The Mason family offered their barn for the baking of bread for the 'Ladysmith' community during Mount William gold rush.Photo of the Mason Family outside their home (four adults and three children)people, mason, mining, ladysmith

In early 1900, three Emmett brothers, with support from George Mason, set about following up a report of gold in the area. Confirmation of gold led to a gold rush in June 1900. Traffic from Ararat and Willaura passed Mason's Farm and it was on Mason's land that the first settlement, Ladysmith, sprang up.Road leading to Mt William goldfield 1900. George Mason's farmhouse on right hand side of road.access routes, roads, mining, ladysmith

Colour photo of framed map of Mafeking Goldfield.mining, mafeking, maps

Group of 19 miners. Sign behind group reads 'Rose + Brown Carpenter's for sluices + cradles'. Alf Rose is behind the bench on the left wearing a waistcoat.mining, mafeking, people

This claim was named "Kangaroo". It had a deep tunnel but produced little gold. The claim was later sold to an Ararat Syndicate which sluiced out the tunnel.Photo of five miners grouped about a trolley at the mouth of a tunnel.mining, mafeking

Horton's Reward Claim. This group of miners also worked another area called 'The Heather Bell" approx. 200 yards further up the gully. About half a pennyweight to the dish is obtained from the wash near the creek. They are panning off 3 dwts per day off one man's ground. This claim is about the best fitted up on the field. It is worked with a sluice box with iron ripples and feeder to match. The latter is a great advantage as there is a great fall below the claim for the tailings.Photo shows seven men working a goldfield using shovels and picks.mining, mount william, people

This is an extract/copy of an original photo that showed both Alfred and Charlie D'Alton together. (see Record # 127 for section with Alfred D'Alton and Record # 117 for the entire photo).Photo of Charles D'Alton looking for gold on Stoney Creek. people, d'alton, mining, stoney creek

This is an extract/copy of an original photo that showed both Alfred and Charlie D'Alton together. (see Record # 126 for section with Charles D'Alton and Record # 117 for the entire photo).Photo of Alfred D'Alton looking for gold on Stoney Creek.people, d'alton, mining, stoney creek

Photo depicts dwellings with people standing in front. A man is holding a horse loaded with bags. Huts in forground and background.the township at Diggings marked on frontmining, stoney creek

Roses Gap Road at WartookPhoto shows car (T-Model Ford?) with trailer Young woman sitting on front fender, small girl standing on running board, with gerry can beside her Other people in back seat of car Young boy standing near trailer drinking from a cupRoses Gap Rad at Wartookrecreation, camping, access routes, roads

Jan 3rd, "This history of Rose's Gap police station is sketchy and rather short despite the fact that the lock up was built in 1860. The police station was closed in 1863. During its six years of operation, eleven mounted police were reported to have been stationed there" extract from Victoria's Wonderland: a Grampians history - Ch Roes Gap and Troopers Ck. Photo shows road past remains of police station Man sitting on fence rail at left of picture. Rocks on right side of photo. Opposite present Troopers Creek camping areaaccess routes, roads, buildings, police station

Home in Roses Gap Laharum area Home of Hugh RussellPhoto shows man seated and reading book in front of timber lean to. Towel hanging over leaning door. Cast iron pot hangs from timer rail in foregroundbuildings, houses, people

This photo is from a collection by Edward Roper. taken between Dec 1870 and Jan 1871. The man in the photo was one of a party who accompanied Edward Rover (artist) at this time. This activity was described as a hunting party Photo sows man with gun under his arm and standing in thick bush. Ranges behind are those close to Rose's gaprecreation, sport, roses gap

Woman known as Maggie Galbraith. First names of the three Galbraith children not known. Track called the Jinker track. For further information on Jinker Tracks, refer to pp. 101-102 of Victoria's Wonderland.Photo show 1 woman, 3 girls and 2 boys on a track in the bush'A turn in the Jinker track Maggie Galbraith with her small charges on Stony Creek gorge bridle trackaccess routes, vehicle track, people, galbraith

