Tag:gold rush
Gulgong, a small town in New South Wales, Australia, is more than just a place with a rich history dating back to the gold rush era of the 19th century. It’s a town with a unique charm, known for its well-preserved 19th-century architecture, swagmen history and bush poet Henry Lawson. This unique charm attracts history enthusiasts, tourists, and those curious about Australia’s past.
A Historical Overview of Gulgong
Gulgong is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, about 300 kilometres northwest of Sydney. The town’s roots date back to the 1870s, when gold was discovered in the area. This discovery sparked a gold rush that attracted thousands of prospectors. The sudden influx of people transformed Gulgong from a quiet, remote area into a bustling gold-mining town almost overnight.

Many buildings were constructed during the gold rush, and several still exist today. One example is the Prince of Wales Opera House, built in 1871. It is the oldest continuously operating opera house in the Southern Hemisphere. Significantly, Dame Nelly Melba has performed on its stage. The town’s historic buildings, narrow streets, and sites give visitors a glimpse into life during the peak of the gold rush.

Henry Lawson, one of Australia’s most celebrated writers and poets, connects significantly to Gulgong, New South Wales. This link is primarily through his early childhood experiences and the region’s profound influence on his later works. Lawson’s association with Gulgong is a cornerstone of his literary legacy. It reflects the quintessential Australian rural life and the struggles of the working class.
Henry Lawson: Early Life in Gulgong
Henry Lawson was born on June 17, 1867, in Grenfell, New South Wales. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to the goldfields near Gulgong. His father, Niels Hertzberg Larsen (known as Peter Lawson), was a Norwegian-born gold prospector. His mother, Louisa Albury Lawson, was a prominent feminist and writer.

From the collection of the State Library of New South Wales
During Henry’s childhood, the Lawson family lived in the goldfields surrounding Gulgong. The rugged landscape, the hard life of the miners, and the sense of community among the settlers left a lasting impression on young Henry. These early experiences in the goldfields were pivotal in shaping his worldview and literary voice.
Literary Inspiration
Henry Lawson’s time in Gulgong gave him a wealth of material he would later draw upon in his writing. His works often depict the harsh realities of life in the Australian outback, such as the struggles of the working class and the resilience of the human spirit. With its boomtown atmosphere and transient population, Gulgong was a microcosm of the broader Australian experience during the gold rush era.
Lawson’s stories and poems are characterised by their vivid descriptions of the landscape and the lives of ordinary Australians. His intimate knowledge of the goldfields and the people who lived there gave his work authenticity and emotional depth.
The Swagmen: Icons of Australian Folklore
Swagmen, also known as swaggies or sundowners, were itinerant labourers who travelled on foot across the Australian countryside in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They carried their belongings in a bedroll or “swag,” hence the name swagmen. These men became iconic figures in Australian folklore. Swagmen symbolised the spirit of independence, resilience, and the harsh realities of life in the outback.

The life of a swagman was arduous and uncertain. They often walked great distances in search of work, including shearing sheep, fencing, or harvesting crops. Swagmen would knock on the doors of remote homesteads, asking for food, water, or a place to sleep in exchange for labour. A sense of freedom, hardship, and poverty marked their lifestyle.
The swagman’s way of life has been immortalised in Australian culture through songs, poems, and literature. One of the most famous representations is the song “Waltzing Matilda,”. This story tells of a swagman who camps by a billabong and encounters a jumbuck (sheep). The song, written by Banjo Paterson in 1895, captures the essence of the swagman’s experience. Significantly, it remains an unofficial anthem of Australia.
Gulgong and its Connection to Swagmen
Gulgong’s connection to swagmen is rooted in its history as a gold-mining town. During the gold rush, many prospectors who flocked to Gulgong were swagmen, travelling from one goldfield to another in search of fortune. These men lived a transient lifestyle, often camping on the outskirts of towns like Gulgong.
The gold rush era was a time of great movement and migration. Swagmen played a crucial role in this period, as their labour was essential to developing the goldfields and the infrastructure that supported them. In Gulgong, they contributed to constructing roads, buildings, and other facilities necessary for the growing population.

