Tarilta is a rural locality and former gold-mining town 12 km south of Castlemaine, 4 km north-west of Guildford and 3 km north-east of Vaughan. The last gold mining activity took place around the 1880s. It was originally Kangaroo Flat, being located where the Kangaroo Creek enters the Loddon River. It was surveyed and named in 1864. Gold was discovered at Tarilta in 1853. The Tarilta School was opened in 1860 in a Wesleyan chapel, and closed i n1925. In 1864 a township was surveyed and named Tarilta, the word being derived from an Aboriginal expression thought to mean kangaroo. In 1865 Bailliere’s Victorian gazetteer described Tarilta as being an alluvial and quartz gold-mining town with three quartz-crushing mills, three horse-puddling machines and two hotels. The elevated nature of the land around Tarilta made it accessible only by horse and dray, or on horseback. Colour photograph of Tarilta in Central Victoria. tarilta, central victoria, landcape

Colour photograph of Tarilta, Victoria.tarilta

Colour photograph of Tarilta, Victoria.tarilta

Colour photo Tarilta, Victoria.tarilta

Colour photograph of Tarilta, Victoria.tarilta

Colour photograph of Tarilta, Victoria.tarilta

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Colour photograph of the bridge between Vaughan and Tarilta. It has been closed to traffic.vaughan, tarilta, bridge, river

Computer printout with a black, plastic ring bindernon-fictionjack barker, e.j. barker, delmenico, guildford, aqua, jack passalaqua, echuca, john belcher, shicer gully guildford, joseph furlong, edward byara, tarilta, barassi, elizabeth belcher, mary passalaqua, mary martinoja, philipo martinoja, greenhithe, mary wheatley, richard wheatley, lucy wheatley, echuca rangers, h.e. barker, herbert elisha barker, cannaly, mount camel, ypres, family history, genealogy