Steiglitz - Steiglitz Historic Park - Central

Steiglitz - Steiglitz Historic Park

Situated between Geelong and Ballarat, Steiglitz is almost a ghost town today but in the 1860s and 1890s it was a busy goldmining township with hotels, shops, churches and a population of over 1000. At the height of the 1860s gold rush, Steiglitz township had more than 1500 residents, four hotels, a newspaper, a variety of shops and even an undertaker.

Now most of the town and its surroundings are included in the Steiglitz Historic Park. Enjoy a pleasant bushwalk, relax with a picnic or pan for gold. Of course, a trip to the park wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Steiglitz Court House, with its display of photographs, maps and relics of gold year. The court house is open on Sunday and public holidays, and at other times by arrangement.

Enjoying the Park

Picnicking

There are many pleasant picnic spots around Steiglitz. Toilets are available at the Bert Boardman Recreation Area and behind St Pauls church. Enjoy a picnic at Bert Boardman Recreation Area which offers plenty of space for families to explore or enjoy a secluded picnic at The Crossing Picnic Area.

Walking

Take a walk around the old township. Signs show where shops and other buildings once stood. Two churches, a former hotel and a few houses remain. The cemetery on Maude-Steiglitz Road is also worth a visit. There are a number of residents living in the township, please respect their privacy.

Caution - keep to the tracks. There are many walks through the historic area; care should be taken to avoid mine shafts.

Walks from Steiglitz Courthouse:

Deadman's Loop - 5.4km, 1hr 45mins - Moderate to Difficult (yellow markers)
Walk one kilometre south-west along Stawell Street to the creek. Follow the creek bed on western side approximately 750 metres and locate orange markers where a small waterfall joins the creek. Follow the markers north-west through bushland, turning right at the Meredith-Steiglitz Road. Return to Steiglitz along the road, passing the old Catholic Church (c1868) and cemetery.

Beards Gully Walk - 6km, 6hrs min - Difficult
Expect hard off-track walking, steep climbs and dangerous mine shaft areas. A car shuffle is recommended. Leave one car at the Court House and park another at the start of Sailors Track.

Drive south from Bert Boardman Recreation Area along South Steiglitz Road to Sailors Track, or walk from the Court House Carpark (1 hour). Walk down Sailors Track and turn north on reaching Sutherlands Creek.

Look for signs of early goldmining. Watch your step! Old mineshafts and uncovered holes are often hidden by long grass along the edge of the creek. Follow the creek north, rock hopping along the creek where possible.

Upstream you may see quartz in the creek bed. After walking about two hours, look for interesting rock formations on the left side of the creek, north of Miners Track. Continue along the creek to intersect Deadmans Track and follow Stawell Street to the Court House Carpark.

Gold Panning

Gold panning is permitted only in the section on Sutherlands Creek one kilometre downstream from the Meredith Road Bridge. Prospectors with a current Miner's Right are permitted to use pans, cradles and hand tools within the creek bed only. Please protect the creek bank environment.

Steiglitz Township

Take a walk around the old township of Steiglitz. Signs show where shops and other buildings once stood. Two churches, a former hotel and a few houses remain. The cemetery on Maude-Steiglitz Road is also worth a visit.

Steiglitz Court House

A trip to the park wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Steiglitz Court House, with its display of photographs, maps and relics of the gold years. The Court House is open on Sunday afternoons, and at other times by arrangement.

The first Court House, a rickety timber building, was constructed at the rear of the present Court House in 1858. The present building was begun in April 1874 and opened in June 1875.

The contract price of the Steiglitz Court House, built by Thomas Watts of East Melbourne, was just under 1600 pounds including fittings (average weekly wages then were only a few pounds). By the time the new Court House opened, the town's fortunes had waned and court sittings were discontinued by January 1879. It re-opened between 1895 and 1899 when Steiglitz enjoyed a revival of mining and business fortunes.

As you stand on the Court House verandah, look across the vacant lots down to Sutherlands Creek over to Gibraltar mine. A peaceful rural scene today - yet it's not hard to imagine the bustle and activity of the last century when gold drew people from near and far.

Although most of the buildings have gone and mines have been filled in, there are still many traces of the golden years in and around the town. Along Regent Street in the middle of town, there are three old mine shafts surrounded by fences where miners reached the prosperous Boxing Reef three hundred feet below. An information sign beside one of the shafts states "Boxing Reef is one of the most famous of the many lucrative gold reefs of the Steiglitz field. Running parallel with Regent Street, it was central to the thriving gold-rush township. In 1855, miners could each claim a lease for 12 feet of reef. This unnamed shaft is one of numerous mines sunk to depths of 300 feet along the length of the Boxing Reef."

How to get there

Steiglitz Historic Park is about 80km west of Melbourne. Take the Princes Highway to Werribee and follow the signs for about 40km to Anakie and Steiglitz. Alternatively, approach from Geelong, Bacchus Marsh or Ballan.

Review:

Bring along your imagination and use a combination of the buildings remaining and informative boards to visualise what the town was like in the gold mining era. Take a 30 minute stroll through the town and visit the impressive Court House, fenced mine shafts, St Pauls Church of England Steiglitz, old cemetery and remains of building and goldmines.

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