Songlines of the Barwon Catchment

During the recent Mountain to Mouth 2016 extreme arts walk held across the City of Greater Geelong and the Borough of Queenscliffe, one of the catchphrases used was "walk this land". Participants were encouraged to consider those who have walked the land before us. Part of our route took us along the Barwon River, with the event ultimately concluding on the banks of the river at Barwon Heads.
With this in mind, I thought I would have a look at the lands of the wider Barwon catchment and the people who have walked them. The way we cross the land today is perhaps best represented by maps. For thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans however, the indigenous tribes of Australia walked the land, following ancient tracks and pathways known to their ancestors, without the benefit of modern cartographic techniques.
For 25,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Barwon catchment was home to three indigenous tribes. The lands surrounding the lower Barwon - downriver from Winchelsea - as well as the catchments of the Moorabool and Leigh/Yarrowee Rivers were occupied by the Wathaurong (Wadawurrung) people. The lands of the Gulidjan Tribe lay along the upper reaches of the Barwon, also incorporating the area around Lake Colac. The Barwon itself formed the boundary between the Gulidjan people and their southern neighbours - the Gadubanud Tribe - who lived on the land between the river and the coast, stretching westwards past Cape Otway.

Adaption of the map "Catchments of the Barwon River and inland Basins", created
by the Victorian State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, 1950 (original
image held by the State Library of Victoria). Clan territories estimated from
Clark, 1995, "Scars in the Landscape"

Rather than physical maps such as the one above, indigenous maps were shared through dance, song, painting and story. They talked about the features of the land itself; the rivers and creeks which showed them the way from one place to another, the hills, the trees, the rocks, the waterholes passed along the way. Even the sky played a role. Following these "songlines", it was possible to walk for hundreds of kilometres. In this way, people could move between tribes, establish trade routes, make marriages, manage natural resources; walking - it was believed - in the footsteps of the creator spirit.

And it isn't too much of a stretch to see how songlines could work. The name of the Barwon itself is a directional description. Barre Warre N Yallock - the big river which flows from the mountains to the sea. Follow this river and you will reach the sea. Kooly bar ghurk (Coolebarghurk): man's track by the creek. Another descriptive name. Which track? The one by the creek. The one made by people, not the many animal tracks which no doubt criss-crossed the land.

"Man's track by the creek". For thousands of years, the Wathaurong walked the
banks of Coolebarghurk Creek

Wormbete: which lake? The "lake with the black fellow's mound". Where? Bukar Bulac; the place between two rivers. This was the Wathaurong name for the confluence of the Moorabool and Barwon Rivers.
Creation stories told how the eagle Bundjil looked down upon the world from the sky where his fire (the planet Jupiter) could be seen from Earth. Bundjil it was said, made his earthly home at Woringganninyoke - Lal Lal Falls. Whilst the meaning of the first name is unknown, "Lal Lal" is said to mean "dashing water in a crevice". Another literal description which could contribute to a songline.

Lal Lal Falls, April, 2012

Many other sites were named for prominent features which could also be used as part of a songline. Someone wanting to journey north west from Jillong (Geelong), the "place of native companions" or the place "where the seabirds fly over white cliffs", could perhaps travel to Durdidwarrah where either a "shelter of bark" or "dead water" could be found after which they would reach Bungeeltap (meaning either "spirit water" or "eagle's nest"). From there, they could see [Mount] Warrengeep (Warrenheip) where the ferns of the side of the mount resembled "emu feathers" before passing Bonan Yowing (Buninyong), the mountain shaped like a "man lying on his back with his knee raised." Once there, it wasn't too far to Balla arat (Ballarat), the "reclining on the elbow" "place" or resting place.

Bonan Yowing: Mt Buninyong, visible across the surrounding countryside
for many kilometres

Like today's Google Maps, the songlines of the indigenous peoples not only described which route to follow, but gave tips about where to stay and what food could be found along the journey: Yarram Mordong (the Wathaurong name for Buckley Falls), waterfall [of] eels; Porrong Goop (Borrongoop), the place of quails; Koo N Warre (Lake Connewarre), mud oyster water.

Koo N Warre: Lake Connewarre

In this way, the Wathaurong, Gulidjan and Gadubanud Tribes of the Barwon catchment "mapped" out the land, preserving their knowledge over thousands of years for future generations. Until European settlers arrived...

Making tracks: lies and deception

So, how did the diggers decide which road to take when heading from Geelong (or Melbourne via Geelong) to the goldfields of Ballarat and beyond?'
Word of mouth was certainly important. Anyone recently returned from the diggings with news of the latest rush was questioned closely. Newspapers were scanned in minute detail to glean any information about which field had the greatest returns and what was the best route to get there. Weather reports were no doubt also taken into account when considering which road to take and the means of travel could also affect choice of route. For those wealthy enough to afford it, travelling by coach determined which road was used, but for those on foot - as many were - the shortest route may have held the most appeal. For the array of horses, carts, drays and wagons however, it was not so easy to skirt around a bad section of track - as described by Henry Mundy in his account of his time spent on the goldfields - so the shortest route may not always have been the quickest. Misjudging a creek-crossing or becoming mired in a swamp could be a very costly and even dangerous occurrence.
One source of information which purported to help the would be diggers avoid the traps and pitfalls of their newly-chosen career was guidebooks. The Digger's Hand-book, the Gold Digger's Guide, the Gold Seeker's Guide and a plethora of other helpful publications were guaranteed to provide all the information an aspiring digger needed; a list of what clothes and equipment to take, what rations to carry and what could be found along the way. Most importantly perhaps, the digger's guides also included maps, a description of the route, details of what conditions to expect during the journey and potentially also a list of places to stay or camp and the distances involved.

