Seymour

location

located between Melbourne and Euroa on the old hume Highway

Beginnings

The original occupants were the Taungurung people.

The explorer Thomas Mitchell crossed the Goulburn River to the north of the town site in 1836. Squatters arrived soon after

In 1839 a settlement grew up around a crossing place on the Goulburn River called "New Crossing Place".

John Clarke operated the Robert Burns Inn at the ford.

When the goldrush era began in 1851, traffic on the Sydney road greatly increased to the town's benefit and the population began to grow.

By the 1860s selection were well under way in the area (Argus8/10/66)

Banna's bridge over the Goulburn River was an important and expensive crossing

Photograph

Map

Importance of Seymour

A major crossing on the Goulburn River, the main river in Victoria.

What was Seymour like in the late 1870s

The railway came to Seymour in 1871. The route (Argus31/1/71) The opening (Argus3/9/72) (Argus20/11/73)

The town was an important railway junction. It had workshops and administration centre. The new town developing around Station Street.

The Bank of Victoria in seymour was robbed in 1876, reward offered (Kilmore31/8/1876)

The steamer Bunyip made it all the way up the Goulburn River to Seymour (Kilmore2/5/1878)

Facilities in Seymour in the late 1870s

Population Hotels Royal George Hotel (built in 1848 by John Clark) Churches Methodist Church was built in 1860

Anglican Church was founded in 1863 Schools National School (now the state school) opened in 1857 [[../../things/C_community/C_bankt.html|Bank]] The Colonial Bank was started in 1868

Bank of Victoria was started in 1872 Main Streets In 1863 the Seymour Roads Board was formed (which later became known as Seymour Shire Council) Local Government Police Station Railway Station Telegraph Office

Post Office

Mail was taken between the post office and the railway station 4 times a day Other things of interest Seymour Express Newspaper

James Gloster, the hawker had a shop in Seymour

Auctioneers JD Webster & Co

Boulton and Tierney brewery

Links to the KellyGang

There was a threat to the banks in town from the KellyGang before to the Euroa robbery. (RC2nd reportIX) - see text of telegram of 29/11/1878 from Ass Com Nicolson. (RC2925) see also (Argus17/12/78)

On the 30/11/1878 Sup Hare informed Sgt Purcell, that the Kellys contemplated sticking up one of the Seymour banks, and that three men would be sent up there for duty, and that I wished their duty to be kept quiet. (RC1243) (RC15790)

Const Connor from Seymour went out with SConst Kelly on a search party soon after the murders at Stringy Bark Creek (RC7980)

On the 27/11/1878 three constables arrived at Seymour to protect the banks, especially the Colonial Bank, which could be easily robbed. The Colonial Bank is situated some distance outside the town. There would then be five men at Seymour, that is the three I sent up, a sergeant, and a mounted constable.. (RC1245)

On 7/12/1878 Sup Hare sent the following telegram to Sergeant Purcell, "Send one of your plain clothes men to Nagambie for same duty there, and send Const Byrne" (he was in charge of Nagambie) "copy of instructions you got from me." That same day Sergeant Purcell sent one of the three men to Nagambie, Const Burton with a copy of my memo., dated 30/11/78, that made three men-a SConst, a mounted Const, and this man, made the three men at Nagambie; these were the three next townships adjoining in the North-Eastern District. (RC1246)

Military from the Garrison Artillery sent to Seymour to protect banks in town after the Euroa robbery in December 1878.(RC App8)

The special train that went up to the Glenrowan seige stopped at seymour (Argus5/7/80)

train that took Ned Kelly back to Beechworth for his committal on 1/8/1880 stopped at Seymour

The return train (Herald12/8/1880)

Const J Burton's application for a share in the reward was rejected by the Reward Board