Yackandandah Travel Guide

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This is the area where the first gold was discovered though today the most significant thing that is visible is the stone bridge (pic 2) that was once part of the main Sydney-Melbourne road when it was constructed in !859-1860.
The first gold was allegedly was uncovered in 1845 when a water mill was being built on the Yackandandah run though, if that is true, nothing came of it. However, gold was discovered at the confluence of Yackandandah Creek and Commissioners Creek in December 1852 and a rush got under way along the creekside in 1853 with the population increasing from 150 in 1853 to 3000 by 1862. Miners from North America formed a significant proportion of the early settlers.
A police camp was set up in 1853 overlooking Commissioners Creek. A lock-up, police residence, police station and courthouse were added in the ensuing decade.

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There's a walk out the back of the CBD. It's not a long walk and, when we went on it there was much evidence still of devastation caused by a storm that had passed through less than 12 months previous.
Areas of bush had been flattened (pic 2) while other sections were mainly spared, such is the erratic nature of the weather.
It's a pleasant enough stroll and you can do it in less than an hour and, when revegetation is complete, it will be even more colourful than when we were there.

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In this region elms are a very popular tree, lining the streets of more than one town. Of course this does lead to a small leaf problem a couple of times a year but, hey, it's worth it. The thing that surprised me was the mature palm trees and just how tall they were.

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This is the Bank of Australasia building. This company no longer exists and is now the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand). The building dates back to 1857 which is when the boom times were in Yackandandah, after all, you have to have somewhere to put your gold bullion.

The first school was established by the Church of England on the present school site but was taken over by the State in 1864.
Its claim to fame comes from the young Isaac Isaacs who was already a pupil at the school and later became Australias first Governor General. He was the very first name on the new common school roll.
His father was a tailor, and they lived in Yackandandah for a time, having moved from Melbourne where young Isaac had been born.
Colonial establishments soon took the form of education, the Roads Board (1862) and Postal Services. In 1961 the telegraph arrived, in the early 1890’s the railway and the local newspaper.
Reef mining began in about 1860. By the mid-1860’s easily won alluvial gold became scarcer and many small miners were forced out - some onto the land or to the services. Large scale mining with barges and dredges from the 1890’s again transformed the landscape and the mining process. This largely cushioned the district from the effect of the economic depression of the time, although the town lost the Bank of Victoria in 1893.
Things such as public parks were good signs that the town was here to stay.

Yackandandah, however, became the main focus. A survey of the town was made in 1856 and land sales there began in early 1857. Substantial buildings were erected, serving the variety of needs. Businessmen of the time held title to many of these sites. These were most often the people who profited from most from gold rushes. Those with a nose for enterprise and invariably early Australian towns are rated by the amount of hotels they had.

European settlement followed the trails of the famous Australian explorers Hume and Hovel from 1824 onwards.
Hume has achieved lasting recognition by having the Murray pondage Hume Weir named after him and you can visit Hovel's grave at Goulburn in N.S.W.
James Osborne settled in Osborne’s Flat in 1844 and there followed a succession of squatters in the area, who established or took over pastoral runs.
The discovery of gold late in 1852 began the rush of alluvial miners. They were a multinational mixture, who lived in small communities along the Yackandandah Creek – from Staghorn, Allan’s, Osborne’s and Rowdy Flats, along through present Yackandandah up to the Junction and through to Hillsborough.
Schools, churches, medical facilities, hotels and shops were set up by early arrivals to service the miners and the families on many of the mining sites. The resultant small communities were busy, if not permanent. Many of them persisted well into the 20th century.

If you decide to meander the by-roads of the lovely North-East of Victoria and visit Yackandandah then do yourself a little favour and have a look at, "KARRS REEF GOLDMINE". It's no Sovereign Hill I suppose, but still worth a look at.

"Yack Track Tours" are the people who will take you to visit this & do the following:
see an historic underground tunnel (so much for the claustrophobics amongst you!);
see the gold bearing Quartz Reef;
explore the Gold diggings 66m (220ft) deep;
walk through a hand dug tunnel for 150m (485ft);
see the working conditions the diggers laboured under;
view gold ore truck & track in working order; and hear a commentary on the mine's history & join the guided tour.

Have included the general North_East Victoria map to show you the area around Yackandandah. Enlarge it to see it properly. The whole of the region is worth a visit. Such variety of scenery, great wineries & eating places, history & outdoor recreation.