Blackwood
An historic goldmining village
In 1855, four years after gold was first
discovered in Ballarat, Edward Hill struck it
lucky at nearby Golden Point. By the end of that
year, the goldmining village of Blackwood, 85 km
north-west of Melbourne, had 13 000 prospectors
panning the creeks and sluicing the river banks
and hillsides. While there is little or no
remaining gold, some of the rich quartz-reefs,
initially discovered by James Simmons to the
west of the town, are still being mined.
Blackwood, with its timber cottages, is
situated amidst the eucalyptus-covered hills
which attracted the earliest settlers with their
promise of instant riches. Today it is now
little more than a memory of the thriving
settlement which existed, albeit briefly, in the
late 1850s.
Things to see:
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Historic Cottage
One of the original cottages, located on the
Blackwood-Trentham road, dates from sometime
between 1855 and 1864. With its brick and stone
chimney, hip roof and lean-to, it offers a
fascinating insight into the building techniques
of the time.
Blackwood's Cemetery
Of particular interest is Blackwood's cemetery
with its graves which date back to goldrush
times. The graves of the Chinese miners (they
started arriving in the district in 1857) are,
tellingly, located at the rear of the burial
ground. A less obscure grave belongs to a
Frenchwoman, Madame Bonford, who was contracted
to cut the extensive water races which brought
water to the gold prospectors.
Another interesting gravestone is that of
Bridget Cruise who built the Blackwood Hotel in
1868, after the death of her husband. The
Blackwood Hotel (recently renovated) still
stands in the centre of town, while the graves
of Cruise and her family can be found to the
left of the cemetery¹s entrance.
Also at the cemetery is 'Little Doaty's
Grave', the resting place of an unfortunate
local female who, according to legend, was found
mysteriously drowned after strolling into the
bush one day. Some less romantic accounts
suggest she died from diphtheria.
One of the notable tombs in the cemetery is
that of Matthew Rogers, a stonemason and
goldminer, who constructed the Garden of St Erth
at the former mining settlement of Simmons Reef.
He named his handiwork after the region in
Cornwall where he was born. There is a map
available which can guide the visitor through
the orchard and gardens which combine native
flora with introduced species. At their centre
lies the family cottage and the remnants of an
old butchery.
Jack Cann Reserve
Near the Garden is the Jack Cann Reserve.
Walking tracks lead off to Foster's Lookout, to
the tunnel, sluices and open-cut mine of Simmons
Reef, and up the Lerderderg River to Crown Dam,
where the path leads across the dam and back
down the opposite bank of the waterway. Also at
Simmons Reef, on Deadman's Hill, is the grave of
Isaac Povey who died from fever in 1855 - the
year in which his friend, companion, and
gravedigger, Edward Hill, initiated the local
goldrush.
Another interesting site near the river is
the mineral springs reserve which has picnic and
barbecue facilities as well as a kiosk which
provides maps of the area. Across the small
bridge there is a pathway which meanders along
the shore of Shaw's Lake (designed as a
reservoir to ensure the water supply to the
goldminers) and on to Sweets Lookout. Below this
panoramic view there is a trail which leads past
Golden Point, where the miners' water races,
carved into the mountains' flanks, are still
visible. From there it winds back to the
township of Blackwood, where you can visit one
of the region's oldest buildings, the All Saints
Church of England, which was constructed in
1863.
