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| A fountain
near the main street in Daylesford
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Daylesford (and Blampied)
Pleasant historic town famed for its mineral
waters.
Daylesford, the home of distinguished cartoonist
Michael Leunig, is a resort town situated on a
ridge which is over 600 metres above sea-level.
It is located 111 km north-west of Melbourne and
45 km north-east of Ballarat. The mountain
scenery, forestry and recreation areas
contribute to the town's relaxing air. At the
peak of Daylesford's formative goldrush there
were many Italians and Swiss living here and
their influence on the gardens and architecture
has been profound; bestowing upon the town a
European feel.
Daylesford is located atop rock strata and
volcanic basins. Waters trapped in these basins
have slowly leached minerals from
450-million-year-old rocks: minerals which are
believed to have a curative effect and which are
now the basis of the town's existence. In
conjunction with the adjacent town of Hepburn
Springs, with which it is closely interconnected
by urban sprawl (combined population: 5500),
Daylesford is known as the 'Spa Centre of
Australia' with 50 per cent of the country's
known and active mineral water outlets and
another 30 per cent located nearby.
Prior to European settlement the area is
thought to have been occupied by the Djadja
Wurrung Aborigines. The first European settler
in the area (1838) was Captain John Hepburn. In
1848, Irish immgrant John Egan took up land on
the future townsite (then known as 'Wombat
Flat'). He and a party of searchers found
alluvial gold in 1851 on ground now covered by
Lake Daylesford, thereby initiating the local
goldrush. Other finds quickly followed. Two or
three hundred diggers were reported in the area
in 1852. A townsite was surveyed in 1854.
Initially called Wombat, it was soon renamed by
Sir Charles Hotham after the English birthplace
of Warren Hastings, the first governor-general
of India.
In 1859 about 3400 diggers were on the local
diggings, 800 of whom were Chinese. They
preferred alluvial workings, planted extensive
market gardens and had their own village with a
Joss House and store. Daylesford was declared a
municipality in 1859 and a borough in the early
1860s. A flour mill was opened in 1863,
reflecting the emergence of local agriculture.
Novelist Joseph Furphy worked as a
threshing-machine operator in the district in
the 1860s. He was married at Daylesford in 1867
and took over the lease on a small local farm
and vineyard belonging to his mother-in-law.
By the 1860s the alluvial gold was exhausted
and a shift to quartz reef mining began. This
continued, on-and-off, into the 1930s. However,
the town is best-known for the odourless,
effervescent mineral water which emanates from
its many springs (hand pumps and continuous-flow
pipes dispense the water free of charge) and
Daylesford became a fashionable spa resort,
particularly when the railway arrived in 1881.
The resort fell out of favour in the Great
Depression. However, since the early 1980s
interest in the local waters has revived and the
town's fortunes have been rejuvenated. Thousands
of people from a great range of social
backgrounds now visit the area each year.
In conjunction with the springs and spas
there are innumerable businesses and individuals
offering a number of 'alternative' services,
including every kind of massage known to
humanity, as well as reiki, shiatsu,
acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology,
spiritual healing, tarot and psychic readings
etc. They are listed in a brochure available
from the Daylesford Visitors' Centre.
For a list of local festivals and events see
entry on Hepburn Springs.
Things to see:
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Tourist Information, Post Office and Town
Hall
The Dayleford Regional Visitor Information
Centre is located two doors down from the post
office at 98 Vincent St, Daylesford, and is open
from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (03)
5348 1339.
The post office, at the corner of Vincent Rd
and Central Springs Rd, was built in 1867 to an
Italianate design with a tower and balustraded
parapet. On the other side of Central Springs Rd
is the town hall (1882) which has been kept in
fine condition.
Museum and Primary School
Just down the road, at 100 Vincent St, is the
Daylesford Historical Society Museum which is
considered one of Victoria's better pioneer
museums. It is located in the old School of
Mines which was built in 1890 as a venue for
developing deep-lead mining skills. Displays
include photographs, clothing, Aboriginal
artefacts and items related to local sawmilling,
agriculture and goldmining. It is open weekends,
school and public holidays from 1:30 p.m to 4:30
p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5348 1453.
Next door to the museum is the old primary
school (1874).
Alpha Hall
Alpha Hall Galleria, at 63-65 Vincent St, was
Daylesford's first movie theatre (c.1914) and
reputedly the first in Victoria outside of
Melbourne. It is now a furniture gallery with a
cafe, tel: (03) 5348 3761.
Other Historic Buildings
At the corner of Central Springs Rd and Duke St
is St Peter's Catholic Church (1863). Christ
Church (1863), the town's Anglican Church, is
located a little further west on Central Springs
Rd. The small but elegant and excellently
maintained Classical Revival courthouse (1863)
is next to the police station in Camp St.
Convent Gallery
High on Wombat Hill (in Daly St) is one of the
town's more popular attractions, the fine
Convent Gallery, located in the former convent
of the Presentation Sisters (1892). One of the
sisters' cells, with its stained-glass windows
and fine views, has been preserved. It is now a
combined gallery and Mediterranean-style
restaurant.
Cockatoo Zoo
Cockatoo Zoo is a consortium of artists and
designers who create functional but interesting
objects such as sculpture, furniture, fountains,
steel art and paintings for homes, corporate
clients, the government, architects, interior
designers and the general public. The showroom
is open by appointment at Factory 1, Industrial
Estate, tel: (03) 5348 3644.
Don Wreford Hot Glass Studio
Located at 39 Albert St, this studio has blown
and hot-formed individual glass pieces, tel:
(03) 5348 1012.
