Heritage Walk Launched

Chair of the Learmonth & District Historical Society, Desley Beechey welcomed a large crowd to the launch of The Learmonth Heritage walk on Sunday 28th June at the Old Shire Offices in Learmonth. Cr Noel Perry launched the walk and unveiled a plaque recognising the occasion.

It is a very exciting project and highlights the history of this town by identifying 37 significant landmarks, at each site a plaque has been mounted for easy identification. The walk identifies Learmonth as having been a bustling town with church’s, chaff mills, saddlers, hotels, blacksmith’s, bakery’s, general store’s, draper, bank, engineering and millwrights works, a school, the Shire Hall, an undertaker, a Court House, Temperance Hall, Masonic Hall, railway line and station, saleyards and showgrounds. It is pleasing to see some of these buildings remain today.

The Old Shire Hall building (venue for the launch)  dates back to 1860 with the central two room building which housed the Ballarat District Road Board, The Shire Hall and Council Chambers were added in 1866 and the weatherboard accommodation wing erected in 1873.

The Shire of Ballarat, the first in the state of Victoria, was proclaimed on 24th November 1863 and sat at Learmonth until 1963.

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Local history Bill Loader addresses the gathering.

Seated LDHS President Desley Beechey, Cr. Noel Perry, Mrs Claudette Crick, Mr Andrew Mullet.

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Local historian Mrs Claudette Crick.

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Mr Andrew Mullett, F W Barnes & Son

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City of Ballarat Councillor Noel Perry.

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Cr Noel Perry & LDHS President Desley Beechey

This walk has been created by local historians including Bill Loader, Claudette Crick, Steve Corp and David Spenceley and is a project of The Department of Planning and Community Development, Heritage Victoria, the City of Ballarat and the Learmonth & District Historical Society.

Bill Loader and Claudette Crick both spoke along with Andrew Mullett on behalf of Barnes Undertakers who commenced their business in Learmonth in 1861.

The Learmonth & District Historical Society members are busily cataloguing all the information held by the Society and will be opening a Research Room in the near future. They are very keen to copy any historical items of interest held in the community.

 

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