The Jajawarrung tribe were the original people to occupy Guildford and its surrounds. They called the area 'Yarrayne'.
The 'Australia Felix' expedition of 1836 were the first recorded Europeans to the area. They were led by Major Mitchell who named the Loddon River after a waterway in his birthplace of Hampshire, England. Guildford was named after the town in Surrey which was close to the original Loddon River.
A settlement emerged in the the 1850's with goldminers flooding to the area. Within this time hotels were erected in Guildford, a department store and candle factory were established and even soap was manufactured in the town.
The most substantial Chinese settlement of the Mt Alexander goldfields was also located in the area. It ran along Campbells Creek towards Guildford, the largest camp being in Guildford where the Loddon River meets Campbells Creek. They lived largely in tents along narrow laneways dotted with Joss Houses, tea-houses, boarding houses, tailors, apothocaries, gambling establishments, opium dens, theaters and even a circus..!The population was estimated at well above 4000 miners. Wild Asparagus and Russian Garlic can still be found growing along the river, a remanant of the substantial market gardens that the Chinese cultivated during their days.
By 1866, however, the alluvial gold declined, and with it the population dropped dramatically, the recorded population by this time was just 250 ratepayers.
Now, only one of the many pubs that were in Guildford remain, the Guildford Family Hotel. Built for Joseph Sherer in 1856 as the Sherers Arms, it then became Wearn & Dunstans when the Assembly Rooms were added to the back and was later taken over by the Delminico family whos name it still bears, though the family no longer own it.
The old goldfields theatre, now known as the Guildford Music Hall was added in the 1860's and is regarded as the oldest brick music hall in Australia. In 2003 it received a Heritage Grant and was lovingly restored, it now hosts concerts, plays, bushdances and more.
Things to see
The Big Tree- At the intersection of Fryers Street and Ballarat Street stands the Big Tree. It is a beautifully preserved Red Gum and is thought to be the largest of its species in Victoria. It is estimated to be over 500 years old and is a rare survivor of the old forests that covered the distric prior to the gold rush. The girth at the base is approximately 12.8 meters and the height is approx. 25.9meters.
The Lookout- Located on the Castlemaine side of town the lookout gives you a great view of the valley in which the town lies.
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