Beechworth
The Beechworth Celtic Festival is an annual event that takes place throughout the streets, pubs, halls and other venues in Beechworth. Each year the the Festival attracts thousands of people to town to enjoy the entertainment that spans an entire weekend in November. The Celtic Festival is a great day out for everyone with many free events, stages, street performances and community groups getting involved. There are also a number of ticketed events which offer value for money and ticket holders see some of Australia's finest musicians and performers. With marching bands, pipe bands, Celtic musicians, street performers, dancers, markets and food the Beechworth Celtic festival is weekend of fun for all.
Beechworth is home to some of Australia's most iconic flora and fauna. Within minutes of the centre of town you may see koala's, kookaburra's, kangaroos, wallabies, cockatoos, blue tongued lizards, echidna's and wombats. There are also majestic gum trees, waterfalls, cascades and bush walks. Beechworth has plenty of walks to enjoy. From the casual strolls around the streets of Beechworth to the many bush trails and walks that let you discover hidden disused mines, waterfalls, cascades, creeks, typical Australian bush and wildlife there is a walk to suit everyone. Walks in Beechworth cover all levels of fitness with some longer more challenging bush walks to easy walks that let you experience this amazing part of Australia.
Drive Back in Time is a popular annual Beechworth event held over two days each autumn. With polished chrome the proud owners present their vehicles in a static parade along Ford Street Beechworth in front of the Historic Precinct. There is also a steam display in the nearby Police Paddocks. The Beechworth Drive Back in Time weekend also includes a guided tour of the region by local enthusiasts. The weekend includes displays of cars, trucks and motor cycles as well as steam engines and other displays. There are various award categories and other informational displays on the day. The display to free to see and a great day out for both motoring enthusiasts and those enjoy a good family day out.
The Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Easter Festival is traditionally the biggest annual festival on the Beechworth calendar and each year attracts around ten thousand visitors to the region with many booking out accommodation and restaurants years in advance. The festival also attracts many day visitors from the surrounding districts all keen to see the spectacle. The weekend highlight is the Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Easter Festival parade which makes its way down Ford Street to the delight of onlookers and varies each year to include everything from elephants to the local comical marching band. There are plenty of activities during this weekend with the popular Easter egg hunt and side shows popular amongst the children.
As well as being Victoria's best preserved gold mining town, Beechworth also has a number of remnants and ruins of our past. The Beechworth hospital facade is one such ruin and the most significant of all the partly remaining buildings in town. The hospital facade has a great, but in some ways sad, story and it is worth the short walk from the centre of town to see the facade and read its story. There is an informational board on site. The Beechworth Hospital Facade also makes a great location for wedding photos as well as happy snaps of your time in Beechworth. The hospital facade is located at the end of Church Street, approximately a five minute walk from the corner of Ford and Church Streets
Opera in the Alps is held each year in the grounds of Mayday Hills. With a typical Australia bush backdrop Opera in the Alps has been staged in Beechworth each January for a number of years and each event attracts visitors from around Australia. Regular headline acts have included performers such as Marina Prior, David Hobson and James Morrison as well as some of Australia's rising stars. Tickets for Opera in the Alps should always be booked in advance as the popular seating and picnic areas do sell out. Ticket options may vary from year to year but generally included a seated area and a BYO chair and picnic area. Food and alcohol are available on site.
James Ingram was a local newsagent and bookseller and who served the local community for over 70 years in various capacities. He was instumental in establishing the Ovens & District Hospital, Ovens & Murray Hospital for the Aged, Mayday Hills Mental Hospital and the Beechworth Primary School. Was known as Beechworth's Grand Old Man. He died in March 1928 just 6 weeks short of his 100 Birthday, and is buried in the Beechworth Cemetery
Jean Macnamara, born April 1st 1899 at Beechworth, Victoria, and a graduate of the University of Melbourne, was a physician at the Children's Hospital Melbourne in 1922 and 1923, a consultant and medical officer to the Poliomyelitis Committee of Victoria 1925-1931, and medical officer, Yooralla Hospital School for Crippled Children 1928-1951.
George Kerferd (1831 - 1889) exemplified the opportunities that the new colony of Victoria offered to immigrants. He started as a boiler-maker and miner and eventually became a premier and supreme court judge.
