'Gold Diggings' Ararat - Edward Roper 1858
When on holiday in April we visited the old gold rush city of Ararat in south-western Victoria. I loved the feel of the place and took several photos of the old buildings. Our friends with us that day also loved it and are presently negotiating to buy an old mansion built in 1903.
Gold was discovered at Ararat in 1857, turning it into a gold rush boomtown. It was officially declared a city in 1950 but the population has steadily declined. Ararat got its name after Mount Ararat, 10km south-west, which was named by Horatio Wills in 1841. Wills, a pastoralist and politician, was one of Ararat's first settlers.
Barkly Street looking towards The Grampians
Image: John O'Neill
Upper Barkly Street in 1894
The Fire Brigade tower, since demolished, is the tall building in the distance,
The E.S.&A. (English, Scottish and Australian) Bank
and the drapery store are on the right.
Former Town Hall, now the Regional Ararat Art Gallery
and Ararat Performing Arts Centre
