Day 102 - Wonderland, Grampians NP and Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

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Friday 28th February 2014. Wonderland, Grampians NP and Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

After breakfast we set off to find the Wonderland car par which is the starting point for a number of walks which had been recommended to us by the Halls Gap YH warden. These walks are in part of the Grampians NP known as the Wonderland Area. We drove the 10 minutes or so out of Halls Gap and found the car park easily. There were a number of walks signposted and we opted for the Grand Canyon walk loop Walk. This is a short (900m) circuit track is billed as "one of the most interesting walks in Victoria". It follows rock platforms formed by the river, up some steps and above the ravine which runs down to the creek. Despite the handrails strategically placed to guide you along M was finding it a bit difficult - mainly because she was too busy looking out for snakes. The walk continued across the rocks and into the ravine - which while not on the scale of its American namesake, is still very impressive - before it climbs out of the gorge for beautiful views.

At this point there was a choice to be made. We could complete the circuit and return to the car park or continue up to Silent Street and on to the Pinnacle which was about 2 km one way. M didn't fancy it so she followed the path back down to the car park. D continued
on. The Silent Street is fascinating part of the walking tack. D had to squeeze between the rocks on the deep and narrow "street". Once at the Pinnace D took some photos from the top and returned to the now clean car (M had busied herself tidying up all the maps, guides and other blurb ready for returning the car later on). D reported that after the Grand Canyon the walk was much easier - so M could have gone along after all.

We continued on to a city called Ballarat. After parking the car and feeding the meter we went to the Tourist Information where we were given a Ballarat Heritage Walking Trails booklet. Then we went next door to the George Hotel in Lydiard Street (which is one of the buildings on the Lydiard Street walking trail) for lunch. Ballarat is a city located on the Yarrowee River and lower western plains of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, approximately 105 kilometres (65 miles) west-north-west of Melbourne. Prior to the European settlement of Australia, the Ballarat region was populated by the Wathaurong people, an Indigenous Australian people. However, the town only really became densely populated during the gold rush of the 1850's.

The first publicised discovery of gold in the region was by Thomas Hiscock in 2 August 1851 in the Buninyong region to the south. The find brought other prospectors to the area and on 19 August 1851, John Dunlop and James Regan struck gold at Poverty Point with a few ounces. Within days of the announcement of Dunlop and Regan's find, a gold rush began, bringing thousands of prospectors to the Yarrowee valley which became known as the Ballarat diggings. Yields were particularly high with the first prospectors in the area extracting between half-an-ounce (which was more than the average wage of the time) and up to five ounces of alluvial gold per day. As news of the
Australian gold rushes reached the world, Ballarat gained an international reputation as a particularly rich goldfield. As a result, a huge influx of immigrants occurred, including many from Ireland and China, gathering in a collection of prospecting shanty towns around the creeks and hills. In just a few months, numerous alluvial runs were established, several deep mining leads began, and the population had swelled to over 20,000 people.

Ballarat was nicknamed "The Golden City". This population required services such as shops, hotels, post office, pubs etc. From the late 1860s to the early 20th century, Ballarat made a successful transition from a gold rush town to an industrial-age city. The ramshackle tents and timber buildings gradually made way for permanent buildings, many impressive structures of solid stone and brick mainly built from wealth generated by early mining. It was these buildings that we were going to see on the heritage trail.

Over lunch we looked at the booklet and decided to follow the Lydiard Street trail with bits of the Central Ballarat trail thrown in for good measure. We wouldn't have enough time to do the Sturt Street Statue trail as we had to get the car back to Melbourne. As were were already there we started with the George Hotel which has occupied this site since 1853. It is a three storey building with a balconied iron laced verandah which makes the George unique among hotels. We left the George hotel and turned right. Opposite was the Art Gallery of Ballarat at 40 Lydiard Street North. It was built in 1884 an is Australia's first provincial gallery and the largest regional gallery in Australia. It has collections depicting Captain Cook's voyages and a special goldfield collection. We didn't have time to go inside though.

