While most vacation spots offer scenic destinations and stunning landscapes, Beechworth offers something more. Sure, laying on the beach all day and soaking up rays is very relaxing, but in some ways it is not as fulfilling as, let’s say, reliving the old legends, the old tales that helped transform Australia into what it is today. Nowhere else in that great country is it possible to walk down corridors of the past and experience history as it is in Beechworth. In fact, the National Trust considers 32 edifices, including many Beechworth accommodation options, to be historically and culturally significant.
Originally named Mayday Hills – a small grazing community – the area was soon renamed Beechworth once the gold rush commenced in 1852. Within 14 years, the town saw not only the full force of the rush, easily seen with the four million ounces of extracted gold from its mines, but also saw a good amount of unique characters walk down its streets, characters whose stories would become legends.
Such tales include the life of Ned Kelly, notorious Bush Ranger, who spent a good amount of his life in Beechworth, in and out of prison. On more than one occasion, Kelly, along with his outlaw gang (and mother at one point), stood trial at the town’s historic courthouse for a wide variety of crimes including attempted murder. The town commemorates the life of the recognized bandit with the Ned Kelly festival, held annually over a weekend around August.
Another well-known fable is the 1855 legend of the Golden Horseshoes, where Daniel Cameron rode a horse equipped with golden shoes during the first election campaign in Beechworth. According to folklore, the golden horseshoes weighed one ounce less once removed, even though the animal wore them for only a one-mile stretch. Similar to the tradition of Ned Kelly, Beechworth holds an annual Golden Horseshoes Festival every Easter Weekend.
Although many mining towns during the gold rush went bankrupt and were abandoned by its residents, Beechworth managed to invest many of the gold rush revenue into hospitals and other public services to fortify the economy. Because of this, Beechworth was able to maintain their presence on the map as well as preserve the rich history that made the town what it is today. So, for the more fulfilling adventure into the heart of Australia, there is really no better place than Beechworth.