St Arnaud History Mosaic Wall
The St Arnaud History Mosaic Wall is a large mosaic that portrays the history and community of St Arnaud. Sally Pritchard was the local artist who, assisted by students from the St Arnaud Secondary College, and residents who were interviewed for their memories of the town, along with others, detailed the history of the town to accompany the mosaic.
The following information panel is beside the mosaic wall.
The Mosaic Wall beside you is a visual journey through our town's history. Scan the QR codes to bring the artwork to life, and start at the left hand side for the best experience.
The story of St Arnaud began many centuries ago, when the Dja Dja Wurrung people lived in central Victoria. The last corroboree was held on what is now the site of the St Arnaud Secondary College.
When gold was found two kilometres west of the present town site in 1855, a goldfield known as New Bendigo was established, and a tent city of several thousand inhabitants emerged nearby.
The name 'St Arnaud' was proposed for the town, in honour of Armand Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud, Marshal of France during the Crimean War Many streets such as lnkerman St, Alma St, Napier Dt and Dundas St also recognise locations and personalities of the war.
St Arnaud was officially incorporated as a municipal district in 1861, as a borough in 1863, and as a town much later in 1950.
The town is home to many historical buildings and attractions, such as the Old Post and Telegraph Office, which began operations in 1866 and is now a bed and breakfast.
The heritage-listed St Arnaud Court House is one of the oldest operational courts in the state.. Built in 1867 and extended in 1882-83, it still functions as the St Arnaud Magistrates Court.
Love's Cottage was completed in 1868 using layers of flat stones from a nearby mine, and is one of the earliest miner's properties that can be viewed today.
Victoria's oldest fire station, situated across from the Queen Mary Gardens, was constructed of locally made bricks in 1883. It is now a museum, featuring the Turncock's residence and an original hand-pulled ladder cart.
In 1889, the Queen Mary Gardens consisted of exotic trees, an ornamental lake, sweeping pathways, garden beds and a picket fence boundary with lockable gates. The gates located there today, known as the Angwin Gates, were erected in 1913 in memory of a highly-regarded family doctor.
The London Chartered Bank, constructed in a Victorian Gothic design, was opened in 1889, in 1970 this became the ANZ Bank.
A new two-story hotel was erected opposite the Queen Mary Gardens in 1905, built of locally-made wire cut bricks. The Botanical Hotel features a Federation Filigree style with a veranda and balcony wrapping around two sides of the building.
The town's last operating gold mine, the Lord Nelson Mine, closed in 1926 with the poppet head bate still there today.
Additional Background
CREATION
The creation of the mosaic panels took nine months, with students from St Arnaud Secondary College, as well as local youth, designing and assembling the artwork under the supervision of local artist Sally Pritchard. The shed at St Arnaud Neighbourhood House housed the mosaic as it was created. The names of many of the people responsible for the creation of the mosaic can be found in the last panel, inscribed onto the leaves of the tree.
UNVEILING
The unveiling ceremony was held on the 15th March 2017. The emcee for the ceremony was Councillor Merrilee Reid and featured speeches by St Arnaud Neighbourhood House Manager Heather Stevenson, St Arnaud Secondary College Assistant Principal Vanessa McCormick, and Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Tony Driscoll.
After the ceremony, the students and residents responsible for documenting the history of the town and those responsible for the creation of the mosaic proudly unveiled the completed project.
The mosaic wall was handed over from the St Arnaud Neighbourhood House to the Northern Grampians Shire on behalf of the community and can be viewed in Market Square, St Arnaud.
THE FULL STORY
St Arnaud Neighbourhood House conceived the History Mosaic Wall project in 2016, and were successful in applying for funding from the Victorian Government through the Engage! program.
Students from St Arnaud Secondary College interviewed a number of long term residents of St Arnaud, documenting their stories of the town during their lifetime. The students formed a relationship with the chosen senior and researched the history of the town that would be displayed on the mosaic wall.
At the St Arnaud Neighbourhood House, under the supervision of local artist Sally Pritchard and assisted by Helen Bartlett, the students and young people from the community designed the artwork for the mosaic panels based on their historical research.
Using tiles donated by locals, the dedicated youth then smashed, cut and cleaned the pieces needed to create the mosaic and adhered them to the panels. It took numerous sessions over nine months to complete the artwork inside the shed at Neighbourhood House. Many of the elderly residents attended to monitor the as-sembly and continue their friendship with the youth.
Once completed, the Northern Grampians Shire kindly donated the labour of their workers to erect the concrete wall that would display the mosaic, using materials provided by Neighbourhood House fundraising. Despite the heat, the industrious Shire workers finished the wall in Market Square in quick time.
The panels were transported from the House to Market Square and were mounted to the wall by the capable members of the St Arnaud Men's Shed. Then the arduous task of grouting the entire mosaic began. This took eight hot summer days and completed the creation of the mosaic wall.
The unveiling ceremony held on the 15th of March 2017 was well attended, including students from the Secondary College and the elderly residents who documented the history of the town and created the mosaic, locals, councillors, and representatives from the Victorian Government and community groups.
Location
Cnr Dundas Street and Grant Street, St Arnaud 3478 Map
