About Wedderburn, Victoria
Prior to the settlement of the area by Europeans, the area of what is now known as Wedderburn was occupied by the Dja Dja Wurrung aboriginal tribe. The well known explorer, Major Thomas Mitchell, was the first white man known to have visited the area on his third expedition in 1836. A cairn commemorating his visit is located approximately 5 kilometres south of Wedderburn on the Calder Highway. In 1840 the first squatter to take up land in the area arrived. His name was John Catto and his run covered some 64,000 acres or nearly 27,000 hectares. Subsequent to this there was a rush for land all through the area and many runs were taken up by various individuals.
Gold was discovered in Wedderburn in 1852. The most popular story regarding the find is that a shepherd named Brady found gold while looking after sheep. Apparently he wasn’t particularly interested in the find and passed the information on to some prospectors from South Australia travelling through the area. The area where the first gold was found is located on the St Arnaud Road approximately 3 kilometres from Wedderburn. The site now boasts a sign “Brady’s Find”. Although the South Australians tried to keep their find secret, word leaked out and by December 1852 there were some 6,000 people in the area looking for gold. The population dropped sharply in 1853 due to a lack of water to wash dirt with and the discovery of other goldfields.
The population gradually dwindled, particularly after the 1890’s although there have been several times when further interest has been generated in the Wedderburn goldfields. Of these, one of the most significant was in the 1950 when Bert Smith dug a hole in Wilson Street in the town and discovered a nugget worth ₤1,100 ($2,200). Needless to say, this sent the town into a flurry of activity and many people began digging up their gardens and backyards in the new gold rush. Not long after Smith’s discovery, news got around that Dave Butterick had been digging in his backyard, also in Wilson Street for three years and had discovered several large nuggets. The nuggets were named “The Golden Retriever” worth ₤1,300 ($2,600), “The Wedderburn Dog” weighing in at 145 ozs and the “Golden Wedge” weighing in at 70 ozs. In April of 1950 some 8,000 people are reported to have visited the town to see the nuggets on display.
Gold is still found in Wedderburn today and many hundreds of prospectors visit the area each year. There is abundant public land in the area where detector operators can search in the hope of finding that elusive nugget.
Wedderburn Tourism Inc.
Wedderburn Tourism Inc. is a voluntary committee that strives to make Wedderburn a more pleasant town for people to live and visit. This committee meets on the last Wednesday of each month at the Wedderburn Community House (24 Wilson Street, Wedderburn).
The main priorities of the committee is the Wedderburn website, Hard Hill Tourist Reserve (that includes the working eucalyptus stew pot and the RV Friendly campsite) and the Minelab Wedderburn Detector Jamboree held annually on the Victorian Labour Day Long weekend in March.
Pure Blue Mallee Eucalyptus Oil that has been produced from the working eucalyptus stew pot can be purchased from Wedderburn Community House (24 Wlson St, Wedderburn).
Come and join the group even if it’s only to socialise.
For further information, please contact us: wedderburntourism@gmail.com
Wedderburn (Vic) Legacy of Legends - Hard Hill
The Legacy of Legend silhouette sculpture project honours contributions to the Detector Jamboree, the region’s gold history and eucalyptus heritage around Hard Hill & the Wedderburn area. This project at Hard Hill has been fully funded by Wedderburn Tourism.
Key figures and milestones:
Barrie Johnson: Founder of the Wedderburn Detector Jamboree (2001–2004). After handing over leadership to Wedderburn Tourism, the inaugural four Jamborees were run from Barrie Johnson’s Detector Service, a Wedderburn business that operated for about 20 years. Barrie is remembered as a dedicated ambassador for Wedderburn and its tourism.
John Gladdis: Has supported the Jamboree since its inception alongside Barrie Johnson’s Detector Service. Formerly Coiltek, now known as Maryborough Gold Centre, John has been a long-standing sponsor. It’s a father-and-son endeavour with Andrew continuing the family involvement.
Junior gold panning competition: Introduced by Tom Calvert and Neil Salville; Neil sadly passed away before the first event. Tom’s son Dylan Calvert carried the mantle, mentoring the junior participants.
Beggary Lump discovery: Three Wedderburn High School students found the 86-ounce Beggary Lump during a detecting school excursion at Beggary Hill. The discovery drew national attention and sparked a renewed gold rush in the 1980s. The students were Russell Fazzani (still fossicking today), Jim Hard and Adam Turner.
Arthur Martin: Decorated as a Victorian Living Treasure in 1986 by the Victorian Tourism Commission for significant contributions to Wedderburn’s community and tourism. Arthur’s activities included eucalyptus demonstrations, gold panning, boomerang throwing and participation in the Melbourne Moomba parade, among others.
Eucalyptus stew pot revival: Hard Hill’s Eucalyptus Stew Pot area lay dormant until Wedderburn Tourism formed in 1997. Robbie Collins proposed reviving Arthur Martin’s dream and installed a working eucalyptus stew pot. Robbie led eucalyptus demonstrations, complemented by his witty jokes, and contributed to tourism through collaboration with Wedderburn Tourism volunteers.
He was named a Life Member of Wedderburn Tourism in 2015.
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