Bealiba

Maryborough, Victoria, Australia
Talbot |Carisbrook | Dunolly | Bealiba | Moliagul

Bealiba is a small country town with a history steeped in gold, timber and farming.  Visitors can always enjoy the peace of country living in this north-west gateway to the Goldrush Centre of Victoria.  The name Bealiba, derives from two aboriginal words Bea-meaning red gum and ba- meaning creek.  Goldmines and timber mills operated here in abundance and their legacy is still evident today.  

There is an information board in the main street which details the town's history and attractions.  The first Europeans in the local area were drovers (c.1840) and the first settler was George Coutts in 1845.  However, it was the Cochran brothers who established the town (the district was known as Cochran's Run until 1863).

Gold was discovered at the foot of Mt Bealiba in 1856 and, although the subsequent rush saw the town rocket to a population peak of 12 000, it only lasted 18 months, after which land became available for selection and farming began.  The railway proved a boon to local agriculture when it arrived from Dunolly in 1878.  The town's population was still a healthy 2000 prior to the First World War.

Bealiba's past is evident in some of its buildings.  The hotel was erected in 1857, the town hall in 1879, the old school in the late 1870s and the churches date back to the earliest days of settlement. 

There are walking tracks through the red ironbark forests of the neighbouring Bealiba Ranges.

A quiet spot of fishing, a leisurely sightseeing drive or a beer in the local country pub... a drive around Bealiba and on to the Melville Caves which is real bushranger territory, is just another reason to stay another day in the area.

Links: Accommodation in Bealiba; Dining in Bealiba

Things to see in Bealiba

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