4WD Touring Australia – June 2018

THE BACK STORY

The High Country was ground zero for the Victorian gold
rush of the mid nineteenth century. Gold was discovered at
Beechworth in 1852 and then soon after at Bright, Wandiligong
and along the Ovens River. The richest nd in the region came
in 1853 at the fabled Buckland Valley.
Alluvial gold had been found in the streams around Manseld
by the early 1860s and these early ndings were to herald
major changes for the area.

The region’s population boomed as migrants poured in from

around the country and overseas. Some made it big, while many

others endured great hardship for very little reward. The heady

days of the Victorian gold rush lasted just a few decades. By the

end of the 19th century all but the most stubborn had moved on.

When visiting the High Country it’s certainly worth making

a visit to one of the former mining centres of Beechworth,

Chiltern, Yackandandah or Woods Point to take a look at the

relics of life in a time that’s hard to imagine today.

THE ALPINE GOLD RUSH IS A TALE OF TWO ERAS – THEN, AND NOW.

TRAVEL

4wdtouring.com.au | 045