An example of a gold digger's guide, image from the National Maritime Collection

Whilst I found a number of newspaper articles providing helpful information for diggers and an array of advertisements selling everything from tonics to miner's cradles, diggers guides were not so easy to come by, with the exception of the one pictured above, the text of which can be found here.
Sources of information such as these whilst useful, were not however to be entirely trusted. Newspapers then as now had their own agendas which often reflected the interests of the towns and people they represented. With the outbreak of the gold rush in 1851, many of those towns were keen to profit from the flurry of activity it generated. Of course, those who were situated closest to the goldfields stood to benefit most and it wasn't long before a slanging match developed between Geelong and Melbourne with The Argus and the Geelong Advertiser championing the causes of their respective towns.
Not surprisingly, one of the chief topics of interest was the proximity - or lack there of - of each town to the Ballarat goldfields. Within weeks of the discovery of gold in Victoria, claims, counter claims, allegations and insinuations were flying. Also up for debate was the estimated cost of buying equipment for the goldfields from either town and the state of the respective roads between each and the diggings.
Nor was the battle confined to the pages of the local newspapers. In 1854 a map was published which purported to show the "true" distances between Melbourne, Geelong and the various goldfields but which placed Geelong at twice the distance from Ballarat as it did Melbourne. Not surprisingly, there was outrage amongst the Geelong fraternity at such a fraud being perpetuated upon their town.

The "false" map of the goldfields (Turnbull, 1989)

Whilst no-one seems to know who put the map together, the lithographers who printed it were Messrs Campbell & Fergusson of Melbourne. The map was recently on display at the Geelong Regional Library, but has also been reproduced in various places including "Maps are Territories: Science is an Atlas" (David Turnbull, 1989).
Whilst this map is a blatant example of the intercity rivalry, other maps were more accurate but could still prove misleading. At the outbreak of the gold rush, there were a number of maps which were considered reliable such as government surveyor A.J. Skene's 1845 "Map of the district of Geelong", engraved by Thomas Ham of Melbourne and published by James Harrison of the Geelong Advertiser.

The relevant portion of Skene's 1845 map of  the Geelong region, showing the main tracks between
towns at that time. Image held by the National Library of Australia

Another map which could be trusted to give a reasonably accurate representation of the district was Thomas Ham's 1849 "Map of the purchased and measured lands, counties, parishes, etc. of the Melbourne and Geelong districts", published prior to the discovery of gold.

A portion of Ham's 1849 map of the Melbourne and Geelong regions.
Image held by the National Library of Australia

It is worth noting however, that a subsequent map produced in 1852 by Ham (after the discovery of gold), whilst accurate, took the approach of displaying only the area north of about the 38th parallel south, which passes not too far below Werribee. This way, Geelong is not shown, and on the copy held by the National Library of Australia the roads to Buninyong and Ballarat from Melbourne have been highlighted (after publication) whereas those to Geelong were untouched or marked only faintly. Whether this was an intentional ploy to disadvantage Geelong or merely the result of a "Melbourne-centric" view of the gold rush is not clear.

Ham's 1852 map of the routes to the Mt. Alexander & Ballarat gold diggings.
Image held by the National Library of Australia

Despite both early maps being relatively accurate however, there were slight variations between Ham's 1849 and Skene's 1845 maps. Skene for example more accurately locates William Cross Yuille's Ballarat Run to the north of Mt Buninyong, whilst Ham shows it to the north west below Lake Burrumbeet. Despite these discrepancies, both the 1845 and 1849 maps give a reasonable representation of the main features of the landscape, but only give a general idea of the main tracks. This would be due at least in part to the fact that not all land in the area had been accurately surveyed at that time.
Other less official maps also claimed to provide accurate information, but were similarly vague. The "Notes of a Gold Digger and Gold Digger's Guide" shown above, contained a map "compiled & engraved by Samuel Clavert" dated 1852. Whilst the distances shown are reasonably accurate, once again, the track is a general line with few landmarks to use as a guide. Whilst Geelong is shown on this map, distances are marked from Melbourne to each of the goldfields listed but no distance is given for the road from Geelong to Ballarat, nor is the Geelong-Melbourne Rd marked on the map.

Map of the goldfields from "Notes of a Gold Digger and Gold
Digger's Guide" 1852.

A fourth map from 1853 gave a little more detail as to places, showing inns and stopping points along the way - no doubt reflecting the many establishments which were popping up along the various routes to the goldfields to cater to the passing trade. Despite this, the map still showed only an approximation of the tracks involved and in this instance appears to show the distance from Geelong to Buninyong via Shelford to be the same as that via the Geelong-Buninyong Track. It was, it claimed "carefully compiled from authentic sources & lithographed by Edwd. Gilks."

The digger's road guide, to the gold mines of Victoria and the country extending
210 miles, round Melbourne. Image held by the National Library of Australia

So, all things considered,with an array of maps (some conflicting), a steady flow of newspaper reports and returning diggers, each with his or her own tales to tell, variable weather conditions, bad roads, new goldfields popping up here, there and everywhere, not to mention the ever-present risk of bushrangers as well as intense competition for business at every inn or hamlet along the way, is it any wonder that so many towns claimed to be "on the main route [from Geelong] to the goldfields"?

Making tracks: via Mt Mercer

I initially began researching the route travelled by the diggers who flocked to the goldfields of Buninyong, Ballarat and beyond after noticing that a number of towns located on the rivers, creeks and gullies of the Barwon catchment claimed to be on the "main gold route" or on the "best line of road" to the goldfields. But how could places as far apart as Teesdale on the Leigh Road and the Eclipse Hotel at Durdidwarrah and Morrisons, along with all the towns which sprang up along the Geelong to Buninyong Track, justify their claims?
It quickly became apparent that there were several different routes which hopeful prospectors could take to the diggings and each had its own claim to being "the main route from Geelong to Ballarat" (or Buninyong for the current purpose as all roads from Geelong passed through or near that town). The shortest route was certainly the bullock track which lead from Geelong to Buninyong. It was well established by the 1840s and had been used by the mail coaches to travel between Geelong and Buninyong since 1846. If volume of newspaper content is anything to go by, this was certainly the busiest route to the goldfields and the topic of my most recent posts.
Teesdale of course, is not on this route. It was however on the road taken by another of the earliest mail coaches in the district - the Portland Bay Mail Coach. The mail from Geelong (and from Melbourne via the steamer) was carried by coach through Leigh Road (Bannockburn), Teesdale, The Leigh (Shelford), Rokewood and onwards to join the Melbourne to Portland Bay mail at Fiery Creek (Streatham/Beaufort). An 1856 survey map of the Teesdale area describes this road as the "main road from Fiery Creek to Geelong via Batesford".