Gulgong’s historical records and local folklore are replete with stories of swagmen who passed through the town. For example, the Prince of Wales Opera House was a popular venue where swagmen and miners would gather for entertainment after a hard day’s work. The town’s pubs and inns also served as meeting places for these itinerant workers to share news, stories, and companionship.
Secret Code
Swagmen also used a secret code of symbols to communicate the “lie of the land” to fellow travellers. This secret language was not unique to Australia. It was also used internationally by the tramps and gypsies of Europe and the hobos of America.

Chester Nealie, a well-known Gulgong potter, was approached by the council, and he came up with a creative concept for decorative paving in Gulgong. Nealie chose 16 symbols out of a possible 50, deemed appropriate for Gulgong’s gold rush and ‘battler’ past. The completed Gulgong Symbol Trail comprises around 70 tiles arranged randomly throughout Mayne Street and Coronation Park.
Preserving the Legacy
Today, Gulgong takes pride in preserving its rich history and the legacy of the swagmen. The Gulgong Pioneer Museum is one of the largest museums in regional Australia. It offers a comprehensive look at the town’s history, including exhibits dedicated to the gold rush era and the lives of the swagmen. Visitors can explore a vast collection of artefacts, photographs, and documents that tell the story of Gulgong’s past.

The town also celebrates its heritage through various festivals and events. The Gulgong Gold Festival, held annually, is a vibrant celebration that includes reenactments, historical displays, and activities that highlight the town’s gold rush history. This festival provides an opportunity for locals and visitors alike to experience the spirit of the 19th century and learn about the lives of the swagmen and miners who shaped the town.
Walking tours of Gulgong are another popular way to explore its history. Guided tours take visitors through the town’s historic streets, pointing out significant buildings and sharing stories of the people who lived and worked there. These tours often include tales of swagmen, bringing to life the experiences of these iconic figures.
- Prince of Wales Opera House: 101 Mayne Street
- Gulgong Pioneers Museum: 73 Herbert Street OPEN DAILY 9-5
- check out the fully restored Cobb & Co. Coach
- Gulgong Holtermann Museum; 123-125 Mayne Street
- OPEN DAILY 10 am to 3 pm Entry Cost Adult $10, Concession $8
- Don’t miss the wet plate photography. Imagine capturing a moment in time on a glass plate coated with light-sensitive chemicals. Each photograph is a precious artefact, preserving a slice of history for future generations
- Swagmen tile walk: along Mayne and Herbert streets
Cultural Impact
In Gulgong, the legacy of the swagmen is evident not only in historical records and physical landmarks but also in the town’s cultural expressions. Artworks, murals, and sculptures throughout the town pay homage to these itinerant workers. Local artists and writers often draw inspiration from the swagman’s lifestyle, ensuring their stories continue to be told and remembered. Additionally, the Henry Lawson Heritage Festival is held annually in June.
Dows Pharmacy at Chiltern was established in 1859. The pharmacy holds significant historical value as it is one of the few shops that have been preserved in its original state, providing a unique insight into the past. Although it closed in 1968, the pharmacy’s contents remained untouched, making it a unique time capsule of the past.

The Pharmacy was first run by William Witt, who opened the doors in 1859. David McEwen owned the pharmacy from 1864 to 1891. He was the father of the Australian prime minister, John McEwen, who took over the Prime Ministership in a caretaker role upon the disappearance of Harold Holt. In 1929, Hilda Dow purchased the pharmacy. The Dows ran it for the next 38 years until Hilda retired in 1968. During their tenure, the pharmacy became a thriving community hub, providing essential services to the people of Chiltern.
Hilda Dow
Hilda Dow (nee Grey) was the daughter of police magistrate Charles Grey and sister of Royal Melbourne Hospital Lady Superintendent Helene Grey, OBE. She became a student of the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1919. In 1929, she worked at Poynton’s pharmacy in Morwell, when she purchased the pharmacy at Chiltern in Victoria. She was elected to the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria as a member in 1930.