Botanical Gardens
The outstanding Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens
(established in 1863) are situated atop an
extinct volcano high above town, just off
Central Springs Rd. There are some enormous and
rare trees, a fernery, a begonia display in
February-March, a lookout tower, some fine
picnic areas and a kiosk. Of interest are the
monkey puzzle tree, a German horse-drawn mortar
from World War I and the begonia display in the
Conservatory. A map of the gardens is available
from the town's information centre.
Central Springs Spa Reserve
Central Springs Spa Reserve is located at the
southern end of Fulcher St, adjacent Lake
Daylesford. There are four mineral springs,
walks, picnic areas and many shady nooks
adjacent Lake Daylesford.
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| Pleasure
craft moored near the Boathouse Cafe on
Lake Daylesford |
Lake Daylesford
Lake Daylesford, bisected by Bleakley St, covers
the land upon which gold was found in 1851. The
Wombat Flat Diggings became the site of a
Chinese market garden and joss house when the
alluvial gold ran out. This was maintained until
1929 when the lake was created.
Today it is a popular fishing spot with
picnic-barbecue facilities. The peace mile
walking track starts from the main carpark and
entails a circuit of the lake. Rowboats,
aquabikes, paddleboats, canoes and surf skis can
be hired on the foreshore and there is also a
large second-hand book barn nearby.
Tipperary Walking Track
The Tipperary Walking Track explores Hepburn
Regional Park. It is quite an easy and
well-signposted course. 16.7 km in all, it can
be broken into shorter sections. From the outlet
of Lake Daylesford it leads through Central
Springs Reserve and along Wombat Creek. Cross
the footbridge at the carpark to return to the
lake or cross the highway to Twin Bridges picnic
area.
Tracks then follow both banks of Sailor's
Creek north to Tipperary Springs (which can be
accessed by car along Tipperary Rd which heads
off the Midlands Highway). The spring itself is
located near the footbridge. Panning for gold
and garnets is popular here.
Cross the footbridge. You can loop back to
Twin Bridges or ascend the steps and follow the
signs along the west bank of the creek to Bryces
Flat picnic area. You can loop back to Tipperary
along the east bank or cross the footbridge and
follow the signs north to The Blowhole and
Breakneck Gorge veering east to Hepburn Mineral
Springs Reserve. For further information on this
section of the walk see entry on Hepburn
Springs.
Central Highlands Tourist Railway and
Wombat State Forest
The old railway station, adjacent Raglan St at
the eastern edge of town, is the venue for the
town markets and Central Highlands Tourist
Railway. Both operate on Sundays only. On those
days trains run on an hourly basis from
Daylesford through Wombat State Forest to
Bullarto and return, tel: (03) 5348 3503. The
forest, with its fern gullies, streams,
waterfalls and spring wildflowers, is a popular
spot for scenic drives and walks.
Llamas
Take a Llama to Lunch offers a bushwalk in the
Glenlyon district accompanied by a llama which
carries the necessary items for a gourmet
picnic. They operate weekends from October to
May by booking only. Mid-week excursions for
groups can also be arranged, tel: (03) 5348
7739.
Jubilee Lake
Jubilee Lake, at the south-eastern edge of town,
was constructed in 1860 to supply water for the
goldfields and for domestic purposes. It is now
a popular spot for boating, picnicking and
swimming. There is a caravan park, a mineral
spring, a kiosk, barbecue facilities, boat and
canoe hire, and a walking track which leads
around the lake and on to Soda Spring. Jubilee
Lake Rd runs off King St.
Sailor's Falls
Situated in an area that was once mined for
gold, Sailor's Falls, about 8 km south on the
Daylesford-Ballan Rd, cascade for 30 m down a
steep gorge into a fern-lined creek. There are
picnic facilities and electric barbecues. A
short loop walk takes in the area's mineral
springs or you can follow the orange trail
markers and signposts to Twin Bridges (6.5 km).
Blampied
About 11 km south-west of town along the Midland
Highway is Blampied which boasts Victoria's
oldest continually-licenced hotel - the Swiss
Mountain Hotel (1860) which is a lovely
single-storey weatherboard building with a great
atmosphere. Blampied also has an attractive
little bluestone Catholic church.
Eganstown
7 km west along the Midland Highway is the
former mining centre of Eganstown. Now a quiet
hamlet, the 1865 Catholic Church of St Francis
Xavier is one of the few remaining public
buildings. In the adjoining cemetery is a
monument to John Egan who arrived in Australia
in 1841 and established Eganstown in 1848. He
discovered gold in 1851 and died in 1894.
Mt Franklin Recreation Reserve
Mt Franklin, an extinct volcano, is unmistakably
signposted 10 km north of town along the Midland
Highway. The road ascends to a sizeable and
shady picnic-barbecue area. Short-term camping
is permitted with fireplaces, toilets and
washing water provided. You can walk or drive
from the picnic area to the excellent lookout at
the summit.
Dry Diggings Track
The Dry Diggings Track is a 55-km walking route
which winds its way around the old goldfields
between Castlemaine and Daylesford, taking in
Fryerstown, Vaughan, Mt Franklin and Hepburn
Springs. It takes in many of the area's
goldmining relics, as well as its plant
communities and fauna types. A comprehensive
guide map has been drawn up and it is available
from the Visitors' Centre.
This track represents one section of
Victoria's Great Dividing Trail, a series of
co-ordinated walks across the ranges and Central
Highlands. The section from Daylesford to
Ballarat has been virtually completed, tel: (03)
5348 3059.