Shelford iron bridge under construction 1873-4. The timber pylons of the original
bridge are visible between those of the new bridge

Like the Geelong to Buninyong Track, the Portland Bay Road required travellers to undertake several river and creek crossings - the Moorabool River at Batesford, Bruce's Creek at Leigh Road and two crossings of the Leigh/Yarrowee River. The first of these was at The Leigh where, prior to 1850, the crossing was made via a ford. After this date, a wooden bridge was installed which served until 1873-4 when a wrought-iron box girder bridge was erected as per the design of Leigh Shire engineer C.A.C. Wilson.
After crossing the Leigh, those travelling to Buninyong needed to branch off the Portland Bay road and head north. First however, they could take a meal or stay overnight at the Settlers' Arms Inn, before following the track which lead to Mt Mercer and on to Buninyong. The inn was built in 1843 by Captain Francis Ormond who leased the surrounding land from George Russell of the Clyde Company, agreeing to improve the area and build the inn which soon prospered as a result of the passing trade.

Settler's Arms Inn built by Captain Francis Ormond in`1843. Situated near
the Shelford bridge across the Leigh River, the inn was a staging post on the
Portland Bay mail route. It was demolished in 1983 to allow construction
of the current road bridge. Image taken in 1975 is from the John T Collins
Collection, State Library of Victoria

Whilst none of the early maps such as those produced by surveyor AJ Skene (1845), Ham's map of the routes to the Mt Alexander & Ballarat diggings (1852) or Sands & Kenny's Map of Victoria (1859) show a road running from Shelford to Buninyong, the track did exist and it was used to access the goldfields. Survey maps as early as 1851, show the beginning of a road leading south from Buninyong "to The Leigh". It was not until 1857 however, that it was officially surveyed - at least in part - by government surveyor Maurice Weston and was indeed titled "part of Geelong and Ballarat Road from Shelford to Mt Mercer".

A dirt track leading into Shelford, taken during the late 19th century. Image held
by the State Library of Victoria

An important point of distinction however, which may also explain Teesdale's claim to be on the "main gold route" from Geelong to Ballarat, is a description which appears in the newspapers from the 1850s onwards, referring to the "main road from Geelong to Ballarat via Mt Mercer". It is probably telling that the description of this road always seemed to come with the qualifier "via Mt Mercer". I suspect this meant not that this was "the" main road, but rather that it was "a" main road and that it ran via Mt Mercer. In this era the phrase "government road" or "main government road" was often also used. It described official roads built and maintained by the government. From the 1860s, local road districts were established to levy rates and to maintain roads across the colony. The colonial government however, still retained responsibility for the most important roads, therefore a "main road" was any road which was paid for and maintained by the government rather than by the local road district or shire council. Having a road declared as a "main road" by the government could remove significant financial strain from a struggling rural shire.
Another consideration is the term "main gold route". Does this mean the route taken by the diggers to get to the goldfields or the route taken by the gold escorts bringing the gold back to Geelong? Newspaper reports show that the the contractors carrying gold to Geelong travelled via the Geelong to Buninyong Road. It was for this reason that a police paddock and associated buildings were established at Meredith in 1853 (and a little later also at Burnt Bridge), to provide a base for the police officers accompanying the gold; a staging post for changing horses.

This early photograph taken c1852-1854 shows the Ballarat gold escort. Image
held by the State Library of Victoria

Whilst it may have been shorter and there may have been more traffic on the Geelong to Buninyong Track, it was not without its problems. When the weather was bad, some sections of the road became a quagmire. Negotiating "Scott's Swamp" could prove an almost impossible prospect. The approach from Melbourne could also be a difficult journey; one traveller reported seeing hundreds of drays stranded in the mud during a single trip to the goldfields of Ballarat. It is probably no surprise then, that whilst researching a previous post, I found mention of the track from Shelford to Buninyong being used by travellers when the Geelong to Buninyong Track was impassable during bad weather.
It may have been longer, however travellers would go a significant distance out of their way to avoid bad roads, even taking to the bush when necessary.
It is also worth noting that the Geelong to Buninyong Road and the road via Mt Mercer did not exist in isolation from one another. They were connected by tracks (and later roads) which ran east-west between them. As I mentioned in an earlier post about the Green Tent, there was a track running from that place back to Shelford which was used by bullockies and those wanting to graze their stock, as well as the track which became the Meredith-Shelford Rd. If conditions were proving too difficult on one road, it was possible to veer off and head for the other.
And it is at this point that another local tale surfaces. Whilst on a visit to 'Narmbool' (the squatting property established in 1839 by Hugh Niven, now owned by Sovereign Hill), I was told that an old track leading down across Williamson's Creek was "used by the diggers during the gold rush". This would seem to be confirmed by a road marked on an 1892 geological survey map, running in a direct line between Horsehill Rd and Williamson's Creek along the fence line we were shown. After crossing the creek, survey maps of Clarendon Parish from 1915 show the road - presumably following the earlier track - continuing on to a fork. One branch ran north, following what today is a vague track which becomes Pryor's Rd, the other travelled only a short distance south west to Sand Rd. Both Sand and Pryor's Roads meet up again to the east of the mining town of Garibaldi before joining the Buninyong-Mt Mercer Rd. Thus the diggers could follow this road north to Buninyong or they could again join the Geelong to Buninyong Rd to the east of Scotsburn, or possibly further west, thus avoiding Scott's Swamp.

Local sources say that, a track used by diggers heading to the goldfields
(presumably from' the Geelong to Buninyong Rd) ran down the hill at the fence
line to cross Williamson's Creek at this point 

It is also worth remembering however that as the gold rush progressed, diggings spread out across the countryside. With the advent of large companies and deep lead mining towards the end of the 1850s, mines were established along the banks of the Yarrowee/Leigh River as far south as the Leigh Grand Junction Bridge and a little beyond. It makes sense therefore that by the time they were surveyed in 1857, that the Shelford-Mt Mercer Road and the subsequent Mt Mercer-Buninyong Rd would be the main access route for those heading from Geelong to the mining settlements along the river such as Garibaldi and Scotchman's Lead.
Looking at the survey maps available from the 1850s for the parish of Enfield, the old track by and large, followed the same course as the modern road, although where the modern road veers to the west to meet the road from Dereel, the old track stayed close to the river past Mt Mercer. Further north near Garibaldi, the track again followed a slightly different course, crossing the Yarrowee River about 700m north west of the present crossing which was not built until 1866. As I described in an earlier post, the river crossing at Garibaldi was dangerous, with three people said to have lost their lives during flooding prior to the erection of the bridge downstream.

