Rail trip: Maldon
Sep. 16th, 2010 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithSo this is my first view of Maldon, nice and dreary it looks.
It's also bigger than I expected. The population as of the last census was 1600.
The usual gold town story: gold was discovered nearby in the 1850s, and thousands of diggers turned up to work the field, eventually their numbers dwindled and the town... didn't do anything.
I've seen figures of 20,000 miners at the peak, although I think it stabilised at about 3000 miners and a similar population in the town. The goldfield and initial settlement were known at Tarrengower, after the nearby mountain. When the town was "officially recognised" (surveyed) it was called Maldon.
Now I've visited plenty of historic towns. I even live part time in one. All have which have been restored or recreated or replicated or otherwise returned to their former glory for the benefit of tourists. You don't get that impression here, rather than it is the way it is because it didn't actually change. Oh, there's been some restoration work. Time does take it's toll even on fading mining towns, but it's been handled well.
There is also a lack of the usual souvenir and craft shops you'd expect to find in tourist town. There are certainly plenty of cafes and other eateries, and other places that cater to visitors (antique shops, a lolly shop, an antique print shop) but I saw nothing that catered purely to tourists (except the visitors centre, of course).
All in all, the town has an air of authenticity.
In 1965, the National Trust (Victoria) declared Maldon to be Australia's "First Notable Town - a town worthy of preservation", and in 2006, the town won the NT's award for "Most Intact Historic Streetscape".
War Memorial. Are those flags are half mast?
Closer view of the above shop, sign says "Unique Japanese Furniture".
I went up here to have a look, but I'll put the photos in their own post.
It's also bigger than I expected. The population as of the last census was 1600.
The usual gold town story: gold was discovered nearby in the 1850s, and thousands of diggers turned up to work the field, eventually their numbers dwindled and the town... didn't do anything.
I've seen figures of 20,000 miners at the peak, although I think it stabilised at about 3000 miners and a similar population in the town. The goldfield and initial settlement were known at Tarrengower, after the nearby mountain. When the town was "officially recognised" (surveyed) it was called Maldon.
Now I've visited plenty of historic towns. I even live part time in one. All have which have been restored or recreated or replicated or otherwise returned to their former glory for the benefit of tourists. You don't get that impression here, rather than it is the way it is because it didn't actually change. Oh, there's been some restoration work. Time does take it's toll even on fading mining towns, but it's been handled well.
There is also a lack of the usual souvenir and craft shops you'd expect to find in tourist town. There are certainly plenty of cafes and other eateries, and other places that cater to visitors (antique shops, a lolly shop, an antique print shop) but I saw nothing that catered purely to tourists (except the visitors centre, of course).
All in all, the town has an air of authenticity.
In 1965, the National Trust (Victoria) declared Maldon to be Australia's "First Notable Town - a town worthy of preservation", and in 2006, the town won the NT's award for "Most Intact Historic Streetscape".
War Memorial. Are those flags are half mast?
Closer view of the above shop, sign says "Unique Japanese Furniture".
I went up here to have a look, but I'll put the photos in their own post.
