Victorian Collections logo
The Beechworth Burke Museum
From the collection of The Beechworth Burke Museum
862 Items featured online

Photograph, 1900

  • A school class photograph showing 31 students and a teacher in uniform. They are standing in front of a building.

    3308 (obverse)

  • Reverse of photograph containing ID number 3308 in top left corner, and the bottom left corner has the words "Woolshed School 190"

    3308 (reverse)

  • A school class photograph showing 31 students and a teacher in uniform. They are standing in front of a building.
  • Reverse of photograph containing ID number 3308 in top left corner, and the bottom left corner has the words "Woolshed School 190"

Historical information

Woolshed School was based in the former mining region in the North-East of Victoria. The school closed in 1922 following the decline of residents due to the depletion of gold ore, leading miners to seek residence elsewhere. Woolshed was initially built to house the miners and their families, ultimately containing 29 storekeepers and 14 hotels at its peak in 1857.

Significance

This photograph allows us to identify the families and individuals living in Woolshed in the 1900s. Since many of the families left the town following the decrease in mining opportunity, this photograph represents a percentage of the population associated with the gold rush who settled in Woolshed to find their fortune. We can derive from this photograph and its associated history the quality of life of the families and children of the miners while also being able to study the impacts of the gold rush in the area.

Physical description

Rectangular black and white photograph printed on matte photographic paper.

Inscriptions & markings

Reverse:
3308/
Woolshed School 190

Subjects

TOP
Back to top