Google Earth image showing: modern roads (yellow), Buninyong-Mt Mercer
Track (green), unused road on 'Narmbool' (blue), other pre-survey tracks (red).
Click to enlarge

Unfortunately the only 1850s survey map which I am currently able to access is that for Enfield Parish, so I am uncertain of the exact path of the original track to the north or south of this area. It does appear however, that the entry to Buninyong was intended to be via a more direct line one block to the east of the current alignment, which makes me wonder if perhaps Sandys Hill Rd (which intersects the road to The Leigh as marked on the survey map), may have been part of the original track from Mt Mercer.
It is also worth remembering that there may well have been other informal crossing points along the Leigh/Yarrowee which also gave access for those heading to the goldfields. I know of at least one bridge which no longer exists, but which was used by workers crossing to 'Golfhill'. Located at the end of Henderson's Rd, Bamganie, it was a timber swing bridge which existed into the 20th century, however I am unsure of its age. Similarly, there is a small bridge on Kelly's Rd, Grenville where the Leigh can be crossed, however the road itself does not appear on the earliest survey maps.
No doubt there were other crossing points and tracks along the way, all of which could have been used by those travelling to and from the goldfields to reach the road between Buninyong and Shelford.
If at any point I find more detail I will update this post accordingly.

Making tracks - Hiscock's Gully at last!

For those very first gold seekers who had arrived wet, tired and hungry at "Mother Jamieson's" Buninyong Hotel in the tiny township of Buninyong, there was only one place they really wanted to be: Hiscock's Gully. It was there in August, 1851 that Buninyong blacksmith Thomas Hiscock first found gold.

Plaque erected by the Buninyong and District Historical Society, marking the
site where Thomas Hiscock first discovered gold

Within days of the news of his find reaching Geelong, a stream of diggers began flowing into Buninyong. Whether they stopped or merely passed through, their course took them past the front door of Mother Jamieson's Buninyong Hotel and onto the bullock track which headed west towards Portland Bay.
As discussed in a previous post, the Portland Bay Road was an important route which was already well-established and regularly travelled by 1851. Originally established by squatters as they moved stock between their runs and the markets in Geelong and Melbourne during the early 1840s, this was also the route which had been used by the mail coach from Portland to Melbourne since 1844. A little later, a route via The Leigh (Shelford) and Linton to Buninyong was established as part of a postal route from Portland to Geelong, followed by a private mail service between Geelong and Buninyong using the Geelong-Buninyong Track in 1846. Both tracks joined the one from Melbourne to Portland Bay at Buninyong, so it was there that traffic from Portland, Melbourne, Geelong and the outlying stations would converge on its way between various parts of the colony.

The view looking east from the western outskirts of Buninyong today. At the
time the first diggers walked the road, it was an irregular dirt track and
Mother Jamieson's Hotel would have obstructed this view, standing in the
middle of what is now Learmonth Street (the Midland Highway)

In August, 1851 however, with the outbreak of the gold rush, Buninyong itself became a destination and the gold diggers of course used any available road to get there.
According to the 1850 survey map, having arrived in Buninyong, they followed the track in a westerly direction. Once out of town however, the track veered south of today's Midland Highway, passing through what is now Buninyong Golf Course. Then, before the diggers reached their objective, after more than 50 exhausting miles from Geelong, they faced one last hurdle - Buninyong Creek, a tributary of the Yarrowee River and like all the other creeks and rivers they had crossed, a part of the wider Barwon catchment.
If the maps are to be believed, this final creek crossing stood a little to the east of Macs Road, being also, a few hundred metres from the current creek crossing on the highway. Once over the creek, the track again followed a similar course to the modern road, a route also confirmed by Skene's 1845 map which also follows much the same path to this point. Then, about a kilometre further along the track, the diggers finally reached their goal. A few hundred metres up what is now Hiscock Gully Road, was the site of the region's first diggings.

Hiscock's Gully today is littered with mullock heaps from later deep lead mining
and non-native plantings of pine trees. Traffic can also be clearly heard from the
nearby highway - a far cry from the stands of stringybark  and sounds of nature
which greeted the first diggers to arrive in 1851

 Now the hard work really began. In those first days after the announcement, Hiscock's Gully was a flurry of activity.   By 15th August, the Geelong Advertiser was reporting that there were between 40 to 50 people - men, women and children - pitching tents at Hiscock's Gully. There were already 8 cradles washing the extracted dirt and the remainder were using pans, pots and whatever else they could find. Not even weather conditions described at the time as "severe" (by 25th August there was flooding reported on the Barwon) could dampen their enthusiasm.
On 26th August however, came an announcement from the government which opponents claimed, would do just that. It was declared that a mining tax of 30 shillings per month (£18 per year) would be introduced from the 1st September for those wishing to dig for gold. The fixed cost of the license would apply regardless of how much - if any - gold was found. This was at a time when even highly sought after shepherds only earned around 70 shillings per month. By comparison, a squatter's license, entitling the holder to thousands of acres of land cost only £10 per annum. Furthermore the miners argued, this was taxation without representation! Not only were they being heavily taxed, but in an era when voting was tied to land ownership, they had no land and no control over the process by which taxes such as the miner's license were set. They wanted land and they wanted the vote!
So, at Hiscock's Gully on the evening of the 26th August, only ten days after the governor's announcement, a protest was held. It was the first act in a growing movement of dissent which culminated on 3rd December, 1854 with the rebellion at Eureka. There were believed to have been about 40 - 50 miners present as well as representatives from the Geelong Advertiser. An unnamed reporter described the scene as men emerged from their tents in darkness lit only by firelight, to express their views and resolve upon a course of action. The quote on the plaque below which was originally penned by a reporter from the Advertiser and published on 29th August more fully reads:

Here, a month ago, was but bush and forest; and tonight, for the first time since Australia rose from the bosom of the ocean, were men strong in their sense of right, lifting up a protest against an impending wrong, and protesting against the government. Human progress in Port Phillip - like her vegetation is rapid - let the government beware, lest like her timber, it prove rotten at the core, whilst it carries a healthy exterior.

Plaque erected by the Ballarat Reform League Inc marking the location of the
first protest against the miner's license imposed by the government

The article immediately following however, indicates that the proclamation, combined with bad weather had the effect of sending some diggers home, whilst others thought to look further afield, in the hope of finding claims which would still turn a profit even after the license fee had been paid, for it quickly became apparent that the alluvial gold finds at Hiscock's Gully were not going to be great.

