Woolshed
Contents
An old gold mining area in the Kelly Country
- Nearest towns
History at the Woolshed before the KellyGang
The Woolshed settlement was the up stream one of three settlements on Reedy Creek (the others were Devils Elbow and Sebastopol). The Woolshed valley consisted of a number of creeks. Up stream there was Spring Creek which plunges into Reid's Creek and later becomes Reedy Creek.
The Woolshed was opened in 1853. Within two years, it was the richest and busiest locality on the field and was renowned throughout the colony of Victoria. The Woolshed township extended along the creek for 4 km, serving a mining population of thousands. By the mid-1860s, Chinese miners predominated: working in large parties, they were able to profitably work ground that others had given up as worthless.
Both Aaron Sherritt and Joe Byrne went to the Woolshed school. James Doherty was the teacher
Where did the name Woolshed come from
There was a woolshed near the spot where gold was found in 1853. The place was first used by William Cropper of Laceby to shear his sheep dip. Later his structure was used by the Reid Bros for shearing
The original aboriginal owners
The discovery of gold
Gold was first discovered on Spring and Reid Creeks in 1852. At the height of the gold rush there were about 4,000 people in the area. They lived in tents and bark huts on both sides of the Sunbury Bridge over the Reedy Creek. The settlements of Sebastopol, Lazzarino, - , and - also had about 150 businesses that included 10 hotels, 17 restaurants, 2 breweries, blacksmiths, bakers, butchers, boot makers, several ginger beer and cordial factories and even a professor of music and many others. The real boom ended in about 1855. By 1871 the population had shrunk to about 700 residents. (I Jones Friendship) One of the great characters from those days was, the shanty keeper, Mother Morrell.
In the begining the rich aluvial gold made some people wealthy very quickly and the area has stories of parties with Chanpagne at £1 a bottle. Later they needed steam engines to keep out the water as they chased the deeper gold deposits. In that world of capital and miners on wages the workers had the name of 'Monkeys'. Perhaps because they wore white tie and tails at parties. (Tom Griffiths) See also (Argus8/2/64) (Argus15/8/64)
Sons of Freedom was a famous gold field in the Woolshed, Reids Creek area (Argus22/1/76)
Map
Photograph
Rivers Creeks and Hills near the Woolshed
The Woolshed valley consisted of a number of creeks. Up stream there was Spring Creek which plunges into Reid's Creek and later becomes Reedy Creek. London or Byrne's gully joins Reedy Creek
Lack of water was often a problem in the area (Argus12/3/62)
What was the Woolshed like in the late 1870's
By the 1870's the gold rush to the Woolshed valley had ended. The other settlements at Reids Creek and down stream at Devils Elow, Sebastopol Flat and The Napoleon had been rolled into the Woolshed. A few of the old timers were still around the district and the gold was being worked over again by the Chinese miners. See also (Argus8/2/64)
There was postal route between Beechworth and Tarawingee Station via Reid's Creek, Woolshed, Reidford, and Eldorado
Murder at the Woolshed. Inquest held at the Shamrock Hotel (Argus7/5/74)
Links to the KellyGang
Joe Byrne and Aaron Sherritt attended O'Donoghue's Catholic School at the Woolshed. Aaron Sherritt was a fellow student.
Anton Wicks and his family lived near the Woolshed school
In January 1877 Joe Byrne was charged over an incident when he was swimming in the Woolshed dam.
The KellyGang moved horses and cattle from Victoria and New South Wales through the area of the Woolshed (BWC)
On the 29th August 1878, Det Ward reported about a citing of Ned Kelly by a Woolshed blacksmith about 3 weeks earlier. This is what the report said.