Next was the Alexandria Tea Rooms at 26-34 Lydiard Street North. This Victorian Renaissance revival building has an intricate cast iron verandah and became very a fashionable Tea Room and was famous for its meringue sponges. The Old Colonist's Hall, at 20 Lydiard Street North, was formed by old miners, who met in the 1870's and vowed to "help one another, to relieve sick members, to assist members in distress and to provide decent burials to all members". This building is on the site of the old Ballarat police barracks and stables of the gold escorts. The facade has a beautiful balustrade and the relief letters and coat of arms can be seen in the centre pediment which reflects the miner's ethos of comradeship and unity. In 1997 the Old Colonists opened their doors to female membership (not before time thought M!).

The former Mining Exchange, Lydiard Street North, was built to replace the Sturt Street stock exchange sites. The imposing hall is lined with forty offices where share brokers, and mining agents sold shares in goldmines and controlled the city's wealth. The Exchange recorded 98 members when it opened with 108 mines from the Ballarat district on its stock lists. The ornate verandah on the Mining Exchange that we could see today, was reconstructed from photographs and replaced in 1987.

The former Post Office Building, 106 Sturt Street (Corner Lydiard Street North), is in the Italian palazzo style and built in two sections. The first in 1864 and the second section with tower in 1885. The tower has five levels and an arched carriageway ground floor entrance. It was once a bustling mail house and was the second largest post office in Victoria after the Melbourne GPO. The Town Hall, 225 Sturt Street, is a monumental structure with an impressive tower. There have been 3 town halls on the current site. The first was destroyed by fire in 1859,
and the foundation stone for the second was laid in 1860. The original plans for the second building were deemed too expensive to finish so work stopped. This second building was eventually incorporated into the 3rd structure. The facade was added in 1870. The town hall is home to a working set of bells called the Alfred Bells. They were paid for by the people of Ballarat as a very public apology to Prince Alfred after a former Ballarat resident, mad Irishmen Henry O'Farrell, took a pot shot at the royal visitor in Sydney in 1868. The residents of Ballarat were keen to avoid being associated with such an act of disloyalty and embraced the suggestion that they buy a set of bells for the Town Hall and inscribe them with an account of the assassination attempt. The bells were installed in 1871.

Her Majesty's Theatre, 17 Lydiard Street North, opened as the Academy of Music in 1875 and was restored to its present condition and renamed Her Majesty's in 1990. It is the oldest continuously operating, purpose built theatre in Australia that is still in use. Her Majesty's Theatre has been the home of the Royal South Street Society and their famous Grand National Eisteddfod of Australia since 1896. The Fraser, Nevett, Frawley building at 41 Lydiard Street South was originally a bank. This two storey Renaissance revival building, with arched windows, has been use as solicitors' offices since 1911.

Next was the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King, 49 Lydiard Street South. Considered one of Ballarat's earliest stone buildings. Construction began in 1854 and the English Gothic style church was finished in 1868. Whilst following the trail along Lydiard Street we came across an old letterbox. This had been restored as part of the Lydiard Street Heritage Improvement Project. The letterbox was cast in Melbourne from an Australian design used between 1860 and 1920. The use of these cast iron letterboxes was discontinued after 1920 due to the escalating cost of their production.

The elaborate Wesleyan Church, at the corner of Lydiard and Dana Streets, has patterned brick facades with a dual frontage. It is an important feature of the street-scape. The interior features amphitheatre style seating. The first church school erected on this site by the Wesleyan's slid down the hill before this one was erected in 1883.

The School of Mines & Industry Ballarat (SMB) was initiated in 1870 by the Mining Board who were interested in providing a scientific and practical education in mining and related fields. The school became famous for its science, engineering, metallurgy, chemistry and geology courses, helping to spread mining expertise all over Australia. When the mining industry began to fade, the School Council changed the curriculum to concentrate on trades and opened an Art School. The former Ballarat Gaol (now Ballarat SMB) was built in 1857 and closed in
1965. One of the more famous offenders who stayed in this gaol was Captain Moonlight (Andrew Scott). He escaped by scaling the wall. At least a dozen men were executed here. Today the remaining buildings are used by the University of Ballarat, SMB campus. The daughter of the Gaol's Governor, Bella Guerin, was the first woman to graduate in Australia and the first female graduate of Melbourne University, in 1885. She studied Language and Logic.

