St Arnaud. The grand Catholic Church the second one built in the town. This one opened in 1906.
St Arnaud.
Gold was discovered here in 1855 prompting the development of the furthest west goldfield from Bendigo. A town was surveyed east of the gold diggings the following year in 1856 and named New Bendigo. The locals on the goldfields wanted a town at the diggings and so a new town was surveyed on St Arnaud Creek in 1858 and it was named St Arnaud. This new settlement was named St Arnaud after the French Crimean War army commander Jacques Leroy de St Arnaud. St Arnaud had fought alongside British troops in the Crimea in 1854 against the Russians. After leading the French and British troops to victory in the famous Battle of Alma he fell ill with fever and died three days later. Empire spirit and loyalty was high in the mid-1850s hence the new town name. It developed slowly despite the alluvial gold in the district. Deep shaft gold reef mining did not start until 1883 when the Lord Nelson Company was formed. It operated until 1913 and there is a small memorial to it by the Town Hall.
The first major public structure in the new town was a Protestant school built in 1857 followed by a Wesleyan Methodist church in 1862. By then the town had hotels, stores and its own newspaper. By the 1870s the town had three flourmills as it is surrounded by good grain growing country and agriculture was boosted with the arrival of a railway line from Dunolly in 1878 with the railway station being completed in 1879. St Arnaud was well serviced with churches of all major denominations by 1878. The Anglican Church was built in 1865, the Catholic Church was built in 1875 (and still exists as the Salvation Army hall) and a grand Presbyterian Church was built in 1876 beside the town lake in Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. That Presbyterian Church was added to with a Sunday School in 1924 and a hall in 1938 and it is now the Uniting Church. The current Catholic Church was built in 1906 and is an especially fine building with a presbytery and Catholic school nearby. The Anglican Church of 1865 was added to in 1877 and it eventually became the Pro Cathedral for the diocese from 1916 to 1977 when the Anglican Bishop resided in St Arnaud. It is a striking church with its five lateral gables. Also located in this heritage area of St Arnaud is the Mechanics Institute built in 1882 and the Masonic Temple constructed in 1926 although the Masons as an organisation were established in St Arnaud in 1870.
The commercial buildings of St Arnaud were concentrated in the Main Street along with a number of local and state government buildings. These include the former Crown Lands Office built in 1876 to handle land selection by the farmers, the former Courthouse built in 1883, the former Kara Kara Shire Hall built in an Art Deco Federation style in 1902, the old Fire Station completed in 1883 and the impressive Town Hall and Soldiers Memorial Hall complex. The foundation stone of the Town Hall was laid in 1869 with the Soldiers Memorial façade being added to it in 1928. Then a large concert hall was also added to the Town Hall in 1935. Another significant heritage building in St Arnaud is the original Post Office built in 1866 with an upper floored added in the 1890s. It was replaced by a new Post Office in 1924 and it has been used for various community purposes since. The commercial buildings of the Main Street include the Botanical Hotel adjacent to Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. It was built as a two storey structure in 1905 after the earlier building which dated from 1857 was burnt down. The complex of Crones Buildings has a wonderful filigree wrought iron balcony design and it adds to the charm of the Main Street. It was built in 1910 just before the gold mining ceased in the town. The other outstanding and unusual building is the former London Chartered Bank which is now the ANZ bank. It has Federation and French Empire architectural features with unusual wrought iron decorations on what at first sight appears to be a residence or domestic building rather than a commercial bank. It opened in 1889. Along the Main Street are many commercial premises dating from the 1870s and 1880s when St Arnaud was experiencing boom times. As grain farming was the mainstay of the region it is not surprising the McGraths Farm Machinery building is one of the grand structures of the street. Stylistically it dates from the 1900 to 1910 period. St Arnaud has many fine domestic buildigns with many houses dating from the 1870s and 1880s.
St Arnaud. The grand Catholic Church the second one built in the town. This one opened in 1906.
St Arnaud.
Gold was discovered here in 1855 prompting the development of the furthest west goldfield from Bendigo. A town was surveyed east of the gold diggings the following year in 1856 and named New Bendigo. The locals on the goldfields wanted a town at the diggings and so a new town was surveyed on St Arnaud Creek in 1858 and it was named St Arnaud. This new settlement was named St Arnaud after the French Crimean War army commander Jacques Leroy de St Arnaud. St Arnaud had fought alongside British troops in the Crimea in 1854 against the Russians. After leading the French and British troops to victory in the famous Battle of Alma he fell ill with fever and died three days later. Empire spirit and loyalty was high in the mid-1850s hence the new town name. It developed slowly despite the alluvial gold in the district. Deep shaft gold reef mining did not start until 1883 when the Lord Nelson Company was formed. It operated until 1913 and there is a small memorial to it by the Town Hall.
The first major public structure in the new town was a Protestant school built in 1857 followed by a Wesleyan Methodist church in 1862. By then the town had hotels, stores and its own newspaper. By the 1870s the town had three flourmills as it is surrounded by good grain growing country and agriculture was boosted with the arrival of a railway line from Dunolly in 1878 with the railway station being completed in 1879. St Arnaud was well serviced with churches of all major denominations by 1878. The Anglican Church was built in 1865, the Catholic Church was built in 1875 (and still exists as the Salvation Army hall) and a grand Presbyterian Church was built in 1876 beside the town lake in Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. That Presbyterian Church was added to with a Sunday School in 1924 and a hall in 1938 and it is now the Uniting Church. The current Catholic Church was built in 1906 and is an especially fine building with a presbytery and Catholic school nearby. The Anglican Church of 1865 was added to in 1877 and it eventually became the Pro Cathedral for the diocese from 1916 to 1977 when the Anglican Bishop resided in St Arnaud. It is a striking church with its five lateral gables. Also located in this heritage area of St Arnaud is the Mechanics Institute built in 1882 and the Masonic Temple constructed in 1926 although the Masons as an organisation were established in St Arnaud in 1870.
The commercial buildings of St Arnaud were concentrated in the Main Street along with a number of local and state government buildings. These include the former Crown Lands Office built in 1876 to handle land selection by the farmers, the former Courthouse built in 1883, the former Kara Kara Shire Hall built in an Art Deco Federation style in 1902, the old Fire Station completed in 1883 and the impressive Town Hall and Soldiers Memorial Hall complex. The foundation stone of the Town Hall was laid in 1869 with the Soldiers Memorial façade being added to it in 1928. Then a large concert hall was also added to the Town Hall in 1935. Another significant heritage building in St Arnaud is the original Post Office built in 1866 with an upper floored added in the 1890s. It was replaced by a new Post Office in 1924 and it has been used for various community purposes since. The commercial buildings of the Main Street include the Botanical Hotel adjacent to Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. It was built as a two storey structure in 1905 after the earlier building which dated from 1857 was burnt down. The complex of Crones Buildings has a wonderful filigree wrought iron balcony design and it adds to the charm of the Main Street. It was built in 1910 just before the gold mining ceased in the town. The other outstanding and unusual building is the former London Chartered Bank which is now the ANZ bank. It has Federation and French Empire architectural features with unusual wrought iron decorations on what at first sight appears to be a residence or domestic building rather than a commercial bank. It opened in 1889. Along the Main Street are many commercial premises dating from the 1870s and 1880s when St Arnaud was experiencing boom times. As grain farming was the mainstay of the region it is not surprising the McGraths Farm Machinery building is one of the grand structures of the street. Stylistically it dates from the 1900 to 1910 period. St Arnaud has many fine domestic buildigns with many houses dating from the 1870s and 1880s.