BEECHWORTH & STANLEY
Scroll beyond the links below for town information
The produce paradise of Stanley and the historic and magnificently preserved gold mining town of Beechworth are located about 3 hours drive from Melbourne. The streetscape of Beechworth takes you back to the gold rush days with its main streets lined with preserved buildings and the fascinating historic and cultural precinct. 10 minutes away, Stanley, at over 700m altitude, is a haven for cool climate produce where, in season, farm gates offer a variety of apples, berries, cherries, stone fruit, nuts and more.
Gold was discovered in Beechworth in 1852 near Newtown Bridge on Spring Creek and Stanley in 1853 and the number of prospectors in the area peaked at around 30,000, coming from all over the world. Over 5000 were Chinese and mining camps were established throughout the area with gold being found along Spring, Reedy, Silver and Nine Mile Creeks and in the Woolshed Valley. There is a large Chinese section in the Beechworth Cemetery where 2000 Chinese are buried. Their burial ceremonies included burning paper tokens and exploding fire crackers to scare devils away. The Chinese Burning Towers were built in 1860 and can be visited today. The Cemetery has many other interesting sections and historic features.
Beechworth Historic Park is well worth a visit with the 5km Gorge Scenic Drive being popular, either on foot, by bike or car. Various walks and historic points of interest can be found here. A visit to the Powder Magazine allows visitors to enjoy this 1859 built historic site, constructed to safely store gun powder used in mining. Access inside the Powder Magazine is available as part of purchasing a ‘Golden Ticket’ at the Visitor Information Centre at 103 Ford St. Follow this link for information on Beechworth Historic Park.
The Beechworth Historic and Cultural Precinct is an area near the centre of Beechworth, containing a number of original buildings such as the Burke Memorial Museum, Telegraph Station (built 1958), Courthouse, Sub-Treasury Building and Ned Kelly Vault (housing a rifle owned by Ned Kelly, Dan Kelly’s pistol and the original table from the verandah of Anne Jones Inn, Glenrowan). The Police Reserve includes the Stone Lock up (built 1867) that at different times held Ned Kelly and his Mother, Ellen. The Beechworth Gaol, operated from 1864 to 2004, and housed members of the Kelly Gang and Family and bushranger Harry Power amongst many prisoners over a 140 year period. Follow this link for information on purchasing tickets into some of the Precinct buildings, Powder Magazine and joining the daily walking tours.
Beechworth is one of the most popular tourist towns in the High Country with a range of events, activities and attractions and a variety of accommodation to suit most budgets and tastes. It is also a gourmet destination offering country pubs and cafes right through to Chef Hat awarded dining. Walking the historic main streets, you will discover everything from local produce stores to natural fibre boutiques offering alpaca, possum, bamboo and cashmere products.
The Beechworth Mountain Bike Park caters for beginners through to advanced riders and is about a 10 minute ride from the centre of town. The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail has a 16km branch off the main route taking you through from Everton to Beechworth that is uphill most of the way, otherwise, riding from Beechworth to Everton is downhill. Follow this link for more information on the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. Follow this link for the interactive Mountain Bike Park trail map.
One of the most recognised landmarks in Beechworth, is the old Post Office building, built in 1870 and operating from this building until January 2019, it is similar to other Post Offices of that era, with a postmaster’s residence above the telegraph office. Opposite the old Post Office building, another landmark, is the old Bank of Victoria building, built in 1867.
Lake Sambell in Beechworth is a picturesque spot for a lakeside stroll and a BBQ and includes a children’s playground and shady picnic areas. The gold deposits of Spring Creek yielded over 1.3 tonnes of gold until 1921 and in 1928 the lake was created after the area that had been sluiced for gold was dammed.
10 mins drive from Beechworth, Stanley is a small and beautiful town, at over 700m altitude, making it a perfect cool climate to grow a range of produce and many farm gates can be found along the scenic roads in and out of the town. By 1870 there were 19 hotels, 3 brewers, 3 blacksmiths, 7 butchers and a doctor in the town. The school, that still stands, had 47 students enrolled in the year it was built, 1858. Other historic original buildings still exist today, including the Athenaeum & Public Room, built in 1874.
By the time the gold had run out, Stanley became renowned for producing fruit, as it does to this day. Still standing are 2 old timber apple storage cellars, built in the 1930’s, excavated by pick and shovel into the side of a hill, set well back from the road on private property. These original cold storage sheds featured ventilator shafts which helped control the temperature and air flow and facing south, were protected from hot sun and frost by trees at the rear.
Accommodation in Stanley is available from B & B’s, self-contained options to a quality country pub and being only 10 mins drive from Beechworth, makes Stanley a peaceful, yet convenient haven. The road to the south of Stanley takes you on a pleasant drive down to Myrtleford, about 20 kms away.