"I have the honor to report, for the information of the officer in charge, I have received information that the above-named offender, Edward Kelly, was seen about three weeks ago between the Woolshed and Sebastopol, in the Ovens district, by a Mr.-, a blacksmith at the Woolshed; he was riding and carried a gun under his arm, and had a revolver strapped on his saddle. Kelly is well known to -. If Kelly was seen there, he would be most likely making for Joe Byrne's mother's place, as she lives at the Sebast14-sep-11forwarded to Mr. Inspector Smith for careful enquiries. Mr. - is a very respectable man, and will give every information to the police, providing it is kept secret. The person who makes the enquiry would do well to call on of the Woolshed before calling on -, as he may be able to give some information on the subject, has a good many cattle running on the common, between the Woolshed and Sebastopol, and if it was known by Byrne or Sherritt that he would give any information relative to Kelly's whereabouts, his cattle would not be safe." (RC3109)
Aaron Sherritt told the police that he had recieved a threatening letter from a man, Jack Fox, who was a particular friend of Joe Byrne. He received a sentence of nine months, some six years ago, for stealing a horse from Mr. Kennedy, of the Woolshed. (RC14791)
Aaron Sherritt's selection was 107 acres on the Woolshed Creek (Argus8/7/80)
The Royal Commission concluded that the KellyGang had camp sites in the area of the Woolshed that they used from time to time (RC2ndreportStoryX)
Aaron Sherritt and his family went to the Hurdy Gurdy at the Woolshed on the night in January 1880 when a saddle was stolen. Likely that Joe Byrne was also present
At the start of Ned Kellys committal there was a large gathering of sympathisers at the Woolshed (Age6/8/1880)
People living at the Woolshed
In 1857 the Woolshed had an amasing range of businesses
Auctioneers, Thomas Smith & Co | Cordial Manufactory, Alles & Bruckner | Restaurant, Simon McDonald |
Baker, Charles W Bryant | Ginger Beer Factory, William Gardiner | Restaurant, John McSweeney |
Baker, Charles Gow | Ginger Beer Factory, John Hattersley | Restaurant, Wm Middleton |
Baker, George Johnstone | Ginger Beer Factory, Phillipson | Restaurant, Thomas Murson |
Baker, Henry Liebtraut | Ginger Beer Factory, James Stirling | Restaurant, Nott & Susbe |
Baker, David Murdock | Gold Smelter, James Shackwell | Restaurant, Charles Springer |
Baker, Scott & Morris | Greengrocer, Ash & Hood | Restaurant, Martin Stack |
Barber, Louis Brown | Greengrocer, Charles Clark | Restaurant, August Stabenau |
Barber, Henry Kent | Greengrocer, Carl Kaerath | Shamrock Hotel
Saddler, Robert Thomson |
Blacksmith, Evan Cozens | Greengrocer, Abraham Levy | Stationers, Nathan & Solomons |
Blacksmith, Andrew Kilgour | Greengrocer, Davies Levy | Storekeeper, Thomas Bradstreet |
Blacksmith, Adolph Pane | Greengrocer, George Zaplin | Storekeeper, Brown & Kosniksky |
Blacksmith, Thomas Rath | Alliance Hotel, George H Mayhew | Storekeeper, Frederick Bray |
Blacksmith, Alexander Silver | Britannia Hotel Wm Hill & Co | Storekeeper, Brydie & Fergurson |
Boot & Shoemaker, James Bain | Eagle Hotel, Edward Price | Storekeeper, George Bunton |
Boot & Shoemaker, John F Farquharson | Gap Inn, David Jones | Storekeeper, Henry Clemenger & Co |
Boot & Shoemaker, Patrick Hall | Hit or Miss Hotel, Samuel Mayor | Storekeeper, Hendy de Loney |
