HOME – INTRODUCTION
Beechworth is located in the North-East of Victoria, 285km from Melbourne and 598km from Sydney. Beechworth has a population of 4,274 (2021 Census) in a town area of 8 square kilometres.
For centuries, the region encompassing present-day Beechworth – located on Waywurru (Waveroo) Country – is inhabited by members of the Theddoramittung branch of the Ya-itma-thang and Min-jan-buttu people (the Pallanganmiddang nation). Living exclusively on natural resources, the Theddoramittung identified their home by several names – Doma Mungi, Barmootha (‘place of many creeks’), Carrajarmongui (‘place of goannas’) and nearby Tarrawingee that they call Karawingi – “the place of the emu”.
It is estimated that in the early 19th century, the local aboriginal population is between 800 and 1,500.
They lead a semi-nomadic existence, moving about according to the season. In spring, they take advantage of the plentiful water and food of the open plains and in summer they gather with other local tribes near Albury then ascend Mount Bogong for the annual Bogong moth feast and escape the heat for the cooler high-altitude temperatures. At the end of the summer, they set fire to the high plains to ensure regeneration, while winter is spent amid the shelter provided by the rocky outcrops of the foothills.
The Theddoramittung’s way of living will be greatly compromised following the emergence of pastoralism in the late 1830s. In 1838, overlanders William Bowman and Colonel Henry White will be among the first recorded Europeans to pass through the Theddoramittung’s land and over the following decades, pastoral runs are gradually established across the district, then informally known as ‘Sandy Hills’ or ‘May Day Hills’ (the latter name given by Governor Charles La Trobe). The district’s rough terrain is almost impassable by horse-drawn transport, and local pastoral runs have to be largely self-sufficient rather than relying on goods carted from Melbourne. From 1851 the area will be demarcated as the ‘Murray Pastoral District’ (after the nearby river which bounds Victoria and New South Wales). Colloquially known as ‘Murray’ or ‘Ovens’ (a perennial river of the Murray), the district will experience rapid and extensive growth with the discovery of gold in Spring Creek in 1852
The township of Beechworth is situated 1,805 ft (550 m) above sea-level on a plateau on the continental side of the Great Dividing Range, at a junction of various granite types and colluvial sedimentary rocks, ranging in age from the Devonian Period right through to the Tertiary Period – a few hundred million years in difference. The area is fed by three streams – Silver Creek, which joins Spring Creek, which in turns joins Reedy Creek. All three are auriferous (containing gold). Spring Creek will be the site of the first gold discovery in Beechworth in 1852 and over 4 million ounces (115 tonnes) of gold will be extracted from the ground around the town in the first 14 years of white settlement, equaling approximately $6 billion in today’s currency.
The timeline pages on this website – 1800s Timelines (1880-1849, 1850-1859, 1860-1869 & 1870-1899), 1900s Timelines (1900-1929, 1930-1959 & 1960-1999) and the 2000s Timelines (2000-2019, 2020-2026) – chart the European development of Beechworth.
Starting in 1800, the entries detail various relevant events in the vicinity leading up to the discovery of gold in Beechworth and the beginning of white settlement in 1852, to put the town’s history into perspective.
This website is an ongoing work-in-progress, so there may be occasional errors in the timelines (entries put in the wrong place, names spelt incorrectly etc.). Please send any corrections/updates/new information to us via the CONTACT page on the top menu.