ESKDALE
(www.northeastvictoria.online)
The small community of Eskdale was first settled in the early 1840s, with the Howman and Maddison Families taking up pastoral runs in the valley at this time. The town was apparnetly named by another early settler, James Aitken, who came from Eskadale in Scotland (near Inverness).
Like Mitta Mitta, Eskdale township owes much of its origins to gold mining, and whilst Eskdale was very much a gateway to the Mitta Mitta fields (and others further south), Eskdale had its own alluvial fields, as well as some reef mining in the nearby high country of the Dorchap Range (to the right as you drive through town).
As you enter the township from the west, there is a memorial (on the right) to the crew of a Beaufort Bomber that crashed up on Eskdale Spur in 1945. There is a spacious car parking area here, with a tourist information booth, and a toilet block.
The memorial to the Beaufort Bomber (and its crew) is very informative, and this is a good place for a travel break. See "monumentaustralia.org.au" for more details of the memorial.
Closer to the town centre, and also on the right, the Eskdale Hotel is one of the iconic hotels of the North-east, and is well known for its pub-grub and ambience. The Eskdale caravan park is also on the right, and has a nice position alongside Little Snowy Creek. Other assets in this pleasing township include a nice cafe and a supermarket.
The Mighty Mitta Muster is held at Eskdale during the autumn, and features a variety of muster events such as a Classic Car Muster, Woodchop Muster, Whipcracking Muster and a Dog Jump Muster; more details from the shown link below.
Many years ago, the flatish ground alongside the Mitta Mitta River was chosen as a site for a township, and a fledgling town started to become established in the late 1840s, soon to be spurred on by the discovery of gold.
Gold was discovered during 1851, and this lead to many small scale mines starting up in the area, with a consequent demand for goods and services that only a nearby town can provide. Not only did Eskdale have its own goldfields, but there were other fields close by that contributed to the development of the township, with a constant flow of goods, people and services passing through the new township on their way to places such as Granite Flat, Sunnyside, Glen Wills and Glen Valley.
The many visitors to the valley at this time included renowned painter Eugen von Geurard, and his painting Spring in the Valley of the Mitta Mitta was (and still is) highly regarded. His other works of this area include Head of the Mitta Mitta River.
Both of these works form part of the National Gallery of Victoria collection.
In the Mitta Mitta area itself, small scale mining continued for about 30 years, but as the easy pickings faded away, a different form of gold mining (sluicing) began.
Sluicing was comparatively new method of gold mining (it was first used in California, during the 1840s) and was eminently suited to the Mitta Mitta area, given that two very productive (and reliable) streams were close at hand, with some good gradients to provide plenty of gravitational grunt to those jets of water.
Modern day Eskdale is a popular place to live, and to visit, with many excellent access points to the Mitta Mitta River, several of which are well known bush camping areas. See the Mitta Valley website (link below) for more details.
Mitta Valley Website - camping
WODONGA to OMEO (via Mitta Mitta township, Mount Wills, Glen Valley and the Blue Duck)
Intro Screen on a fresh browser page
COPYRIGHT © 1995-2023, Chris McLaughlin.