The man with the horse is Charles D'Alton, his cousin Alfred is beckoning him to come on. Charles was ther son of William D'Alton if "Silver Springs" on Dairy Creek, and Fred (Alfred) was the son of John D'Alton, Stawell Borough engineer. Fred and Charles were responsible for finding many of today's walking track routes through the Wonderland Range and in the Mt. Rosea area. The second copy is a transparency (slide) , no. 182 in the slide box.Photo shows man, left side corner with pack horse andother man middle ground with arm raised"Charles D'Alton beckoning to his cousin Alfred to come on" finding the best routegilbert rogers, vehicle track, people, d'alton

The Jinker tracks were vitally important during the early years of European settlement. The first routes were known as bridle paths as they were only wide enough to allow the passage of a horse or a person on foot.Photo shows man with pack horse - large gum tree on right side of photoaccess routes, vehicle track, jinker track

The Jinker tracks were vitally important during the early years of European settlement The first routes were known as bridle pathsPhoto shows track through bush track better formed than othersBridle track written on backaccess routes, jinker track

Photo depicts "road-making" approaching the Mount William gold fields. Because of the heavy traffic in the area during the very wet winter of 1900, low sections of the track became quagmires and road building was essential.Photo shows men with horses, carts, shovels etc. There are six horses in photo, three of them hitched up to carts. There are twenty-two men in total, some holding shovels etc.Photo has been laminated. "Title" appears at bottom of photo together with previous holder of photoaccess routes, roads, access routes, road building

Men are working at building a road. Photo relates to the building of the Mt Victory Rd during the late 1920s Photo relates to the building of the Mt Victory Road During the late 1920sPhoto shows three men with 2 horses and carts A third horse is standing behind one of the carts Men appear to be digging access routes, roads, access routes, road building

C 1920s. Photo shows the jinker track which was replaced by the Mt Victory Road (then called Bluff Rd) during the 1920s.Photo shows a track through bush. An old car sits off to side of road just after a bend.access routes, roads, access routes, jinker track

Men have started to form the Mt Victory Road. Until the 1900's access to the Stoney Creek gorge was via a winding bridal jinker track. Increased traffic lead to much of this route being widened into what became known as Bluff Road. Within a few years the route was further improved and was officially named Mount Victory Road in 1930.Photo shows 3 men working with pick and shovel on roadPick and shovel Mt Victory Rdaccess routes, roads, access routes, road building

See r record 140 for historical information on the building of Mount Victory Road. Two of the men in the photo are Charles D'Alton and Fred Paasch, however it is not known which ones they are.Photo shows 4 men engaged in road building Two have picks, a third is using a shovel The fourth is chopping a treeMt Victory road in the the making 1920s Commencement of My Victory rod Charles D/Alton, Fred Paaschaccess routes, roads, access routes, road building

Photo is said to be that of roadmakers camp for workers on the construction of the Mt Victory RoadPhoto shows a number of tents in bush land, said to be road makers campRoad makers camp Mt Victory Rd during the dat 1920sstructures, tents, access routes, road building

The Mt Victory Rd was originally called the Bluff Road After improvements and extension it was renamed at its opening by Lady Somers in Mar 1930Photo shows the newly formed Mt Victory Rd. with the bridle track above it Photo taken from the top of the Elephant's hideaccess routes, roads

The road winding up Stoney Creek Gorge with Elephant Hide, the rocky slope in the picture, on the left. Sections of the earlier 19th century bridal track, which was later widened to become a jinker track, can be seen above the new road.Postcard shows Mt Victory Rd unsealed Elephant's hide on leftPostcard Correspondence Address only Kodak Mt Vic Roadaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Mt Victory Rd once known as the Bluff road was opened by Lady Somers Mar 1930. This section of the raod is beyond Stoney Creek Gorgephoto shows sweeping bend on Mt Victory Rdaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Photo shows 6 people walking up Mt Victory Road Road not sealedaccess routes, mt victory rd, roads

