Harrietville is a town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, located on the

Great Alpine Road The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considered the mounta ...

, in the

Alpine Shire The Shire of Alpine is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in August 2021 had a population of 13,235. It includes the towns of Bright, Dinne ...

. At the , Harrietville and the surrounding area had a population of 338.

History

Harrietville was named after the first white woman who lived there. Gold miners were there by May 1860 when they formed a Prospecting Association. The town began as a goldmining settlement during the

Victorian Gold Rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...

, the Post Office opening on 5 July 1865. Alluvial gold was mined initially. Many of the early miners were Chinese. Later, the mining shifted to deep reefs accessed via shafts. A large dredge, known as the Tronoh Monster, also worked extracting alluvial gold from the Ovens River flats. The dredge extracted gravel and created the hole it floated in, dumping the tailings behind it. It made slow progress along the river flats, eventually stopping when rock reefs were contacted at the base of the surrounding mountains. Three large and deep lakes remain near Harrietville where dredging operations ceased, the most known being the Tronoh Dredge Hole which is now a popular spot for swimming, fishing, cycling, and walking An Athenaeum and free public library opened in 1880. Harrietville today provides some accommodation for skiers visiting nearby

Mount Hotham Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. The nearest ...

. The town hosts a bush market in January and on

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

. Also in January are a

European classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

competition, and a lawn mower grand prix. In June the annual Harry T Ville and the Boys Blues Band concert is held at the old Chinese Hotel. In November, the town hosts an annual Bluegrass convention, attracting some hundreds of performers and aficionados.

References

External links

Harrietville Gold Field
Victoria Geol. Survey 1904, W.M. Bradford Towns in Victoria (state) Alpine Shire Mining towns in Victoria (state) {{Hume-geo-stub