Boot & Shoemaker, Sigmund Marcus | Miners Right Hotel, John Rhodes | Storekeeper, Eccles & Co |
Boot & Shoemaker, John McKenzie | Smithville Hotel, William V Smith | Storekeeper, Wm M Glass |
Boot & Shoemaker, Carstan Westphalen | Union Hotel, Charles Osborne | Storekeeper, Edmund Heap |
Brewer, Robert Curry & Co | Washington Hotel, William Payne | Storekeeper, Alfred Holland |
Brewer, Wm Middleton | Hotel ?, Jeremiah H Bergan | Storekeeper, Wm Joseph Holland |
Butcher, James Barker | Hotel ?, Mary Clark | Storekeeper, Aylim Hughes |
Butcher, Henry Brown | Hotel ?, William Ewing | Storekeeper, Levy & Benjamin |
Butcher, George Fowle | Hotel ?, John Hayes | Storekeeper, H&J Littlewood |
Butcher, Charles Huhd | Hotel ?, Henry Johnson | Storekeeper, Lumley & Co |
Butcher,Charles King | Horse Repositary, Joseph W Fossberg | Storekeeper, Lyon & De Jorlais |
Butcher, Frederick Koch | Jeweller, Alfred Williams | Storekeeper, Masterton |
Butcher, John Mimhan | Mine Warden WH Gaunt | Storekeeper, Alex McKinley |
Butcher, CT Smith & Co | Music Prof. George Griffith | Storekeeper, McLean & Nixon |
Butcher, James Stanley | Painter, Henry Hainsselin | Storekeeper, Marks Munchhanson |
Carpenter, Henry Fridrechy | Police, Sub-Insp John Sadleir | Storekeeper, Wm Nicolson |
Carpenter, Simon M Tulley | Const James Lynch | Storekeeper, Nordon & Frank |
Carpenter, William Williams | Const John Scott | Storekeeper, Aaron Pinkus |
Chemist, John H Matthews | Const Henry Casey | Storekeeper, Wm Potter & Co |
Cooking Stove Depot, Daniel A Osborne & Co | Const Kennedy McIntyre | Storekeeper, Heyman Raphel |
Dairyman, Thomas Draper | Const John Assip | Storekeeper, Robertson & Moffatt |
Dairyman, James Feeley | Refreshments, John Galvin | Storekeeper, Abraham S Snell |
Dairyman, John Murray | Refreshments, Hinman Vorbes | Storekeeper, Christopher Tidyman |
Doctor, Alex Beckett MD | Restaurant, Charles Britnell | Storekeeper, R Whittingham & Co |
Surgeon, Charles Dixon | Restaurant, John Brock | Tent maker, Jacob V de Burge |
Surgeon, Frederick Homan | Restaurant, Ellen Brown | Tent maker, Wm Nealy |
Surgeon, Richard Lee BA | Restaurant, George Bury | Tent maker, Francis S Stageman |
Drapery Store, John Manson | Restaurant, Timothy Collins | Tin man, Erasmus Hanson |
Dressmaker, Letitia Dorman | Restaurant, Thomas Drenning | Tobacconist, Buschmann, Hicks & Co |
Dressmaker, Mary Gibbs | Restaurant, John Eason | Tobacconist, Edward Newman |
Dressmaker, Mary Morgan | Restaurant, Henry Engel | Tobacconist, Schreier & King |
Dressmaker, Mary Ann Willis | Restaurant, John Hands | Tobacconist, Charles Schwenssell |
Fancy Sore, Alfred Ladson | Restaurant, Joseph Hartley | Watchmaker, Samuel Lasker |
This list shows a very active community. Most of the miners lived in tents and would eat in the restaurants and of course they drank in the Hotels. The hotels were pleasure centres with dance halls and large card schools etc.
In early 1856 Cornelius O'Donoghue ' came to the Woolshed and set up a Catholic school.
Mtd. Constable Edward Graham and Constables: John Scott; were stationed at the Woolshed at other times
In 1974 Ah Fook had a disagreement with Ah On.
What is happening at the Woolshed today
The Woolshed valley is now visited by many who take a short drive out of Beechworth. Some of the old places are sign posted to help the visitor but very litte is left of this once active settlement
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