We continued to the Bartrop Real Estate Office at 52-54 Lydiard Street South. The facade of this impressive building has changed very little since one-time mayor of Ballarat, William Little, ran his estate agency business here in 1876. Chancery House, 38 Lydiard Street South, built in 1889 (now Byne, Jones & Torney) is a corner building in the Renaissance revival design. Ansonia, 32 Lydiard Street South, was formerly Furnival Chambers. It was built as an office building in the mid 1800's an converted into a boutique hotel late last century.

Lynn's Chambers, 26 Lydiard Street South, were constructed in 1870. Adam Loftus Lynn came to Ballarat with the gold rush and was the first solicitor to practice here. Mr Lynn appeared for the Scobie family at the inquest of James Scobie's murder, an important event leading up to the Eureka Stockade affair. The Eureka Rebellion of year 1854 was a historically significant organised rebellion of gold miners of Ballarat. who revolted against the colonial authority of the United Kingdom. The Battle of the Eureka Stockade (by which the rebellion is popularly
known) was fought between miners and the Colonial forces of Australia on 3 December 1854 at Eureka Lead and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict. Resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people, the majority of whom were rebels, it was the most significant conflict in the colonial history of Victoria.

Craig's Royal Hotel, 10 Lydiard Street South, was constructed 1862-1890. It underwent extensive work on the portico and interior in 1901. The site was bought by Thomas Bath (Bath Lane) in 1853. He was issued with the first hotel licence and constructed the original timber hotel. Bath's hotel was the site of the Royal Commission into the Eureka Stockade uprising. The hotel was one of the first buildings to be lit by gas, made from gum leaves and oil. The hotel was sold to Walter Craig in 1857. Guests included Prince Albert, the Duke of Edinburgh,
the Duke of Clarence, the Duke and Duchess of York (King George V and Queen Mary) the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Dame Nellie Melba (opera singer).

The former Union Bank Building, 4 Lydiard Street South, built 1863-4 is considered to be one of the architect Leonard Terry's finest designs and is protected by the Historic Buildings Act. The style is Greek revival. The former National Mutual Insurance Co, 201 Sturt St (Corrner Lydiard St South) dates from 1905 and was designed by J. J. and J. E. Clarke who were also the architects of the Queen Victoria Hospital and the City Baths in Melbourne. The octagonal roof structure originally carried a large dome. The style is reminiscent of Venetian Gothic buildings.

The former Unicorn Hotel (So called because of the Unicorn statue which once adorned the roof) at 127 Sturt Street, is now one of the newest restaurants in Ballarat. It is the third oldest hotel built in Ballarat. The original Unicorn Hotel was built of timber in 1856. The hotel was replaced by brick in 1866. The design of the Hotel is of importance because it is rare to have a two storied verandah of this kind built before the turn of the century and it is the only remaining example in Victoria.

The former National Bank, 5 Lydiard St North, is a striking 3 storey building, again designed by Leonard Terry. It was originally constructed as the National Bank of Australasia in 1862. It is now the office of the Federal Member for Ballarat. In the large yard at the rear there is a historic brick building that once house a gold smelter.

The former Bank of New South Wales, 13-15 Lydiard Street North, was built in 1862 and is an imposing Renaissance revival building designed by - you guessed it - Leonard Terry. The one-time bank was also home to the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers founded in Ballarat in 1882, which has grown into Australia's largest practical conservation organisation.

We next came to the former Colonial Bank of Australasia, 9 Lydiard Street North, which was constructed in 1860 to a Leonard Terry design. It is now home to the Baird and McGregor solicitors. Established in 1898, the company is one of the city's oldest established law firms. This was followed by the former Union Fidelity Trustees Co. of Australia, 101 Lydiard St North, dating from 1887. This building was the former Ballarat Palace Hotel. This can be seen written, in red paint, on the risers on the front steps. The building was converted to offices in 1918.
Cuthberts, Barristers & Solicitors, was founded by Sir Henry Cuthbert MLC. He was the Postmaster General, Commissioner for Customs and Minister for Justice. He was on the Committee of the District Orphan Asylum, laid the foundation stone for the Mechanics Institute in 1860 and took part in constitutional talks leading to Federation - an important son of Ballarat indeed.