Hilda purchased the pharmacy in 1929 on the eve of the great depression. Until they married in 1931, Hilda resided at the hotel across the street while Roy lived in the residence at the back of the pharmacy. After their marriage, Hilda joined him in the residence. Hilda apprenticed Roy in 1933, and the couple ran the pharmacy in Chiltern until 1968 when they closed the doors.

After retiring in 1968, Hilda Dow attempted to sell her pharmacy, but unfortunately, no buyers were interested in purchasing it. As a result, it remained closed and abandoned for many years. Finally, in 1988, Mrs. Dow generously donated the pharmacy to the National Trust. Dows pharmacy is now a museum for visitors to explore. Hilda Dow was also a highly involved member of various organisations, including the North East branch of the National Trust, the hospital committee, the Infant Welfare Centre board, the Red Cross, and the Chiltern Branch of the County Women’s Association, where she held a leadership position.

National Trust
The National Trust now runs the pharmacy as a museum. A collection of more than 4,000 original items offers an fascinating insight into the history of medicine and pharmacy. Visitors can explore a variety of artifacts, such as bottles, jars, scales, measuring cups, dispensing equipment, and displays of medicines, photographic supplies, and shop fittings.

One of the most striking features of Dows Pharmacy is its time capsule-like atmosphere. The contents of the pharmacy were left untouched when it closed in 1968, and as a result, it feels like stepping back in time. The shelves are still stocked with medicines, the jars are still filled with herbs, and the scales are still set to weigh prescriptions.

Hilda and Roy were both active members in the Chiltern community. Roy received an MBE in 1970 for his valuable services to pharmacy in Victoria. Unfortunately, Roy passed away in 1976, and Hilda followed fourteen years later, passing away in a care home at the age of 92.
Fast facts
- The pharmacy was built in the Victorian Italianate style.
- The original fittings and fixtures, including the mahogany counters, brass scales, and glass display cabinets, are still in place.
- The pharmacy’s collection of medicines includes over 1,000 different items dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- The pharmacy also has a collection of photographic supplies, including cameras, lenses, and film.
- Dows Pharmacy was donated to the National Trust of Australia in 1988.

Visiting the Pharmacy
Dows Pharmacy is a valuable historical resource and a fascinating place to visit. It is also a reminder of the important role that pharmacies have played in our communities, and it is a window into the past. If you are ever in Chiltern, be sure to stop by and take a look.

Dow’s pharmacy is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 pm. The pharmacy is also available for group tours by appointment.
National Trust Members: FREE
Adult: $5
Concession: $4
Child: $3
Family: $12
42 Conness Street, Chiltern
Nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, Chiltern is a quaint town located in the northeastern region of Victoria, Australia. With a population of around 1,000 residents, this charming town was established in 1857 during the Victorian gold rush. Despite the end of this era in the late 1860s, Chiltern remained a prosperous community with a thriving economy based on agriculture, timber, and small enterprises.

Chiltern was first known as Black Dog Creek, supposedly named after a black dingo that was hunted in the vicinity during the 1830s. It was officially gazetted as a town in 1851, surveyed in 1853, and later named Chiltern after the Chiltern Hills in England.
Famous Sons
- John McEwen (1900-1980), 18th Prime Minister of Australia
- Barrie Cassidy (born 1957), former political journalist
- Nigel Lappin (born 1977), a former Australian rules footballer
- Matthew Lappin (born 1979), a former Australian rules footballer
National Trust properties
Lake View House
The charming red brick house, constructed in 1870, has been recently restored and decorated in the fashion of its era. Significantly, it replicates the ambience of a lakeside country villa in a thriving mining town. Lake View House was also the home of Ethel Florence Richardson (a renowned Australian author who wrote under the pen name Henry Handel Richardson) in 1876. The house has a special significance in Australian literary history due to its association with The Getting of Wisdom.

Richardson cherished the memories of her early years spent in Chiltern, which she referred to as ‘Barambogie’ in her novel, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony. Today, Lake View House proudly displays a collection of Richardson’s personal items as a tribute to her legacy.
- 18-22 Victoria St, Chiltern
- Open 11 am – 2 pm Saturdays and every 3rd Sunday 1 pm – 4 pm.
Dow’s Pharmacy
A pharmacy for over a century, this fascinating commercial premises was built in 1859. One of the early pharmacists was David McEwen, the father of the Australian prime minister, John McEwen. John McEwan became caretaker Prime Minister of Australia following the drowning of Harold Holt. Hilda retired in 1968, closing the doors behind her. Significantly, everything inside remained intact.

