Yackandandah
Is a small tourist town in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is near the industrial towns of Wodonga and Albury, and is close to the tourist town of Beechworth. At the 2006 census, Yackandandah had a population of 663. Located about 28km S of Wodonga,& this exceptionally attractive town,& with avenues of English trees and traditional verandahed buildings,& has been classified by the National Trust. Yackandandah is in the heart of the north-east goldfields. Today it is better known for its historic buildings. In town during Jan: Lavender Harvest Festival. Mar: Folk Festival. June: Vintage Engine Swap Meet.
History
It is a former gold mining centre known for its alluvial wet mining techniques. Yackandandah Post Office opened on 13 June 1856. Another office nearby, Yackandandah Junction, opened in 1872 but closed in 1885.
In his local book, O’Brien quotes an old poem published in the Melbourne Punch, 11 June 1857, titled, “The Lass of Yackandandah”.
“Let poets sing of English girls,
Their beauty and their candour;
Give me a sweeter nymph than all, –
The lass of Yackandandah.”
“She draws a cork with such an air,
No mortal can withstand her;
She turns a tap, and turns our heads, –
The lass of Yackandandah.”
O’Brien, The Lass of Yackandandah – a goldfield beauty
Today
The area is now a dairy farming and forestry and has numerous bed and breakfast lodges, which allows its many visitors to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the district’s forest and mountains. It is affectionately known as ‘Yack’. The commercial centre of the town, known as the Yackandandah Conservation Area, is recorded on the Register of the National Estate.
The town has an Australian rules football team competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League.
Golfers play at the course of the Yackandandah Golf Club on Racecourse Road.
Rail
The Yackandandah railway line once linked Yackandandah to Beechworth, and opened in 1891. The route to Woorragee and from there to Yackandandah was steep; trains descending the last gradient into Yackandandah would halt (near the now Yackandandah turnoff, from the Beechworth-Wodonga Road) so the guard could apply hand-brakes to carriages and wagons. The last train on the Yackandandah-Beechworth line was in July 1954. Though the line was torn up, many sections of the original right of way are visible from the roadway between Beechworth and Yackandandah.
Culture
Used for the filming of the 2003 film, Strange Bedfellows, (starring Michael Caton and Paul Hogan), Yackandandah is also home to the annual Yackandandah Folk Festival attracting local, Australian and international artists. Like its larger neighbour, Yackandandah promotes itself as a tourist destination on the basis of its gold mining history, and features a period street scape and an increasing number of antique shops.
Two historic buildings, the 146-year-old museum (formerly the Bank of Victoria) and an adjacent timber store (“Rainbow Crystal”), were destroyed by a fire in the early morning of 21 December 2006. A real estate agency was also severely damaged.
Historical Society & Museum
Yackandandah and District Historical Society Inc own and operate the Yackandandah Museum, which houses a collection of local documents, photographs, objects and information in two historic buildings – the Bank of Victoria (1860) and manager’s residence (c1858). The town of Yackandandah, established after gold was discovered in the local creeks in 1852, was surveyed in 1856 and the original survey map is one of the documents held in the Museum.
Fire gutted the main stone building in December 2006. This has been rebuilt and refurbished and was re-opened in November 2008 by Andy Muirhead, presenter of the ABC program ‘Collectors’.
Schmidts Strawberry Winery
Strawberry Winery
Welcome to Schmidt’s Strawberry Winery set amidst acres of lush strawberry fields, this winery is unique in Australia.
Using a traditional family method, our international award winning fruit wine has won many friends from all over the country.
Available in Dry, Semi Sweet or Sweet.
Now after years of development, join us in a taste of S.L. the Strawberry Liqueur. A sensational Australian Product.
Farm fresh strawberries. Renowned throughout Australia, these magnificent full flavoured Allans Flat strawberries are generally in season from mid October to mid January.
Spring Migration Festival
Spring Migration Festival
12 High St
Yackandandah
Victoria 3749
Australia
Spring Migration is a Gay and Lesbian Festival for ALL! Everyone is welcome regardless of sexuality – just be friendly and willing to have fun! After Spring Migration winning an Achievement Award in 2008 and 2009, we are excited to present Spring Migration 2010. Details will be coming soon. These events will be great fun and a great addition for all of our visitors from around Australia and the world. The best that North East Victoria has to offer. This year’s event will truly be a life-time experience on the gay calendar not to be missed. To make Spring Migration 2010 a world class event, make sure you visit the program page on our website to see what’s planned!
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Kirbys Flat Pottery Exhibition
Kirbys Flat Pottery Exhibition
225 Kirby Flat Rd
Yackandandah
Victoria 3749
Australia
North East Victoria’s second longest running cultural event (after the Rutherglen Wine Show) the 33rd annual exhibition features tableware and exhibition pottery by John Dermer. John’s work is only available from the home gallery, set in a beautiful garden with extensive views, just four kilometres from Yackandandah. We look forward to seeing you.
Historic buildings razed in blaze
Historic buildings have burnt to the ground in the small town of Yackandandah in a suspected electrical fire early today. The fire started about 4.30am in a historic gift-and-clothes store in the main street and spread to other buildings, including the 146-year-old Bank of Victoria building, which was destroyed. Fire crews saved an adjoining shed and historic cottage. A real estate agency was extensively damaged in the blaze, which is believed to have started due to an electrical fault in the gift store. Residents living behind the gift shop escaped without injury. The entire commercial area of Yackandandah, 295 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, is classified by the National Trust. The two buildings lost were the most significant in the town’s main street, according to Sally Johnson of Sticky Tarts Cafe in High Street. “One was a lovely old timber building which was a shop called Rainbow Crystal and the museum next door, the front of the museum has been totally gutted,” she said. “The people who owned (Rainbow Crystal) also lived behind it and were lucky to be pulled out last night.”
Ms Johnson said the loss was felt by the entire community. “Everybody’s pretty devastated and we’re trying to do what we can to salvage things and look after people,” she said. “The Rainbow Crystal and also the residence was totally destroyed, there’s virtually nothing left other than the steel shed that was put in the back not long ago. “They are the two probably most significant buildings in the main street, so it’s a devastating loss for this whole community.” Four CFA brigades attended the fire. “It’s something we don’t need,” CFA state duty officer John Athorn told theage.com.au. “The members of those brigades (who responded) would have been helping with those (other bush) fires and maybe even on a rest from their time at the other fires. They’ve had to be called out in the middle of the night for a structure fire that’s totally unrelated to the other fires.”
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