Located in South-East Australia, south of the Great Dividing Range,
the town of Walhalla is 185 km east of Melbourne, nestled in a snug valley.
Today, Walhalla is a quiet and isolated historic town in Gippsland's alpine region, but it was once one of Australia's richest towns.
The Gunaikurnai People
The Gunaikurnai people (word for lizard) have lived in the Gippsland region for thousands of years.
Whilst
digging land for a roadway in Gippsland in 2018, stone tools, which are perhaps, up to 40,000 years old, were uncovered during excavation. Scarred trees, weapons, relics and sacred sites, have also been found in the region.
Borun (the pelican) and
Tuk (the musk duck) are the Dreamtime ancestors of the Gunaikurnai people. (
see here)
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| A man from the Krauatungalung clan of the Kurnai tribe, circa 1904. Alfred William Howitt: The Native tribes of South-East Australia |
Built on Gold: 1860s
Walhalla is a town built on the discovery of gold in 1863 when thousands of people flocked to the area with the hope of making a fortune. A township grew as part of the gold rush, initially known as Stringers Creek but renamed Walhalla in April 1866. It was ex-convict Edward (Ned) Stringer who made the first gold discovery at the place that would become Walhalla, registering his claim in 1863. But as the news spread of the gold findings, hopeful miners flocked to the remote alpine area. Stringer died from tuberculosis in the same year. (see
here)
Food
and water were scarce at Walhalla, and soon many left, leaving a group of half-starved miners at a place being called Starvation Creek.
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| Walhalla, VIC, Coolgardie Miner (WA : 1935 - 1954) |
Agnes Buntine (c.1822-1896), a mother trying to support her ill husband and their children, was the first person to
transport supplies, using bullock teams across the rugged terrain to provide food for the miners at Walhalla.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Agnes was later
described as a "big rough looking woman" who dressed in short skirts, long leather leggings, thick blucher boots, and a loose jumper adorned by a bright neckerchief. She also, smoked an old, black plug pipe. (
1)
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| Agnes Buntine (c. 1822 – 29 February 1896) Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and bullocky |
In March 1863, a baker and a butcher shop opened in Walhalla. Although, supplies of food continued to be problematic.
Carting stores and provisions to Walhalla was hard work in the early days, using pack-horses and mules from Toongabbie. Then others, including Archibald Campbell, were awarded money
for finding alternative tracks to Walhalla.
The original coach road to and from Walhalla went via Happy Go Lucky and Brunton's Bridge to Toongabbie. But the climb out of Walhalla was arduous indeed.
"......."packing out" or "packing in," and pack
ing means packhorscs— strings of them, 60
to 90 horses in single file stepping care
fully on bridle paths beaten into the
mountain side, or following a spur or
descending a steep hill, sometimes fall
ing." (
1.)
Heavenly Gold
Despite being situated in a steep and heavily wooded valley,
many people flocked to Walhalla, and soon, the alluvial (surface) gold deposits were exhausted. Gold prospectors then turned to underground veins using gold stamper batteries. Gold-bearing quartz, mined on the hills, was carried to the stamper battery, which crushed the quartz into a powder, freeing the gold particles.
Cohen's Reef, which was to become the richest, gold-bearing reef in the world, was discovered by John Hinchcliffe and William Myers in
the hill just above the creek.
John Canute James Johnson registered his gold company in 1864 as the Walhalla Company, the name meaning "heaven" in Norse mythology. The name of the town, after this time, seems to be linked to this mine.
Building Up
The town consisted of a main street following along Stringer's Creek, but many cottages were built on the hillsides above the town.
By March 1864, Walhalla had a weekly mail service from Toongabbie, and the Walhalla Post Office opened on 22 August 1864 (known as Stringer's Creek until 1868).
The first hotel, the Reefer's Arms, was opened in September 1863. Soon many more hotels cropped up, as well as breweries and an aerated waters factory. In 1865, the Mechanic's Institute was opened and used by
all denominations as a church and as the town's first school from 1867 until a government school opened in 1875 (this building was destroyed by fire in 1888).
A branch of the Bank of Victoria opened in September 1865, and a branch of the Bank of Australasia in February 1866. John F. Williams opened The Junction Hotel in 1865. However, by 1872, the hotel was three stories and renamed the Grand Junction by the licensee William Fuller.
1880s
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| Walhalla: from the Long Tunnel Co's Tramway, circa 1885, State Library of Victoria |
Businesses were established, and miners cottages built on the hillsides. At one stage, during the peak, between 1885 and 1895, there were about 4,500 people and seven
hotels operating at Walhalla.
Gold flowing from the mines was kept in the purpose-built strongbox and sent to Melbourne under escort.