Some stock and equipment even predated Hilda’s tenure and are from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stepping through the doors of the pharmacy is like stepping back in time. With everything still there, it’s like Hilda has just stepped out for a moment.

- Adult: $5, Concession: $4, Child: $3, Family: $12
- National Trust Members: FREE
- 42 Conness Street, Chiltern
- Open Tuesdays from 11 am to 2 pm, Wednesdays from 9 am to 3 pm & Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm.
The Federal Standard
The Federal Standard Printing Works is one of the few substantially intact provincial newspaper printers from the gold mining era. Built in 1860, it was founded by Felix Ashworth, George Boyer, and George H. Mott in 1869. Their first publication was The Federal Standard, which ran for 110 years. The printing works also produced newspapers like The Murray Gazette, The Border Post, and The Ovens Constitution.

The printing works are still equipped with printing machinery from the 1870s to the 1930s. The machinery is still in working order and is maintained by volunteers.

- 24 Main St, Chiltern VIC 3683
- by appointment
- (03) 9656 9800
Other notable properties
Star Hotel and Theatre and Historic Grapevine: The Star Theatre is a hall connected to the Star Hotel, located at Main Street and Conness Street. Its construction dates back to 1866. Interestingly, the Star Hotel’s grounds boast the world’s largest Grapevine, which the Guinness World of Records has officially recognised.
From 1902 until 1964, the Star Theatre served as the town’s cinema. A projection box was erected outside near the stage, and the stage was transformed into raised seating. Though the projection booth has been demolished, the projection port holes can still be seen on the rear wall of the building. The theatre later closed and was repurposed as an antique store.
The Star Theatre, which was listed by the National Trust in November 1972, has been restored for films and live shows since 1996. It re-opened on May 18th of that year with a screening of “In the Good Old Summertime” starring Judy Garland. The theatre is fully equipped for 16mm presentations and can be hired for special screenings.

There is a grapevine planted in 1867 located in the courtyard. It has a trunk measuring 1.84 metres and a 12-metre-long branch, making it reputedly the biggest grapevine worldwide.
- Cnr Main St and Conness St
- 03 5726 1395

Chiltern Athenaeum: The brick building was built in 1866 to replace a previous timber structure. It previously served as the Council Chamber, Town Hall, and Library/Reading Room. Despite the Library relocating in 1970, a fascinating collection of Goldfield’s literature remained in the building. Today, the Chiltern Athenaeum Museum continues to operate, staffed by volunteers.
Kelly gang
Chiltern is significant in the Kelly saga, as Senior Constable James Lynch from Chiltern signed a warrant for the arrest of Dan Kelly and his cousin Jack Lloyd on suspicion of horse theft on April 5th, 1878. Unfortunately, this warrant sparked a series of events that ultimately led to the police murders at Stringbark Creek, the Kelly Gang manhunt, the siege at Glenrowan, and eventually, Ned Kelly’s execution by hanging.

Jack London was undeniably a man of many talents. Born into a working-class household, he is best known for his novels, Call of the Wild and White Fang. By the time Jack passed away 40 years later, he had lived an extraordinarily full life many times over. Jack London was a seaman, an oyster pirate, a hobo riding the rails across America, a prospector on the Klondike, a journalist and a war correspondent reporting the Russo-Japanese War in 1903. His widely read books made him a famous and wealthy man. Like many others, I read and loved his books and the films they spawned. However, his largely unknown skills as a documentary photographer piqued my interest.