A monument commemorating Thomas Hiscock's discovery,
placed in 1897, coinciding with Queen Victoria's diamond
jubilee year, located on the corner of Hiscock's Gully Road
and the Midland Highway

With this in mind, some chose to head for the town of Clunes, over 40km further north, where gold had been discovered a few weeks before the find at Hiscock's Gully. Other prospectors however, decided to investigate the creeks and gullies closer to Buninyong. On the 27th August a party set off through the bush for Black Hill on the Ballaarat Station of William Cross Yuille, but even before the protest encouraged diggers to look elsewhere, John Dunlop and James Regan, having found the Hiscock Gully diggings too crowded for their liking and decided to look elsewhere. So it was that on 21st August they discovered one of the richest goldfields ever found at the ironically-named Poverty Point in what is now Ballarat.
This of course resulted in a new rush and even more hopeful diggers arriving on the field. Now however, instead of following the bullock track to Buninyong and Hiscock's Gully, the diggers were passing through in their thousands, as they headed for the new El Dorado - Ballarat.

Making tracks: Mother Jamieson's legacy

Of course, nothing lasts forever and people were quick to realise the commercial opportunities of the gold rush. As a result, it was only a matter of months before competition for the Jamieson's arrived in the form of Sellick's Crown Hotel which opened in 1852. Situated almost opposite Jamieson's, on the corner of the newly-surveyed Learmonth and Warrenheip Streets, the Crown was in prime position to catch the passing trade from all directions.
Jamieson's however, which had been situated at the old intersection (see map below), was now stranded around a hundred metres from the corner and still operating from the timber building erected by John Veitch ten years earlier. It was also obstructing the new road and at some point would have to go.

Crown Hotel, Cnr Learmonth and Warrenheip Streets, Buninyong today

A traveller to the region in March, 1853 compared the two premises, deeming the Crown to be the "least worst" of the two. It was noted however, that the landlady at the Buninyong Hotel had a cottage nearby where the “quality [were] allowed to take their meals as in a private house”.
It was perhaps the age and location of the original building along with the seemingly endless flow of gold diggers which encouraged the Jamiesons in 1853 to begin constructing a new, three storey building behind the old. The new hotel was a stone structure comprising two parlours, a dining room and four sitting rooms on the ground floor, ten bedrooms, a dining room and drawing room opening onto a balcony on the first floor, with a further eight bedrooms on the second floor. The building was also surrounded on three sides by a verandah. Several outhouses including stabling for 14 horses were also situated on the property.
Contrary perhaps to what others may think, I am inclined to believe that, the new building was erected on allotment 6 or 7 of section 16 and would have been situated behind the original structure built by Veitch. That the two structures were located close together is suggested by an order of the Central Road Board in 1855 which required Jamieson to  “remove a certain wooden building attached to the premises of the Buninyong Hotel, and which encroaches upon and obstructs the main public road through the township of Buninyong". This may have been the original hotel or perhaps an outbuilding. It is worth noting that the survey map of 1850 indicates three buildings encroaching onto Learmonth St, the most southerly contained almost entirely within Margaret's allotment 6. Any may have been the building referred to.

Section of the 1850 survey map of Buninyong overlaid on Google EArth. Red
areas indicate land purchased by Margaret Jamieson. Yellow areas denote the
blocks purchased by RS Dumsford. Green lines show tracks pre-dating the survey.
Image held by the State Library of Victoria. Click to enlarge

Other details which lead me to believe the second inn was built on allotment 6, include the position of the stone fence said to have belonged to the inn. The fence forms the front of allotments 4 and 5, neither of which was purchased by Margaret at the initial land sale. Instead, allotment 5 was purchased by Robert Stevenson Dunsford, who at the time owned a store in Buninyong. He also purchased allotment 3 whilst allotment 4 was reserved from sale. The 1850 map indicates a store situated on the reserved allotment. It seems reasonable to me that Dunsford would have purchased the two blocks adjoining his business. Why the third block was reserved from sale is unclear, however in 1856 it was purchased by John Adams who I believe to have owned the store from September, 1851 until around April, 1854 when it was purchased by Messrs Bohn and Johnson (possibly without the land).

Sketch of Buninyong, c1853 by Henry Winkles, which I suspect shows the
three-storey Buninyong Hotel built by Neil Jamieson and neighbouring store.
Image held by the National Library of Australia

Confusingly then, it is this block on which the store stood plus the block immediately to its east adjoining Jamieson's original land purchase, which is fronted by the stone wall. So unless the Jamiesons purchased allotment 5 from Dunsford, his creditors or a subsequent purchaser, then the hotel cannot have been built on that block. Nor presumably should the stone fence have been built across land which was owned by the government until 1856 - after the completion of the hotel.

Looking east along part of the stone wall towards Margaret Jamieson's land

Regardless, in September, 1853 with the new hotel building underway, Margaret purchased a further five blocks of land, totalling 1.25 acres behind her original blocks and on the south side of Scott St. The following year however, things took a turn for the worse. With the new hotel still unfinished, Margaret's health began to fail. Knowing presumably that she was unlikely to live much longer, she had her will drawn up. It began:

I Margaret Jamieson of Buninyong in the Colony of Victoria being of sound mind but weak body...

What followed was a conscious attempt by a determined woman to provide for her family. Neil was left the partially-built hotel (which he alone had been financing) along with the half acre of land on which it was built, as well as his mother's cottage and the acre of land on which that stood. The remainder of her estate was to be liquidated and divided between her eldest son James (who had actually pre-deceased his mother on 2nd June, 1854) and her three youngest daughters. The money was to be held in trust until they came of age except for that portion left to her disabled daughter "Annie". Upon Margaret's death, Neil would become Annie's guardian, administering her portion of the will for her continued financial support.
Margaret's affairs were in order and she had made what arrangements she could to support her family. Finally, on 26th August, 1854 Margaret "Mother" Jamieson died at her home in Buninyong. She was 45 years old. Her death was announced via a small notice in The Argus on 31st August. On the same day a second notice invited...

...the friends of the late Mrs. Margaret Jamieson, of Buninyong...to follow her remains from the Parkside Hotel, Flemington-road, to the Old Cemetery, this day, Thursday, at eleven o'clock.

