Yackandandah Historic Walk
Yackandandah (or ‘Yack’ as it is commonly known) is rich with history. Take a guided tour or discover its secrets on your own!
Visit the Gorge for wildlife spotting and bushwalking trails with remnants from its gold rush era. Savor hearty meals at real country pubs while stocking up on boutique wines and local products.
1. Yackandandah Museum
Yackandandah Museum stands as an emblematic building for gold mining and pioneering history in High Street, Australia, housing beautiful deciduous trees that put on an exceptional display during Autumn – framing one of Australia’s most picturesque streetscapes with historic timber buildings, stone structures and brick structures – heritage listed by Australian National Trust.
The Museum embraces an educational ethos and uses its collection for rotating displays, own publications, research and local activities. It includes photographs, images, objects, registers, documents, letters textiles as well as 78 rpm cylinder recordings which have all been digitalised and catalogued onto specific software systems before being stored securely within purpose-built storage facilities.
The Museum provides many exhibitions, but also provides an entertaining guided tour called ‘About Yack’, available to groups or individuals on request and sharing fascinating tales from Yack’s 1800’s gold days. Furthermore, throughout the year there are numerous events hosted by the Museum including folk festivals and an art exhibition.
At the Museum there is a small shop, audio-visual room and cafe as well as its extensive collection of books, maps and publications that is openly accessible with tours, workshops and talks regularly taking place at this site.
Yackandandah is home to many acclaimed artists, from musicians and painters, potters, stitchers and sculptors, all coming together under one roof at Yackandandah Folk Festival every March – not to mention inspiring galleries and shops in town!
Yackandandah’s natural beauty is equally breathtaking no matter the season. Take a stroll along Yackandandah Gorge and keep an ear out for native birds and wildlife that frequent this area; bushwalk, horse ride or explore one of many mountain bike tracks in the High Country region; lavender farms offer invigorating aromas; sample some delectable cheese and wine or sample local cuisine, or simply relax while taking in breathtaking scenery – Yackandandah offers something for all seasons and every taste bud imaginable!
2. Yackandandah Cemetery
As one strolls Yackandandah’s wide tree-lined streets, one discovers its rich heritage: verandahs, tea houses, bakeries, specialty craft and antique stores as well as specialty collectable shops can be seen scattered about town. A selection of gracious churches can also be found here along with country pubs and restaurants, historic sites such as Post Office are listed with both Australian Heritage Commission and Victoria State Heritage Register.
After gold was discovered at nearby Mount Buller, European settlement began shortly thereafter in 1837. Although Hamilton Hume and William Hovell visited this region as early as 1824, its native inhabitants, known as Jiatmathangs, lived here for thousands of years prior to European arrival.
As the area was soon covered in alluvial gold, its population skyrocketed and Yackandandah Cemetery soon became one of its most significant historic sites. Visitors today can stroll around this moving and thought provoking cemetery walk that includes burials of early squatters, settlers, including many who died mining for gold – it provides an experience you won’t soon forget!
Visitors interested in exploring Yackandandah Cemetery can join a walking tour that departs from the Visitor Information Centre at 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm (times can be adjusted as necessary). A brochure detailing this walk is also available from both facilities.
Alternative sightseeing excursions from town include driving out onto forest roads to visit Karrs Reef Goldmine for an escorted tour that can be booked through their website.
Other great activities to do in Stanley State Forest include driving through its gorgeous mountain biking trails and taking a stroll through lavender farms, or visiting one of its acclaimed art galleries that display music by musicians, painters, potters, stitchers and sculptors. Or take an adventure hike into Yackandandah Gorge or spot native wildlife while bushwalking or horseback riding through stunning High Country scenery before returning back into town for shopping for local goods or sampling the cuisine!
3. Yackandandah Gorge
Locals refer to it as Jiatmathang Gorge; its importance can be seen through its place in Yackandandah history. Cut by hand during the gold rush era but later deepened with explosives, creating an evocative spot where one can either walk or drive along its banks while enjoying both views and solitude. You can access Jiatmathang through Bells Flat Road on your way out of town.
The walking track through the Yackandandah Gorge is well graded and relatively straightforward, though some sections require you to be surefooted and moderately fit. The track follows a twisting creek in shady surroundings with beautiful cascades. Additionally, this area contains some of the region’s oldest and most significant Aboriginal rock art sites which you can access via car, 4WD or with self guided tour services provided by Yackandandah Museum.
If you prefer guided tours, the Society provides the ‘About Yack’ walk. Departing daily at 10am, 12pm or 2pm from the museum and costing $15 per person, this excursion will immerse you in Yack’s fascinating history from its 1800’s gold rush days through to today’s tightly-knit community whose achievements are nationally-recognized achievements.
Yackandandah boasts a vibrant community spirit that’s often led by volunteers. You can find an array of shops, galleries and attractions here; Karr’s Reef Goldmine showcases Yackandandah’s mining history while Sluga Gallery hosts works by local artists; Kirby’s Flat Pottery offers an interactive creative space where artisans showcase their skills while selling original works to customers.
Every season is packed with character in Wodonga; whether it be a cold winter day that calls for hot soup in front of an open log fire at one of the hotels, or an afternoon picnic in Isaacs Park at the corner of High and Wellsford Streets or Soldiers Memorial Park on Wodonga Road. Along its streets you will see old timber shops transformed into breweries, distilleries or cafes; providing a sense of history mixed with progressiveness and community spirit.
4. Yackandandah ArtStation
Yackandandah offers visitors an exquisite collection of stunning buildings. The heritage of this town boasts rich tales of gold rushes, bushrangers and escape tunnels; today its tight-knit community culture can be seen through galleries, artists and bakers but also its commitment to environmental sustainability and its dedication towards progressive community spirit across all sections. Yackandandah is widely revered nationally as being an inclusive town.
The Yackandandah ArtStation stands as a testament to Ben Gilbert’s dedication. Conceived as part of an initiative celebrating 50th Anniversary of Yackandandah Historic Society in 2006, this building features ornate exterior cladding made from local stone with ornate features that would have made an impressionful statement as general store in days past.
Interior displays of this building showcase its community and social history through display cases, books and memorabilia that illustrate daily life in town. Furthermore, it features a cafe/gallery space where locals and visitors alike can meet, chat and eat together.
Osbornes Flat was an 1850s gold mining boomtown with five hotels, several stores, a school, essential tradespeople and essential tradesmen – from Hume and Hovell passing through in 1824, through several years later with little of the village left today – but if you look carefully you can see evidence of its past glory! If that interest you then visit Osbornes Flat today where its scarred ground shows evidence of gold mining.
On Wellsford Street from the Visitor Information Centre and across Yackandandah Creek you will see signs for the Gorge Walk. This delightful stroll takes you on a picturesque path alongside Yackandandah Creek before finally leading into a historic gorge built as part of an original tail race designed to sluice gravel and sand in search of gold using pick and shovel cuttings that were later deepened using dynamite blastings – today this picturesque path provides visitors with a short easy 20 minute stroll that takes approximately 20 minutes; brochures regarding this walk can be obtained at both Visitor Information Center as well as specific shops throughout Yackandandandah.