1890s
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| Negative - Looking Down on the Township, Walhalla, Victoria, circa 1890, Museums Victoria |
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View of Empire Hotel & Long Tunnel Battery, Walhalla, VIC, 1890s, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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| Grand Junction Hotel and Oddfellows Hall at the Junction, Walhalla, Victoria, circa 1890, National Library of Australia |
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| Around Walhalla, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 27 June 1896 |
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| Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 22 February 1896, |
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| Main Street Walhalla, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| Mr Hammill left Sale in 1889, to open business in Walhalla, VIC, as a butcher, and he also runs a business there as a hay and corn merchant. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| 1. Barry's Exchange Hotel, Walhalla, VIC. 2. Jacomb's Criterion Hotel, Walhalla, VIC. 3. Coach to Walhalla, VIC. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| Tupper's Walhalla Hotel, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| MR. CHAS. COLLINS. Mr Chas. Collins is one of the oldest identities of Walhalla, VIC, for his residence there is as old as the place. Thirty-two years ago he made his way to the place, and has watched its growth right up to the present. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| Walhalla Chronical, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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| Ryan's Grand Junction Hotel, with extensions finished in 1896. Walhalla, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
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MR R. H. COWL.Mr R. H. Cowl is one of the leading business men in Walhalla, VIC, and has very nice premises in the busiest part of the street. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 20 November 1897 |
Italians and Swiss-ItaliansThe steam-driven machinery of the coal mines mostly relied on timber, as coal was, in general, too costly. Horse operated tramways once existed to carry this timber to the miners at a significant expense
. for firewood
As well as the miners that were flooding into the town, others came to work as woodcutters and timber contractors.
Many of those in the t
imber industries were Italians and Swiss-Italians. In 1873, Pietro Bombardieri opened a tram station at the bottom of Little Joe Hill, and in 1877, Vittorio Campagnolo was working with Pietro Negri as charcoal suppliers.
Campagnolo also operated, with his wife Anna, Campagnolo's Alpine Hotel, which had been first established by Anthony Simonin. It was destroyed by fire in 1891.
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| Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 14 August 1891 |
The Italians at Walhalla would often picnic on the hills on long summer evenings, and their
folk songs, sung to the accompaniment of a guitar, would echo about the hills. The Italians also planted vineyards about the Hills of Walhalla and made fine wines (
3)
1900s
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| Long Tunnel Mine, Walhalla, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 22 October 1904 |
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| Walhalla milkman, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 December 1904 |
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| Walhalla wood chute, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 December 1904 |
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| Thomson River near Walhalla, Gippsland, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 December 1904 |
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| Large waterwheel on the Victorian town of Walhalla. The waterwheel was situated in a large gorge and was fed by Stringer's Creek Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 3 December 1904 |
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| Three Men Engine Practice: The Winning Team (Walhalla) and Captain. Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 19 March 1904 |
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The town of Walhalla, Victoria in 1907
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| A special train poses on a bridge of the Long Tunnel Extended timber tramway built to supply wood to the mines at Walhalla, VIC. The occasion, a visit by the State Governor in February 1907, shows passengers in ties and hats sitting on empty log trucks, along with the Bagnall 0-4-0ST locomotive and its crew in the foreground. William Harrison Lee photographer |
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| The first train to arrive at Walhalla, VIC, 15 March 1910, W Lee |
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| Star Hotel, Walhalla, Victoria - very early 1900s |
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| Gold Escort leaving Walhalla, Victoria circa1910. W Lee |
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| The Long Tunnel Mine, Walhalla, Victoria, about 1910. W Lee |
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| Charity carnival Walhalla, Victoria circa 1910 with hotel, bandstand visible. W Lee |
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Township of Walhalla, Victoria, circa 1910 with horses loaded with goldmine supplies. W Lee
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| Horse Teamsters near Walhalla, Victoria circa 1910. W Lee |
The Railway Arrives
The railway to serve the gold mining town of Walhalla finally opened in 1910. As Walhalla is located in a very steep gully, the train station was built over the creek. However, the train had arrived too late, as
just a few years after the rail line opened, the last gold mine in the town closed.
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| 1. Opening of the Moe to Walhalla Railway, train approaching Walhalla, VIC. 2. Walhalla Station, VIC. Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), Thursday 12 May 1910, |
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| Main Street, Walhalla, VIC, Punch (Melbourne, Vic. : 1900 - 1918; 1925), Thursday 12 May 1910 |
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| Walhalla, Victoria Railway ca1910, Excursion train crossing Thomson River (W Lee - photo ) |
WWI
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| Pte A. A. Howard, killed in action on 5th April, 1918. He was a native of Walhalla, North Gippsland, and received his education at that school. Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 - 1884; 1914 - 1918), Monday 24 June 1918 |
1920s
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| Walhalla, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 11 September 1920 |
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| Relics of the mining days, Walhalla, Victoria: Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 22 August 1925 |
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| Walhalla, Victoria: Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 22 August 1925 |
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New Lauraville Mine, in Walhalla District, VIC, producing payable gold. The water-wheel supplies the power to drive the 8,720lbs. stampers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 9 March 1929 |
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The strongroom for safe deposit of gold, Walhalla, VIC, Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Saturday 16 February 1929
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The Walhalla Volunteer Fire Brigade was originally formed in July 1871. The fire station was built in 1901. Interestingly, due to the lack of flat ground in the
town centre, the building spans Stringer's Creek. The Walhalla Fire Brigade was deregistered in 1961.