History tells us that the new stone hotel was a white elephant and a local plaque refers to the building as "Mother Jamieson's folly" - a rather harsh assessment of Margaret given that - as her will states - it was Neil who was funding the new building. Margaret would perhaps be better remembered as a strong-willed businesswoman and mother who in a few short years took significant steps to see to the financial well-being of her family and to provide on-going support for her disabled daughter.
If there was any folly involved it was more likely that of her son Neil who, within a year of his mother's death had been declared insolvent. The cost of the new building was estimated at between £8,000 and£9,000, but thanks in part to plummeting land prices in Buninyong, its value by 1855 was deemed to be a mere £2,500. The property by this time was mortgaged to the tune of £4,500. It appears that Neil had seriously overcapitalised.
However, even this may have been to some extent a matter of circumstance. With his mother's death, funds which may otherwise have been directed to the hotel presumably became unavailable to Neil under the terms of her will. To some extent, the strength of his mother's personality and reputation may also have brought in business which now went elsewhere.
Regardless of the extenuating circumstances, the decision to build the new hotel away from the re-aligned intersection is difficult to explain. At the time of construction, the new alignment was known and the competing Crown Hotel had opened for business. Perhaps the Jamiesons anticipated that the flow of diggers to the goldfields would continue unabated or perhaps they thought that the quality of their venue would attract enough custom to pay its way despite its slightly removed position. They probably didn't take into account Margaret's untimely death.
Regardless of the reasons for the hotel's failure and Neil's subsequent insolvency (which he applied to have rescinded later the same year), he took the decision to build a third Buninyong Hotel. This time, he chose a prominent position: the south west corner of Learmonth and Warrenheip Streets, directly opposite the Crown. How he acquired the land and the finances to do so, I cannot so far establish.

This image shows the Buninyong Hotel (left) in 1862 with the
original Crown Hotel on the opposite side of Learmonth St. This building
burnt down in 1884 and was replaced by the current building. Image held
by the Federation University Historical Collection (Cat. No. 18400)

On this occasion, Neil did not go to the same expense in building the hotel as he did with the stone building. The final Buninyong Hotel which stood at the corner of the new intersection until 1933 was a more modest, two-storey, weatherboard structure, surrounded by varandahs. I am unsure when the move to the final location occurred as Jamieson appears to have continued trading throughout however, by April, 1860, the stone building was being advertised to let, described by The Star as "one of the best finished houses in the colony; and which is admirably adapted for a gentleman's residence, a large school, or boarding house". All inquiries were to be directed to Wildey & Co., wine and spirit Merchants of Ballarat.

Jamieson's Hotel (far right), cnr Learmonth and Warrenheip Streets, probably
late 19th century. Image held by the State Library of Victoria

In spite its supposed grandeur, the stone hotel built by the Jamiesons did not stand for long. Local historical sources indicate that it was demolished c1873 by Dr Sparling who built the brick house which now stands on allotment 6.

Brick house built by Dr Sparling

Despite the move to a more convenient location, business may still have been slow for Neil. In 1863, he put the hotel on the market. Finally, in October that year, the property sold for £505, which was said to be many times less than its cost of construction. In a final twist however, by July, 1866 the hotel which Neil built was once more in the hands of the family. In an echo of the past, Neil's younger sister and their mother's namesake Margaret - now married to Thomas Young - was the licensee. "Mother Jamieson's" was now "Mrs Young's" Buninyong Hotel - a business she ran until 1881.
Meanwhile, after selling the hotel, Neil appears to have set up again in the same business, this time at Hardie's Hill, south of Buninyong, however the end result was the same. In 1865 he was once again before the insolvency court.
From this point, the record is relatively silent until 14th May, 1910 when The Star announced that the funeral of one of Buninyong's oldest residents - Mr Neil Jamieson - had occurred the previous day. He was described as one of the town's oldest residents and a long-standing member of the Buninyong Masonic Lodge. Four of his nephews - Margaret's sons - carried his coffin with members of the Lodge acting as pall bearers. Neil was interred at Buninyong Cemetery. He was 86 years of age.
His sister Margaret outlived bother her husband and her brother, dying in 1929 at the age of 92. Finally, in 1933 came the end of an era. The gold had been dug up, the diggers themselves were long gone and finally, the hotel built by her brother to quench the thirst of those thronging to the goldfields and which Margaret herself ran for fifteen years was demolished. Another link with the past may have gone, but over the years, "Mother" Jamieson's celebrity seems to have grown to become one of the enduring legends of those heady first days and weeks of the gold rush.

Making tracks - to Mother Jamieson's

Over the years, the name of "Mother Jamieson" has become woven into the fabric of the early Victorian goldfields history. In 1851, anyone travelling to the diggings at Ballarat or Buninyong could tell you that the only place to stay in Buninyong was Mother Jamieson's hotel. Her name is mentioned in the newspapers of the day and recalled years later by old timers recounting the glory days of the gold rush. But who was Mother Jamieson and how did she come to be keeping a hotel in one of the most isolated towns in Victoria at that time?
"Mother Jamieson" was actually Margaret Jamieson, born in Rothsay, Scotland in about 1809 to parents John and Margaret Stewart. In 1839 she and her husband James, along with at least four children, migrated to the newly-established Port Phillip District as assisted immigrants aboard the Palmyra.
Within a short time of arriving in Australia her husband James had taken up a publican's license and was running the Eagle Inn in Bourke St, Melbourne, so by the time she reached Buninyong, Margaret was most likely already an experienced publican. In the Vigilante of 1st August, 1918, the Eagle Inn was described as little more than a drinking den, however the article also notes, that James, along with his barman Thomas Hodge contrived in 1841 to build Melbourne's first theatre.