Early Life
Jack London was born John Griffith Chaney, on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. Jack’s mother, Flora Wellman, was a spiritualist and his biological father was an astrologist who left town when Flora fell pregnant. Flora then married John London, a widowed, disabled civil war veteran, the same year as Jack’s birth. The family’s economic circumstances were always dire and to help support the family, Jack had held several jobs by age ten.
At thirteen, he left school and worked odd jobs, turning most of his pay over to his parents. Then, with the help of a loan of $300 from a family friend, he purchased a fourteen-foot skiff, the Razzle Dazzle. Jack used the skiff to poach oysters, selling them to local restaurants and saloons. The criminals he fell in with nicknamed him “The Prince of the Oyster Pirates”. He, in turn, called them “the booze fighters”. Unfortunately, they also introduced him to heavy drinking. This led to a lifelong addiction to alcohol.
A Vagabond Life
By the time Jack was fifteen, he worked eighteen hours a day in a cannery enduring appalling conditions for ten cents an hour to support his family. At age sixteen, Jack joined the California Fish Patrol. Then, in 1893, on his seventeenth birthday, Jack signed aboard the Sophia Sutherland, a three-masted schooner, as an able-bodied seaman. Onboard, he headed to the Pacific Northwest and Japan for a seal-hunting expedition.
Off the coast of Japan, the ship ran into a typhoon so fierce each man could only tolerate a one hour turn at the wheel. Fortunately, the ship survived the storm and returned to San Francisco six months later. Jack regarded the voyage as a seminal turning point in his life. Finally, he had returned home a man.

The Hobo Life
Back on land, he was broke again after handing over his wages to his mother. In 1894 Jack was travelling as a hobo across America’s rail tracks. In Niagra Falls, he was arrested for vagrancy and sentenced to 30 days gaol. According to Jack, those 30 days were so degrading it made him decide to return to education and resume writing.
After a brief stint at a jute mill, followed by a power plant, he enrolled and completed high school. Jack then attended the University of California, where he embraced socialism. The San Francisco Examiner printed a speech he wrote and profiled him as a “boy socialist”. However, he left university after one semester due to lack of funds. Jack travelled with his sister’s husband to the Alaskan Klondike for the gold rush of 1897.

Courtesy of Alaska State Library, Winter & Pond Collection
The Writer Emerges
“It was in the Klondike,” London said, “that I found myself. There nobody talks. Everybody thinks. There you get your perspective. I got mine.”
Jack London, Smithsonian Institute
While on the Klondike, he became severely malnourished. He lost several of his front teeth to scurvy, and his failing health forced him to return home. While Jack didn’t strike it lucky on the Klondike, he had brought back a wealth of raw material for his books. Returning to California in 1898, he learned his step-father, John London, had died. The death of his stepfather brought about the decision to dedicate himself to professional writing to support his mother. Drawing on his Klondike experiences, he began writing about Alaska’s bleak, frozen landscape.

Courtesy of Eagle Historical Society
I brought nothing back from the Klondike but my scurvy,” London declared. He netted just four dollars and fifty cents’ worth of gold dust.
Jack London, The New Yorker
By 1899 his stories attracted several major magazines. The publication of these stories gave him a secure, middle-class life. In 1900 he married and had two daughters. The Call of the Wild was published in 1903, and at 27, he became a huge celebrity. His rugged good looks, youthful vitality, travels, and political activism made him the darling of political reporters and gossip columnists alike.
Jack London- war correspondent

A skilled photographer, Jack’s subjects included the homeless in Londons East End Slums to the refugees of the Russo-Japanese war. He was a fearless photojournalist and was arrested by the Japanese secret police twice for taking photographs of Japanese forces.


Jack wrote an eyewitness account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. He returned two weeks later with his camera to document the city in ruins. 1914 he covered the U.S. invasion of Veracruz during the Mexican revolution for the Hearst newspapers.

