Daylesford - past and present

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Past

Daylesford township developed above Wombat Flat in response to the needs of gold seekers who flooded into the area following the discovery of gold in the second half of 1851.

Daylesford from the Wombat Hill lookout

The original government survey of the township in June 1854 referred to it as Wombat, however a year later the name had been changed to Daylesford, after Daylesford House (in what is now part of Gloucestershire England), famous as the home of Warren Hastings, the first Viceroy of India.

Present

Now that we have moved from the golden age to the marketing age, Daylesford, like other choice commodities, has become a state of mind.

It is a place to relax, meet people, get away from it all, seek adventure, love... Not to mention live and work.

Mineral water (= Spa Country), the vernacular architectural heritage of the Swiss Italians, pine plantations, mushrooms, kangaroos.

The associations one is capable of developing are well beyond the permutations of the real estate agents' most creative copywriters.

More Daylesford adjectives: esoteric, pagan, counter culture, hippy, feral.

All this in an otherwise traditional Western rural community.

Back to Human Form

Blow Hole
Location: On Sailors Creek at the end of Blow Hole Road west of Hepburn Springs.

Central Springs Road
Location: Central Springs Rd.
Originally known as Victoria Street as a companion to Albert Street.

Christ Church of England
Location: Central Springs Rd. (previously Victoria St.)
The first service was conducted on December 6th 1868.

Daylesford Hospital
Location: Hospital St. (North of Raglan St. East of Vincent St.)
The foundation stone was laid in 1861.

Daylesford Post Office
Location: Corner of Vincent St.and Central Springs Rd.

Daylesford Primary School
Location: Vincent St.
The foundation stone was laid by J. S. Stewart, M.P. on 2nd October 1874 and officially opened on 2nd July 1875.

Hepburn Springs Pavillion
Location: Hepburn Spa Resort

Holy Cross Convent
Location: Daly St.
Now the Convent Gallery.

Jubilee Lake
Location: Jubilee Lake Road, south east of Daylesford

Lake Daylesford
Location: South west of Daylesford in an area known as Wombat Flat.
The Lake Daylesford dam was constructed in 1929.

Lookout tower, Wombat Hill
Location: The summit of Wombat Hill.
Officially opened on November 19, 1938.

Mineral springs
Central Spring
Hardhill Springs
Sutton Springs
Tipperary Springs

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
Location: Camp St.
The foundation stone was laid on December 9th 1903.

St. Peter's Catholic Church
Location: Cnr. Duke St. & Central Springs Rd. (previously Victoria St.)
The foundation stone was laid on November 29th 1863 and the church was blessed and opened on May 14th 1865.

Sailors Falls
Location: Off the Ballan-Daylesford Road at Sailors Falls, south of Daylesford.

Vincent Street
Location: Vincent St.
Surveyed in June 1854.

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens
Location: The summit of Wombat Hill.

The history of Latvians in Daylesford is coming.

Spridiši Latvian Lutheran summer camp. Circa 1960.