Looking up Bourke St, Melbourne in the 1940s. Image held by the State
Library of Victoria

Known as "The Pavilion", it was a wooden structure which leaked when it rained and threatened to blow down in strong wind. The quality of its entertainment was of a similar standard to the structure itself with the first performance requiring police intervention after a brawl was started by disaffected patrons. An article from 5th June, 1846 indicates that the building was only ever intended to be temporary, built on Jamieson's land with Hodge's money. It operated as a concert venue for a short time before Hodge attempted to introduce theatrical performances only to be shut down for want of a license and with Hodge sent to gaol as a result. It reopened a short time later as the Victoria Theatre, however at this point, things became complicated with the former business partners embroiled in litigation which was still unresolved by the end of 1846. There were allegations of underhand business dealings, reports of "uproar and disorder" amongst the crowd each night and accusations of magisterial partiality with Jamieson described as "old and feeble" and unable or unwilling to keep control.
As with all good stories, this one evolved over the years. A retrospective in the Advocate of 5th March, 1942 (one of several) places the impetus for the establishment of "The Pavilion" upon "one 'Mother Jamieson,' famed far and wide as hostess of the 'Eagle Inn,'" and claims that the theatre became the "Theatre Royal", none of which really tallies with contemporary reports which don't mention Margaret at all.
Meanwhile, in addition to their business ventures, the Jamiesons continued to increase the size of their family. A further two - possibly three - daughters were born to the couple during their time in Melbourne: Margaret Hope (born 1842), Harriet Australia (born 1845) and possibly also Isabella (born 1840).
For reasons which remain unclear to me, by 1848 James and Margaret had given up the license of the "Eagle Inn". In April of that year, their second son Neil, had applied for a publican's license for the Buninyong Hotel. Why Buninyong, I don't know, however there was a strong Scottish element to the settlers in the locality which may have been the attraction.
By 1848 the Buninyong Hotel had been serving the tiny town and surrounding districts for several years. The first to open an "eating and accommodation house for travellers" was George Gabb in 1841. His small hut was located near the intersection of several of the old tracks from across the region, including the Geelong to Buninyong Track (see previous post).

Looking north west towards the old post office, the site at which the pre-survey
tracks leading into Buninyong converged. 

Not long after Mr Gabb set up shop, he was joined by Messrs Campbell and Woolley who relocated their store from out of town to a position next door. It was not long before they took over Gabb's premises for use as a kitchen whilst he re-established himself some distance away. According to "local lore" the following year, in 1842, the town's first licensed premises were built by John Veitch. The Buninyong Inn as he called it (a simple timber structure), was also said to be situated near Campbell and Woolley's store and the intersection. An early survey map shows the inn positioned in the middle of what is now Learmonth St, midway between Warrenheip and Winter Streets (see below), however I suspect this may not quite have been the exact story.
By April, 1843 the company of Campbell and Woolley was insolvent and in June that year, there was an auction of their assets at their Melbourne store. On 27th May, 1844 a notice appeared in the Geelong Advertiser indicating that Mr Peter Kelsh had purchased the Bunninyong Inn from the creditors of Messrs Campbell and Woolley, however less than a month later, having decided he did not like the "public business" Kelsh was selling the property, advertised as the Bunninyong(sic) Inn, with store - lately known as Campbell and Woolley's - was listed for sale by Peter Kelsh. (Note: three articles from Febrary and May, 1843 indicate that the partnership of "Campbell and Woolley and Welsh & Co of Port Phillip" were in financial difficulty. Could "Welsh instead be Mr Kelsh, having bought out the Buninyong store and inn when the company struck financial difficulty?).
Even more confusingly however, advertisements appear from March to May of 1844 indicating John Veitch as, if not the owner then certainly the proprietor, of the Bunninyong(sic) Inn. He indicates further more that the inn had been in operation for a year at that time. My opinion at this stage is that Veitch was probably running the inn for Campbell and Woolley prior to their bankruptcy and later bought Kelsh/Welsh out, continuing to operate until April, 1847 when he also placed the business on the market. By October, he was announcing that he had opened a general store adjacent to the inn. Whether this may have been Campbell and Woolley's old store or a new structure, I cannot tell.
Meanwhile at about this time the inn came into the hands of the Jamieson family.
Now however, instead of James, it was his second son Neil who in Buninyong in April, 1848 applied for a publican's license. Barely four months earlier, his father had finally won the right to a night license for the Eagle Inn, so perhaps the intention was to set Neil up independently at the Buninyong or Jamieson's Hotel as it became known, with his parents remaining in Melbourne.
The plan however may not have developed as expected. During James' legal troubles with the Victoria Theatre, his opposers described him as "old and weak" and by 1848, the Eagle Inn had a new proprietor. Harsh perhaps, but there may have been an element of truth to these words. Whilst in Buninyong on 5th May, 1849, James (whose residence was still stated as Bourke St, Melbourne) died at the age of 54 and was buried in the Old Melbourne Cemetery.
"Mother Jamieson" was now a widow with two adult sons, an adult (but unmarried daughter) and three younger daughters - one of whom had an intellectual disability - all under the age of 12. It would seem, if she hadn't already done so, she now moved her family to Buninyong to be near her son Neil.

Buninyong, 1859. Image held by the State Library of Victoria

The fact that the hotel in Buninyong became known as "Mother Jamieson's" suggests that she was far from happy to take a backseat role in what now became the family business. Whilst Neil did run the hotel, Margaret (presumably with her daughters) lived in a cottage nearby and she would often work in the pub and conduct business on Neil's behalf.
A contemporary description of Margaret, whilst portraying the typically masculine, 19th century view of competent women, does give an indication of her character:

An extraordinary specimen of a Scotch landlady, whose colonial independence of character (except when she took a liking) always verged upon insolence and very often abuse; woe to be the mistaken individual who tried to oppose her when in these moods as he had little chance of either food or lodging at her hands.

The author of this description was was John D'ewes, infamous for his role in the events which led to the the Eureka uprising. Appointed police magistrate at Ballarat in 1854, he was also one of the executors of Margaret's will and was, according to Clare Wright's The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka (2014), in her good graces.
Margaret was not just an experienced business woman. She was also an investor. On 9th May, 1851, the first sales of land in the newly-surveyed township of Buninyong were held in Melbourne. On that day, in her own name, Margaret purchased four, half-acre blocks of land. The first ran between Learmonth and what was then a continuation of Forest St. Today, her block forms the part of De Soza Park behind the Crown Hotel which at that time was yet to be built.

