Yackandandah - High Street Heritage Walk
Explore the heritage of the Yackandandah High Street on this walk.
HIGH STREET: NORTH SIDE
37. Formerly Yackandandah Post Office. Originally a small timber structure where services were provided to miners and other customers on the verandah. Half of the present building was constructed in 1863, with a slate roof. Additions made in 1887, for Sub-Treasury purposes. Early 20th "a huge chestnut tree in the back yard used to supply the town's children".
35. Formerly the State Bank, built 1929, and at an earlier date the site of a doctor's surgery and residence.
33. For many years the site of Alec Priestly's bootshop until burnt down in the 1920's. Addis Priestley's cobbler's bench is in the Yackandandah Museum. Apart from the surgery and bootshop, buildings between the Post Office and Athenaeum served various purposes, including a stationer, coachbuilder, E. Arnold's garage, and Ruby and Jo Johnson's dressmaking shop.
27. The Athenaeum, built in 1878 and contained up to 3,000 books. It was the social and intellectual centre of the town, with "two reading rooms, a few stuffed birds, a boomerang or two." Full-sized slate billiard table installed 1899. Note temple composition of facade.
25. Built around 1865, like many structures in the town, originally with no verandah. For some time was Andrew Nette's bootshop, with his workshop adjoining.
23. Old Yackandandah Times building constructed early 1870s. The Times was produced from 1890 to 1934; printing presses in the back rooms. Note cement rendered facade.
21. Yackandandah Museum. Stone building begun 1860. Cottage at the back an original street building of the 1850s Banking ceased in 1893. Thereafter Thomas Haig, tailor, and family lived and worked here until 1969. Gutted by fire 2006, and restored. Now owned by Yackandandah & District Historical Society Inc.
19. Ray Riddington's Store, 1907. For many years one of the town's largest stores. A "back opening into Jubilee Lane for loading". Fire 2006, and rebuilt.
17. Timber, circa 1900. Verandah a later addition. G. Denny's bootshop for many years.
15. Local granite, 1857, with large cellar. Verandah a later addition. Built by Mr. Welshman, who sold his first store site to the Bank of Australasia. Early trading carried out "beneath the colonnade". Denny's general store for many years.
13. Local granite, built 1859 for the Bank of Australasia, and used until larger building completed on the south side of High Street. Jack Sealey saddler, 1880s, added centre window (altered 1998).
11. Local red brick. Butcher's shop on this site 1858 - 2015, but shop remodelled several times and rebuilt by Mr. Jack Lorimer. Other butchers included Mr. Stephens and Jack Lack.
9. Timber-fronted brick building. Once the Royal Hotel, locally known as "Irvine's". Later a barber's and confectioner's shop.
7. Local red brick, 1866. Originally a billiard room, with a sign on the parapet above the verandah. Run at one stage by Charlie Lack, and "very much an asset to the town".
5. C.F.A.1986. "After several fires in the town a fire bell erected, with a building to house equipment" on this site. The present structure draws deliberately on Nineteenth Century building elements, eg. roof form, verandah, paint colours.
3. C.F.A. 1986. Mr. McDermott's shop and undertakers premises were here in 1919. Thornley Hall's Timber Yard and Builders also operated from this site.
1. Yackandandah Hotel. Single storey brick in the time of licensee Martin, 1919. A succession of licensees since.
HIGH STREET: SOUTH SIDE
2. An 1850s building here was Samual Cunningham's store. Later Louis Meurant built a carriage showroom on the site.
4. Cottage built around 1919 by Mr. T. Hall. Purchased by Education Department for Headmaster's residence in 1924. Note the symmetry of construction, typical of older residences. In 1863 the 2-storey Commercial Hotel, with a dance floor on top, occupied the site, but burnt down 20 years later.
6. An 1850's bakery of Louis Stephens. Used by Mr. G. Wray, solicitor, for many years. Mr. Wray lived in the brick house near the bridge at the time.
8. Former A.N.Z. Bank. Closed in 1996. Originally the Bank of Australasia which opened for business in 1857 in a building across the road. It bought this site from Mr. Welshman, one of the first storeholders in the new town, and this building was completed in 1878 at a cost of 1,584 pounds.
10. Former Clarence Hotel, licensed 1854, delicensed 1915. Present building constructed 1885, used for a time as a carpenter's shop by C. E. Hall, and later converted to shops. Note hid pitched hipped roof.
12-14. Brick with timber fronts, Nineteenth Century. Now substantially altered. Occupied at one stage by Clime, bootmaker, nearest the lane, Reichardt's saddlery in the centre, and Plummer's store on the west end. Following Mr. Reichardt's death the then empty shop was joined with Clune's to make a garage. Mrs. Stiles ran a newsagency on the west end for some time, selling "lollies (2 for a penny), toys and books".
16. Yackandandah Motor Inn. From early times J.M. Cole had a blacksmith's shop here.
18. Early this century Mr. W.R. Croker had a timber wheelwright's shop on this site. For a time the structure housed a cold store for rabbits, with an ice-works at the rear.
20. Yackandandah Bakery. Timber construction around 1900. Original scotch oven in use until recent times. "Mrs. O'Meara, bakery, sold a 2-pound loaf for one shilling." Note splayed entrance, timber stallboard and stop chamfered verandah posts.
22. Cottage. Timber, c1890. Used until the mid-1990s as a residence and chemist's shop, with original timber shopfittings and counter now altered. M.S. Rome, Mr. B.J. Wilksch, were early chemists. Note bulinose verandah on house, straight verandah on shop.
24. Shop and Yackandandah Newsagency. Brick, with double shopfronts, about 1868 with addition in 2006. C. Falck, watchmaker, occupied this building for some years, and the first site of Haig's General Produce and Fancy Goods shop. An earlier timber shop on this site was occupied by Isaacs, tailor.
26. Original timber shop rebuilt in brick in recent times, with copy of original timber shop front, c1910. Note stepped parapet.
28. Double storied brick. Known as Dean's Store. Built by Mr. Roper in 1866, using local red bricks originally with slate roof. Next owned by J. Haig, grocery and general goods, then by Mr. Ramsay 1925-26. The latter operated a drapery on one side, groceries on the other, with millinery upstairs. Orders were delivered by horse and wagon. Note arched windows with lambs tongue mouldings.
30. Star Hotel. Built by James Cardwell, 1863. The dining room, added later, was the site of Haig's bakery, built in 1864. Ceramic tiles an addition and eastern side brick front successfully rebuilt in brick.
32. Soldiers Memorial. Rotunda and gardens constructed after W.W.I. Wrought iron fence forged locally in Meurant's foundry. Once the site of a large timber building, the Waterloo Hotel. Licensed in 1854, it operated until burnt down in 1915. Coach and mail centre, agency and rooms for many businessmen - "anyone could have a horse and trap if needed'.
Note: Information provided by the Yackandandah and District Historical Society.
