<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT"%> Hepburn Regional Internet Portal

Clunes
Historic Clunes gold pioneers of Victoria

CLUNES VICTORIA'S FIRST GOLD TOWN STILL THE HUB OF THE CENTRAL GOLDFIELDS

Early settler news led to CLUNES becoming Victoria's first gold town and to increased searching in the district.

Within a few months gold was found in Ballarat, Castlemaine and Daylesford. After this the rush was on in earnest throughout the whole of the central gold fields area.

Gold production stopped in Clunes in the early 1890's not because there was no more gold but because the pumping of water from the mines became too difficult. The population itself began to dwindle, but left behind what was the infra-structure of a wealthy gold town that reached its peak in the 1860's and the 1870's.

The wonderful thing about Clunes is that many of the main buildings of that time such as the numerous churches, the Town Hall and Court house and the Bank buildings remain intact. The main street with its veranda shops has changed little in the past 120 years.

The central part of the town with its Heritage Precinct is really like a living museum, being one of the most intact 19th. century towns in the world. A walk around Clunes is to revisit one of the most significant periods of Australia's history.

Take a stroll along the walking tracks beside the creek and appreciate the beauty of a significant group of very old trees.

We hope you enjoy your brush with history. The locals look forward to sharing their national Treasure with you.


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