Flagstaff is a district in
Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...
, site of a former settlement, located on the Pyrenees Highway east of
Maryborough in the
Shire of Central Goldfields
Central Goldfields Shire is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018 had a population of 13,209.
It includes the towns of Bealiba, Carisbrook, Dunolly, Mar ...
. 218 metres above sea level, the area is naturally characterised by
Box-Ironbark forest. Remnants of aboriginal settlement include rock wells and aboriginal sculptures.
Flagstaff began as a mining settlement, and covered about 3 miles (4.8 km) along the banks of the local unnamed creek. A state school operated from 1868 to 1939. The building, which still stands, was later used as a community hall in which dances continue to this day.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
was officially first discovered at Flagstaff in January 1855 and gained much media attention. Gold was again discovered at Flagstaff in June 1855 and brought many
prospectors into the area, including seven local
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s.
A major gold rush to Maryborough occurred from June 1854, although some miners had been working in the area from the previous December. The population grew from 120 to 2,700 in that month and from 7,000 to 20,000 in August 1854.
Seven men, one of whom was Murray Neppy, were camped on their way to the rush close by and found gold at Carisbrook. Neppy valued the name Flagstaff, and thus named the township after it.
The Flagstaff goldfields were just a small part of a huge goldfield with very significant yields and large numbers of miners following the latest gold discoveries.
Flagstaff is also home to the 'Seven churches' located on the main road. As of 2010, tours of the 'Seven churches' and surrounding areas are led by the current proprietors of the Flagstaff hotel in
Maryborough.
References
Towns in Victoria (state)
Mining towns in Victoria (state)
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