People Of The Abyss
In 1902 Jack visited London as he wanted to expose, in his words, the “underside of imperialism”. To pass unnoticed among the working poor, he disguised himself as an American sailor who had lost his ship. Jack lived among them, photographing the conditions of their everyday life. His experiences and photographs of living in Londons East End and the Whitechapel district, sometimes sleeping on the streets, at other times in workhouses were documented in his book “The People of the Abyss” (still available on Amazon)
“Of all my books, the one I love most is The People of the Abyss. No other work of mine contains as much of my heart.”
Jack London

A 1909 report of the Poor Law Commission found that one-third of the East End’s 900,000 strong population lived in conditions of extreme poverty. The report also detailed the squalor of conditions in these areas, with an average of 25 houses sharing one lavatory and fresh-water tap between them. One response to a dire lack of sanitation in London’s poorest areas was the provision of communal washhouses for bathing and clothes-washing; an average of 60,000 people each week used the 50 such bathhouses which existed across the city in 1910
Rare Historical Photos



ever the adventurer
Jack London’s marriage collapsed in 1904 when his wife discovered he was having an affair with Charmain Kittredge, who became the second Mrs London. He continued writing short stories and articles and published The Sea Wolf and White Fang. At thirty, he became the highest-paid writer in the country. Jack began designing a 45-foot sailboat he named the Snark after the Lewis Carroll Poem.

In 1907 Jack and Charmain sailed to Hawaii and the South Seas with a small crew. They followed this by driving a four-horse wagon on a 1500-mile trip through Oregon in 1911. The following year in 1912, they sailed from Baltimore around Cape Horn to Seattle as passengers aboard the square-rigged sailing bark Dirigo.

Ill health
Due to the effects of amoebic dysentery he had caught in Mexico and his heavy drinking, Jack had been in ill health for some time. In 1913 Jack underwent an appendectomy, and doctors discovered his seriously diseased kidneys. However, he ignored doctors’ warnings against a high protein diet, insisting on raw fish and near-raw duck meals. In addition, he continued to smoke 60 Russian cigarettes a day and continued to drink heavily.
The Final Years
In the last two years of his life, Jack endured recurring bouts of dysentery, kidney stones, gastric disorders and rheumatism and his doctors prescribed morphine for the pain. Jack and his wife made two extended trips to Hawaii for Jack to rest and recover. However, on November 22, 1916, Jack London died of uremic poisoning from kidney failure and a probable stroke. In 18 years, he had written 50 books, 20 of them novels, and taken thousands of photographs, most of which remained unpublished until 2010.

Although she was often bedridden following repeated strokes, Charmian lived another forty years. She died in 1955, at the age of 83. Her ashes rest beside Jack’s under the rock that marks their grave near Glen Ellen, California, at Jack London State Historic Park.
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London
Note: all photojournalist images used in this post were taken by Jack London
Like many towns in Victoria, Heathcote got its start during the gold rush of the 1850s. Before discovering gold, the area was an open box forest, but that all changed with the discovery of gold. The creation of the geological phenomenon of pink cliffs was caused by hydraulic sluicing, a type of mining used in the late 1870s to 1880s that washed away the top layer of soil and revealed the dramatic and colourful cliffs below.

Hydraulic Sluicing
Hydraulic sluicing is a mining method that employs high-pressure jets of water to blast away large areas of earth and wash it down and through a sluice box. Gold gets caught in the sluice, with the remaining slurry washed away. This mining method is extremely effective but causes significant environmental damage and impacts waterways and agricultural operations. Hydraulic sluicing at the Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve was halted in 1890 due to such damage being wrought on the local landscape.

Miners
The goldfields of Heathcote rang to the sounds of 1270 working miners in 1865. Of these, 1200 were European and 70 Chinese. Miners came to the goldfields from across the globe – from Great Britain, Europe, South Africa, China and Chile. Sailors left ships; farmers walked off farms. Wives accompanied many of the men and set themselves up as bar owners, washerwomen or cooks. As the surface gold became scarce, miners moved onto other goldfields, returned to the farms or obtained jobs with the growing deep mining operators.

The ‘cliffs’ themselves are small hills of the remaining granite, riddled with reddish-brown cracks filled with quartz. The quartz became stained with iron-rich solutions, and erosion has led to the moonscape type appearance.

The Colours
The colours of the cliffs change during the day depending on the type of light. There are two lookouts; according to Parks Victoria, the scenic circuit walk takes 30 mins and takes you past both the upper and lower lookouts. Allow a good hour or more if you have a camera in hand 😉 We visited in the middle of the day, but I would love to go back and see them around sunset.


Location
Park in the carpark opposite 68 Pink Cliffs Road, Heathcote and walk in.