Today's view of the block of land originally purchased by Margaret Jamieson
on the north side of Learmonth Street, on 9th May, 1851

The remaining blocks of land were located opposite the first and would have included the land immediately behind her son's hotel which, thanks to the new survey, now found itself in the middle of the roadway. In modern terms, Margaret's land included the three blocks which are now immediately west of the the RSL reserve.
Not only did the events of 1851 change the destiny of the newly-formed state of Victoria, it was also a busy year for the Jamieson's. In June, Margaret's eldest daughter Mary, married Mr John Tuckwell of Buninyong. In the same month Margaret and Neil appeared in court to defend themselves against an action of assumpsit - a claim that they owed money to a local storekeeper. In the end, they were required to pay £40 of the £68 claimed by the plaintiff.
But what of the hotel? Even prior to the gold rush, the Jamiesons appeared to make a success of the business, with regular references appearing in the local papers, however in the weeks after the announcement that gold had been discovered, first at Hiscock's Gully, then at Ballarat, people came flooding to "Mother Jamieson's" on an unprecedented scale. A retrospective in the Laverton Mercury of 12th July, 1907 described the scene:

The road, or rather track, in the forest, which lead to Buninyong was soon invaded by a shovel-shouldering stream. But the weather was very bad -  a soaking rain, and a weak(sic) of cold and leaden skies. After plashing in muddy ruts for three or four days together, with muddy clothes and only the soppy earth to sleep on, they were disinclined for camping out in Hiscock's Gully, and this "rush" took a new form. The diggers invaded the house of "Mother Jamieson's," as they familiarly termed her, and the little inn had to accommodate about 40 diggers, who sallied out in the morning to the gully, a mile away, carrying their spades, and "Mother Jamieson's" pie-dishes and basins; they toiled all day, and returned steaming at night to sleep all over the place on tables, floors, verandahs...

It can only be imagined what Margaret thought of her cooking utensils being commandeered for gold-panning purposes! Looking back, Neil later estimated that with the outbreak of the gold rush, he was taking between £60 and £70 per day. In today's terms this equates to a turnover of between $2.7 and $3.1 million dollars per year.
Business was booming, the beer was flowing and things were looking good for the Jamiesons...

Making tracks - reaching Buninyong

...and so, after many long, weary miles traipsing over hills, wading across creeks and ploughing through the slough of despond, the weary travellers faced a final uphill trudge, crossing the foothills formed over a million years before by the volcanic eruptions of Mt Buninyong. For many miles they would have seen its profile rising before them as they walked or rode, slowly drawing closer. Even for those lucky enough - or rich enough - to travel by coach, the foothills of the mount could pose a problem as it was not unheard of for the coach driver to ask his passengers to get out and walk up the steeper sections of the track.

Looking towards Mt Buninyong from the approximate location of Scott's Swamp

A look at an 1855 survey map (see composite image below) shows the track at this point splitting in two just before the crest of the final rise. The two tracks were less than 150m apart and converged again after about a kilometre, near where Mt Buninyong Rd joins the Midland Highway today. Whether this reflected a need for different tracks in varying weather conditions or had some other purpose I do not know.
Reaching the top of the final rise, the diggers would no doubt have been very relieved to see the land falling away before them with the track meandering down the slope, roughly along the course of today's Learmonth St, joined along its length by a number of other tracks from outlying areas, all converging on the little collection of buildings which at that time constituted Buninyong township.
Prior to August, 1851 the town was already set to become a thriving hub. For ten years it had supplied the squatting runs of the district, provided a gathering place for sawyers working in the area and of course, was a postal town (the first in inland Victoria) and staging point on the mail route from Portland Bay to Melbourne and Geelong. It boasted a blacksmith (Thomas Hiscock), a doctor, a Presbyterian church with associated school, a couple of stores and of course, a post office.
With the announcement in early July that gold had been discovered at Clunes, followed only a month later by news of a much closer find at  Hiscock's Gully (one of the many creeks and gullies which fed into the Yarrowee River), Buninyong took on a new significance.
For a short time at least, it became the destination of hundreds of diggers. It is possible to imagine the sense of anticipation as they topped the rise and caught their first glimpse of their goal, however things around Buninyong were somewhat different to what they had been only a few months earlier. At this time, the newly-declared state of Victoria was still recovering from the devastating Black Thursday Bushfire of 6th February, 1851 in which about one quarter of the state (around five million hectares) was burnt. Amongst the areas to feel the effects of the fires was the Buninyong Forest which is reported to have burnt for days. Some six months on, the impact of the flames would still have been evident, even as the surrounding vegetation began to spring back to life. The fire is said to have burnt right up to the Geelong-Buninyong track, coming from the north which would presumably also have impacted a number of the other tracks leading to and from the town.

Fire damage in the region of the old "Burnt Bridge" settlement on the Midland
Highway following the recent (December, 2015) bushfire at Scotsburn

As was the way prior to the surveyors mapping out the roads and townships of the colony, there were often many different paths which sprang up as a matter of convenience. Buninyong was no exception. As the main path crossed what became Lal Lal St, a branch diverged to the left, travelling roughly along the line of Scott St, before meeting with a track running north-south a little to the west of Warrenheip St. (The latter track lead from Buninyong to the station of that name held by the Learmonth brothers.) At around the same point as the first branch, the main track branched again. This track ran north west, meeting another heading north towards the Ballarat Run of William Cross Yuille on the shores of "Yuille's Swamp", known today as Lake Wendouree.

Google Earth image overlaid with an 1855 survey map. Red lines show tracks
marked on the map. Blue lines indicate those marked on an 1856 map. Areas of
overlap may indicate the same track. Click to enlarge

The following blog post by local historian Robert Bell from 2006 gives a good description of  some of the tracks and buildings of Buninyong as they existed at the time of the original survey in 1850.
Whilst none of the sources I have located mention it, the direct track down Learmonth St may not have been the only approach to Buninyong from Geelong. The above survey map also shows a second track, branching off the main route to the left near the intersection of the Highway and Yendon Number 2 Rd, well before the branches near Lal Lal St. This alternate track followed a lower line, crossing the southern end of Lal Lal St before swinging north west and travelling roughly along today's Caffrey and then Herriott Streets before joining the track from the south.
Ultimately, which ever track the diggers followed, they reached an important intersection, situated on the site of what would become Buninyong's first permanent post office and telegraph building in 1873.

Old Buninyong post office, closed 2000

This old intersection which must have pre-dated the survey of 1850, was the point at which the track from the south met the main track from Geelong coming from the east. Also joining at this same point was the track from the west which lead to several nearby squatting runs, including Yuille's Ballarat Run and further on to the Pyrenees.
It was at this intersection, strategically located to take in the passing trade, that the town's only hotel was located: the place the diggers had been told lay at the end of their journey, where they could have a hot meal and - if they were lucky - a bed for the night. Here then, was the fabled "Mother Jamieson's".