Ludbrook House, 115 Lydiard St North, was originally considered for a Temperance Hall. Prince Alfred laid the foundation stone during his visit to Ballarat in December 1867. The hall was never built and in 1913 the foundation stone was re-inscribed and relaid. The warehouse was known as 'Irwin's Buildings' and during the second World War was used as a hostel and canteen for thousands of servicemen. The building was occupied in 1949 by St. Paul's School and the inscription was changed again. Today it is the office of the Ballarat Children's Home and Family Services.

The Provincial Hotel, 123 Lydiard St North, (former Irwins Hotel,1854) is a flamboyant Edwardian design using a mix of cement render and red face brick work. Ballarat Railway Station was next. The bluestone goods and carriage sheds, the railway yards, the crossing, the wheel operated sector gates, the signal box, the semaphore and the disc signals are prime examples of late 19th Century railway systems built to the best of British standards an construction. Thousands of commuters bustle through this historic railway station every week. The station was constructed when the railway line first began servicing the city in 1862. The prominent tower section was constructed 26 years later, an is one of the grandest buildings in Ballarat. This is a wonderful example of Ballarat's early architecture. The station acted as a catalyst for the development of Lydiard Street North throughout the 19th century - and we had already walked past many of these fantastic buildings.

Around the corner the former Reid's Coffee Palace at 128 Lydiard Street North, remained intact until 1977, when it was extensively renovated. A highlight of the building is the hand-painted ceiling, wall panels and lead light glazing in the central stairwell. The former JJ Goller & Co Warehouse, 114 Lydiard St North, is a wonderful 2 storey warehouse built in 1862 from bluestone carted to Ballarat from the Barrabool Hills and other quarries near Geelong. From 1876 it housed Goller's Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchants. The building was later tenanted by the Ballarat Orphanae and the Ballarat Community Corrections Centre.

At the other end of Lydiard Street, the Sugg Lamp, on the corner of Sturt and Lydiard Streets is a huge ornate lamp which is a repica of the lamps built on many intersections in CBDs across the country (and can be seen in early photographs of Ballarat) is a magnificent addition to the street-scape. Behind the lamp, the former National Mutual Insurance Company building, 201 Sturt Street (Corner Lydiard St South), is a building designed by J J and J E Clarke who were also the architects of the Queen Victoria Hospital and the City Baths in Melbourne. The octagonal roof structure originally carried a large dome. The style is reminiscent of Venetian Gothic buildings.

The Summerscales Building, 102 Sturt Sreet on the corner of Camp Street is an elegant building constructed in 1895 when bookseller H J Summerscales was given a lease of land alongside the post office. The shop he built incorporated parts of the former Mining Board Room. This was extended in 1901 to fil the corner, with the income from the shops supporting the Library which was next door in Camp Street. We walked past the Victorian Business Centre Building at 111 Armstrong Street North and finished our walk with two final heritage buildings - The
Taylor & Stirling Building and the Edinburgh Building. We walked back to the car and then headed back to Melbourne.

We came off at the wrong exit and found ourselves in a bit of a mess. We couldn't find the CBD and were heading in the wrong direction. M being very perspicacious wound down her window and shouted to a workman in a luminous green vest "which way to the CBD?" he gave very quick instructions. Then we realised we needed some petrol. M came to the rescue again and yelled to a taxi driver next to us in the queue for the lights "where's the nearest petrol station?" he told us next left (we were in the wrong lane) and he even let us push in front of him to turn for the petrol. We filled up and delivered the car without incident - or so we thought! We were on our way back to the YH when D asked M where the camera was. It was still in the car! D went back and retrieved it.

Once back at the YH (in the same room as before) we telephoned Ian. He was out so M left a message. Then we went and had dinner at Glen's cafe. We tried Ian again and left another message before going to bed.

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