Entering the Gap from the eastPhoto shows 2 men One on foot with back to camera, the other on horseback walking towards cameraEntering the Gap taken about opposite Aebis House on forwardaccess routes, jinker track

Background on Bridle Path up Stony Creek Gorge Pre 1840 C. B. Hall, squatter on Mokepilly Run 1841-1842, first European to discover the Fyans Creek valley, the entrance of which became known as Hall's Gap. He later recorded that he followed a number of tracks which he assumed had been made by the Aboriginies and described one as "leading up a wild romantic glen and over on to the source of the Glenelg River". This could well have been the route taken up Stony Creek gorge by the first timber-cutters in this part of the Grampians to the saddle between the Wonderland and Mt. Difficult ranges known as Valley Gap 1850s/60s Timber cutters and shingle splitters were reported to be moving into the eastern side of the Grampians and by the mid 1860s there were a number of families connected to the supplying of timber to Pleasant Creek living in the "Hall's Gap ranges". John Wakeham, the first store owner in Pleasant Creek in 1854, established a timer-mill in upper Stony Creek Gorge in the late 1850s. Wakeham is credited for the clearing and levelling of the first bridle-path up the gorge. 1870s By the mid 1870s the track had been extended over Valley Gap to the Victoria Forest (the upper region of the Victoria Valley). McKeon's bullock team was known to have hauled red gum from the Valley to Stawell in the late 1870s and the 1880s. 1880s In 1887 an article in the Pleasant Creek news describes the Stony Creek Gorge track as "being a ledge alongside the mountain range, formed in the early days with the aid of earth and timber, along which the bullock teams used to travel to Horsham and plains of the Wimmera beyond." 1890s Gold was discovered in the catchment area of Stony Creek and by the end of the 1890s a new track was built from "near the junction of Fyan's and Stony Creeks, up the gorge to the diggings settlement. The mining Department had paid L300 for its construction and, when completed, the track was "three miles and 30 chains in length, the side cuttings at the narrowest part being 10 feet between" and "the watercourses which cross the track at various points" having been "filled up with rocks rolled down the sides of the hills, and consequently there can be no damage caused by bushfires which destroyed the former wooden bridges erected on the old track to Wakeham's saw-mill, the remains of which are still to be seen at the side of the diggings" The article goes on to further describe the track as one which "can with ease travel with a two horse conveyance either up or down" and that the workmen engaged in the construction of the track would be attending "a ball that night at McKeon's farm near the mouth of the gap to celebrate the successful completion of the undertaking". 1900s At what time the bridle path was extended beyond Valley Gap to the Wartook basin on the Mt. Difficult Range has not yet been determined. However, it is known that, by the turn of the century, people were travelling between Halls Gap and the caretakers' residence at Wartook Reservoir along what was now known as the "Bluff Road. Wartook's embankment had been constructed in 1887 and at that time there was already a track from Rosebrook Station homestead (near the present day Wartook Pottery) to the reservoir. Philip Rose owned both Rosebrook and Wartook Stations from the mid 1840s to the late 1850s and had regularly leased the Wartook basin to Cobb & Co. to rest horses there. 1920s Following the war of 1914-1918, tourism really took off in the Grampians, and Halls Gap rapidly grew. People would travel as far as they could on the many tracks then hike to the many lookouts being discovered by local tour guides. This led to the need for access across the range so that horse riders and the increasing number of vehicles could travel between Horsham and Halls Gap. To this end, the Bluff Road was improved and extended on 1929 and at its opening in March, 1930, by Lady Somers it was renamed the Mt. Victory Road.Map of Mt Victory Road and othersaccess routes, mt victory rd, bridle path, roads

Official opening of Mt Victory Rd People in photo Lord and Lady Somers, 2 Johsons Millie Bowtell, Bessie McKeon, M PawseyPhoto shows group standing on road opening of Mt Victory Rd. Lord Somers in foregroundaccess routes, mt victory rd, people, roads