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| The fire station, Walhalla, Victoria, was built in 1901 |
Many of the town's buildings were built by William Callow (born Isle of Man, 1823), who also owned shares in South Black Diamond
Gold Mining Co. at Stringer's Creek.
According to the 1888 directory, "Victoria and Its Metropolis", the Anglican and Wesleyan Churches, Oddfellows' Hall, State School, Mechanics' Institute, and Empire and Star Hotels were built by Callow, as were seven shops and a dwelling-house.
The rotunda was built for the Mountaineer Brass Band.
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| The Walhalla Masonic Lodge and rotunda, Walhalla, Victoria |
1920s
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| Tourists, Walhalla, VIC, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 31 March 1923 |
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| Walhalla Football Team, VIC. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 27 December 1924 |
1930s
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| New bridge over Thomsons River, Walhalla, Victoria, January 23 1930, Yarra Plenty Regional Library |
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| Volunteer fire-fighters, Walhalla, VIC, Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 27 January 1932 |
1940s and WWII
By the time of WWI The Long Tunnel and Long Tunnel Extended mines, which at one stage, descended for almost a kilometre into the earth, had closed.
Fire and Destruction
The Oddfellows' Hall and Star Hotel were built in 1873. However, in 1945, fire destroyed the Mechanics Institute, Bank of Australasia and St Patrick's Catholic Church, sparked during the burnoff of weeds.
In December 1951, The Star Hotel, Oddfellows Hall and Walhalla Shire Hall were also destroyed when incorrect fuel was used in the ovens of the Star Hotel, while making Christmas puddings, resulting in a fire.
The school closed in 1965 and Foley's Cottage behind the old fire station was destroyed by fire from a candle in 1993. Cumings Cottage, an original miner's home above the tramway on the western side, was destroyed during a bushfire in February 2019.
One story which has been told about the smallness of the town now, compared to in its heyday, is that, as the mines closed and people moved away, the real estate market was glutted and many mysterious fires broke out. Eventually, insurance companies announced that they would replace the homes instead of paying cash. It seems the fires stopped. (
2)
Since then, some buildings have been recreated to the original specifications.
All that remains of the Grand Junction Hotel today is a stone chimney.
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| Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 24 February 1940 |
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| Remains of the bank at Walhalla, VIC, Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Wednesday 9 March 1949 |
1950s
The rail line to Walhalla closed in sections from 1944 to 1954.
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Incredible devastation the floods have brought to Walhalla, VIC. The torrent left this house perched precariously over a steep drop. Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 21 June 1952 |
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ROCK and debris were deposited everywhere when Stringer's creek ran wild in the centre of Walhalla, VIC. The ruins (centre) are of a hotel which was burnt earlier. Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 21 June 1952 |
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| Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 9 January 1953 |
Italians, and it was not long before the old Australian voices were singing the Italian songs their
neighbors had taught them.
The few that are left have many memories. They remember the old German who used to sit under the
willow trees and make his baskets.
They remember the vineyards on the hill and the fine wines tne Italians used to make." Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 9 January 1953
In Its Heyday
"The population approached 5000; the. town's seven hotels did a roaring trade; the big stores were full of the most expensive goods."
Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Friday 9 January 1953
Today
Visitors can explore the remnants of gold rush history and learn about the town of Walhalla from the interpretive signs dotted about the landscape.
The Walhalla Goldfields Railway now has a fully operational rail line of 4kms, thanks to the the efforts of volunteers.
Around Walhalla |
| All that remains of the Grand Junction Hotel, Walhalla, Victoria |
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| The Walhalla Mechanics' Institute, Victoria, was originally built in 1867 and was twice burnt to the ground |
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| "Walhalla Chronicle" building in Walhalla, Victoria, Stevage |
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| View of the town of Walhalla in Victoria, Australia |
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| The building behind is Windsor House, which was established in 1878 |
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| The Walhalla Goldfields Railway, Victoria, travels through Stringers Creek Gorge |
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| Long Tunnel Mine yard, Walhalla, Victoria |
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| Walhalla's Star Hotel is a replica facade of the original gold-era Star Hotel. The Band Rotunda was built in 1896 as the result of a design competition to accommodate the early town's many bands |
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| The strongroom, Bank of Victoria, Walhalla, built about 1888 |
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| The old Walhalla Post Office, Victoria, was built in 1886 |
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| View of part Walhalla, showing mainly original buildings - including the fire station built over the creek - as well as some reconstructed ones. Dsidwell |
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| Train heading to Walhalla, VIC |
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| Walhalla, Train Station, VIC |
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| St. John's Church of England, Walhalla, Victoria, Australia. Constructed in 1919 from salvaged materials |
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| Walhalla Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
Things To Do and Places To Go
Walhalla Museum
The Walhalla Goldfields Railway
The Artisan Heart, by Dean Mayes- Hayden Luschcombe is a paediatrician and when his marriage falls apart, he flees to his childhood home in Walhalla.
Walhalla Heyday, by G.F James & C.G Lee -A pictorial history of the old goldmining township of Walhalla in the Victorian mountains.
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