St Arnaud. The railway station. Built 1879.
St Arnaud. Population 2,000.
Gold was discovered here in 1855 prompting the development of the furthest west goldfield from Bendigo. A town was surveyed on St Arnaud Creek in 1858 and it was named St Arnaud. It 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 town’s 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.
The first major public structure in the 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 built in 1879. St Arnaud was well serviced with churches. The Anglican Church was built in 1865, the Catholic Church was built in 1875 (and still exists as the Salvation Army Hall) and a Presbyterian Church was built in 1876 beside the town lake and Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. The current Catholic Church was built in 1906. 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 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 in 1928. A large concert hall was also added to the Town Hall in 1935. The commercial buildings of the Main Street include the Botanical Hotel 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. It was built in 1910 just before the gold mining ceased. The other outstanding 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 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. 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. Now the metal grain silos are works of art with one depicting a gold miner panning for gold and the other his wife. Kyle Torney, a locally born and raised artist, painted the silos during his covid lockdown. He also painted a series of murals in the same tonings and style around the town.
St Arnaud. The railway station. Built 1879.
St Arnaud. Population 2,000.
Gold was discovered here in 1855 prompting the development of the furthest west goldfield from Bendigo. A town was surveyed on St Arnaud Creek in 1858 and it was named St Arnaud. It 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 town’s 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.
The first major public structure in the 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 built in 1879. St Arnaud was well serviced with churches. The Anglican Church was built in 1865, the Catholic Church was built in 1875 (and still exists as the Salvation Army Hall) and a Presbyterian Church was built in 1876 beside the town lake and Queen Mary Botanic Gardens. The current Catholic Church was built in 1906. 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 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 in 1928. A large concert hall was also added to the Town Hall in 1935. The commercial buildings of the Main Street include the Botanical Hotel 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. It was built in 1910 just before the gold mining ceased. The other outstanding 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 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. 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. Now the metal grain silos are works of art with one depicting a gold miner panning for gold and the other his wife. Kyle Torney, a locally born and raised artist, painted the silos during his covid lockdown. He also painted a series of murals in the same tonings and style around the town.