Walhalla (including Jericho and Matlock)
Historic goldmining town
Walhalla is an old goldmining town situated in a deep ravine between hills once almost totally denuded of their trees. The mining companies who occupied the area cut down the trees and laid 30 km of tram tracks out into the woods in order to facilitate the collection of timber.

Located 176 km east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway Walhalla was named Stringer's Creek after the waterway which runs through the ravine. It changed its name to Walhalla in 1869. The present name would seem to derive from Valhalla, the hall of immortality in Norse mythology where heroes reside after being slain in battle.

The European history of the district began in December 1862 when Ned Stringer found gold in the creek which bears his name. Shortly afterwards the discovery of the massive Cohen's Reef, which stretches from Bass Strait to Bathurst, led to the permanent settlement of the town. This was not alluvial gold and only large mining companies had the capital to exploit the find. The reef runs north to south on the western side of the valley. Ore-crushing batteries were transported to the township via Port Albert. The population of Walhalla and the six mining hamlets in the immediate vicinity (Happy Go Lucky, Mormontown, Maiden Town, Black Diamond, Homedale and West Walhalla) peaked at around 4500 in the 1880s. Today some of these sites can still be reached by means of a signposted walking tracks around the village.

The trees in the area were felled, in part, by Italians from the alpine region in the north of Italy. They lived separately a little west of the town at Poverty Point by the Thomson River. The railway arrived from Moe in 1910, but instead of contributing to on-going prosperity, it was, ironically, used to cart away the town's buildings as the gold supply dwindled and the mines closed in the 1910s. Today the town's economy is largely driven by its tourist appeal.

Things to see:  

Viewing the Town
The town, with its buildings scattered alongside the creek and the lower portions of the hillsides, can be viewed from the walking track on the western side of the valley.

Historic Walhalla
Since the 1950s the Walhalla Improvement League has fought hard for the preservation and restoration of the town's historic sites.

The Long Tunnel Extended Mine
The Long Tunnel Extended Mine, which operated between 1871 and 1911, was the most successful goldmine in Victoria and one of Australia's richest, with 13.7 tonnes of gold being extracted over the years. The mine covered ten hectares and consisted of 9 km of underground passages to a depth of 1000 metres. Guided tours are conducted weekdays at 1.30 p.m. On weekends and holiday periods they are conducted at 1.30 p.m., 2.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. These commence with a trek to a subterranean cavern which still contains old mining equipment. Group bookings are by prior arrangement, tel: (1800) 621 409.

Historic Buildings
The Freemason's Lodge (1866), originally a Wesleyan church, is one of Walhalla's oldest buildings, although Elliot's bakery was erected in 1865. The old post office, now a private residence, retains its counter and mailboxes. The cemetery, surveyed in 1872 and segmented according to religion, contains the graves of the pioneers, some of which are dug vertically into the ground due to the hilly nature of the environs. On the roadside near the store is the old bank vault of the Bank of Victoria which was destroyed by fire in 1945. Over the years the vault was home to 7.3 tonnes of gold. The fire station was built straddling Stringer's Creek. It now contains a museum with firefighting equipment and photographs of the town's history.

Other structures of the late 19th century are a quaint Victorian band rotunda (1896), once used by the Walhalla Mountaineers' Brass Band, three shops, a stone cottage (which can be easily reached by following the right-hand branch of the creek from the rotunda) and another former miner's home known as Spett's Cottage (1871).

Windsor House, with its thick walls, steep, gabled roof and wine cellar carved out of the cliff, served as a guest house for many years and has been recently restored for that purpose. Located in Right Hand Branch Rd, it was built by Johannes Gloz, a local miner, and his son, who also hand-made the 90 000 bricks which form the house's structure. The former mechanics institute and keeper's cottage, in Main Rd, have also been renovated and now supply accommodation.

The Walhalla cricket ground is unique in that the absence of even ground forced the community to level off the top of a hill. The long trip to the town and the half-hour climb up the knoll just before the match was said to ensure a home advantage. The steam tramway terminal (1910) remains although the line was dismantled in the 1950s. St John's Church of England dates from 1918. The original church on the site was built in 1874 but it was later dismantled and rebuilt at Wonthaggi.

Walhalla Post & Telegraph Office Museum
The National Trust classified post and telegraph office, in Main St, has been restored to display the role of the postal service in Walhalla. The interiors have been retained as they were when the last postmistress finished her duty. It is open weekends and public holidays. Group bookings are by prior arrangement, tel: (1800) 621 409.

Walhalla Goldfields Railway
Trains operate from Thomson Station on weekends and public holidays. They furnish excellent views of some very beautiful countryside. They are also available for functions, tel: (03) 5634 2243. For timetable information ring (03) 9513 3969.

Walks in the Area
A scenic walk, accessible from the track above the rotunda, follows the tram tracks along the mountainside. For the more dedicated is the 400-km Alpine Walking Track which starts at Walhalla and ends at the NSW border. The trip takes several weeks and participants must camp out or sleep in the crude cattlemen's huts along the way. Maps are available from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment at Erica (tel: 03 5165 3204) and from the Visitor's Centre at Traralgon, tel: (1800) 621 409.

Old Timber and Iron Bridge
On the old road between Walhalla and Cowwarr are the remnants of an old timber and iron bridge. The wood was destroyed by a bush fire but the original form is still apparent in the latticed and other decorative iron work. Resting on six columns, it was 64 metres long, 6 metres wide and 12 metres high.

Moondarra State Park and Tyers Gorge
20 km south-west of Walhalla, the road from Erica to Moe winds through the forests and woodland of Moondarra State Park. Koalas have been released in the park and both picnic and camping facilities are available at the Seninis Visitor Area. 25 km south of Walhalla off the road to Erica, is Tyers Park. Tyers Gorge to the north of the park is well worth seeing. A walking track runs from Moondarra Reservoir south-east, along the Tyers River, to the Wirilda Picnic Ground.

Walhalla Mountain Saddle Safaris
Walhalla Mountain Saddle Safaris, at nearby Erica, offer overnight horse rides around the area or longer treks into the high plains country to the north. Contact (03) 5165 3365 for more details.

Rafting on the Thomson
Peregrine offer rafting expeditions along the Thomson River which depart from Erica, tel: (03) 9662 2800 or the Peregrine Travel office in your state capital.

	Hotels
	Walhalla Lodge Hotel Main Rd Walhalla VIC 3825 Telephone: (03) 5165 6226
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	The Old Hospital Guesthouse Church Hill Rd Walhalla VIC 3825 Telephone: (03) 9893 9365
	Windsor House Right Hand Branch Rd Walhalla VIC 3825 Telephone: (03) 5165 6237 or (03) 9882 5985