Barcaldine Country House - Regional History
Hepburn Springs was founded early 1800 hundreds, 1851 gold was found and the town was settled by the northern Italian and Swiss prospectors.
The land that Barcaldine Country House is built on was purchased in 1998 and the then owners set about planning the lay out of the building site, gardens, vineyard and olive grove the house was completed 2001 the is approximately 70 squares.
Before the discovery of gold, the Daylesford area was heavily timbered, with open country to the north home of the Dja Dja Wuurong people. In the 1840's squatters took up large tracts of land and the Government appointed an Aboriginal Protector, Edward Stone Parker, who took up residence near Mt Franklin. At the same time John Egan and Captain John Hepburn were establishing their runs nearby and were later joined by one of the colony's luckiest men, William Edward Stanbridge. He purchased the Wombat Park which was later to prove one of the richest areas of valuable gold.
The centre of Daylesford in the 1850's was Wombat Flat, later covered by Lake Daylesford, but in the 1860's the focus shifted to Vincent Street - as the dates of the main buildings indicate. Gold was the main reason the town was founded, but saw-milling and agriculture played their part after the easily found gold was exhausted.
The mines had an insatiable appetite for timber, both for props and fueling steam engines. Many timber mills were erected in the surrounding forest. The last, Dwyer's at Leonard's Hill, closed in 2006. After the 1890's depression the town underwent a resurgence, partly due to the efforts of Hon. Donald McLeod MU, who amalgamated some mines on the Cornish Reef. These mines went deeper seeking gold bearing quartz. The number of buildings dated 1900-1915 testifies to this optimistic boom. After 1865 local businessmen approached the Government and the development of Mineral Springs began to play a major part in the growth of the town as a tourist destination, as did the 1883 opening of the railway station.
Contact...
For all enquiries please contact Frank & Rosemarie La Rosa on:
Phone: (03) 5348 2741
Fax: (03) 5348 3457
Mobile: 0438 577 182
Email: Barcaldine Country House
Barcaldine Country House
238 Dairy Flat Road
Musk, Daylesford
Victoria, 3461
Rates...
A stay at Barcaldine is a truly memorable experience. Magnificent accommodation, beautiful scenery, and a relaxing environment with supurb dining. Check out our rates here.