Buckland, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Situated 309 km north-east of Melbourne on a road running south from Porepunkah, Buckland was once a thriving gold mining township.

Aborigines were once drawn to the area in summer by the large numbers of bogong moths which were seeking relief from the higher temperatures of the plains. After roasting them in strips of bark they ate the bodies or ground them into a paste. It is said the moths tasted like prawns.

The first European into the area was the squatter Thomas Buckland (after whom the village was named) who settled in the district in 1845. Gold was discovered in 1853 and miners rushed to the area. Within twelve months there was a town of 6000 people but typhoid spread through the diggings and it is estimated that over 1000 miners died as a result of the disease.

The large community of Chinese (it was estimated to number 3000 at its peak in 1857) led to an anti-Chinese riot. Chinese fled from the area and Robert O'Hara Burke (of Burke and Wills fame), who was working as a policeman at Beechworth, was sent to the diggings to restore order.

As the easy gold disappeared the town moved firstly to reef mining and later to dredging until by the early years of the twentieth century it had outlived its usefulness. The village was eventually removed.

Things to see

Exploring the Mount Buffalo National Park
Details of the park's 400 plant species - eucalypt woodland, scrubby heathlands and an array of springtime wildflowers - its impressive array of birds and other fauna, including lyrebirds and wombats, its waterfalls, escarpments, granite tors, high plains, deep river valleys, exceptional views of the Alps and 90 km of well-signposted walking tracks, as well as the dress and preparations appropriate for lengthy walks, can be found in pamphlets available from the park's information centre, tel: (03) 5755 1466.

For general enquiries about National Parks in Victoria ring 131963.