquaters.
Thehospital,however,remainedinatentuntil1859.Governmentofficials and police lived in comfort above the dire conditions of the miners in the crowded goldfields. (Population had exploded to 20,000).
Thebuildingswerepoorly constructedandbegan todeteriorate.Thebuildings remaining todayare theHospital and the stone jailblock. The police stables, a fine sandstone building was demolished in1970’sdespiteprotests.
29. Heathcote Hospital–1859:Originallyestablishedinatentin1853,thebuildingwascompletedin1859.Todayall thatremainsof theoriginalbuildingare the frontstonewalls. In 1996 after threats of closure over the years and withstrongcommunitycommitmentandsupport,thehospitalnowhasconsolidateditsservicestoincludehostelandnursinghome,intotal42beds.
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