Buninyong lays claim to being the site of the first inland town in Victoria. It is located 125 km north-west of Melbourne and 13 km south of Ballarat via the Geelong Rd. The name comes from an Aboriginal word, 'Buninyouang', said to mean 'man lying on his back with his knees raised' - a reference to the shape of nearby Mt Buninyong when seen from some angles.
In the severe drought of 1837 a party of Scottish squatters left the Geelong area and headed north in search of superior sheep and cattle pastures. One of the party, Somerville Learmonth, climbed Mt Buninyong before returning to Geelong. He returned the following year with another party including his brother, Thomas Livingstone Learmonth, to extend the investigation. The Learmonths initially settled with 2000 ewes on the banks of the Barwon River. By 1839 they had established their home station south of the future townsite.
A small village began to develop around 1842, consisting initially of several employees of the Learmonths. With the Learmonths' permission, a store and eating house was set up and it was soon joined by a blacksmith and some sawyers and splitters. In 1842 the first hotel license for an inland hotel was issued to the newly-established Crown Hotel. The village picked up trade from the bullock teams on the track to Portland and a post office opened at a local store in 1845. A Presbyterian minister arrived in 1847 and a boarding school was set up the following year.
On 8 August 1851 blacksmith Thomas Hiscock struck gold in a gully 3 km west of the townsite. The area was soon thick with prospectors and a court of petty sessions was proclaimed at Buninyong on September 30, with a police camp gazetted there on October 3. Although no great amount of precious metal was found in the immediate area, the influx of diggers led to the discovery of massive amounts of gold at nearby Ballarat and the goldfields administration was moved to Ballarat one month later.
As at Ballarat, much of the alluvial gold had been recovered by the 1860s and large-scale deep-lead quartz-reef mines were established in the area, employing many men. By 1871 there were 2281 people and 20 hotels at Buninyong. The prosperity of the period is evident in the town's wide main street. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1861-62 and the railway arrived from Ballarat in 1889.
After the goldrush was over the area reverted to pastoral and agricultural pursuits. Today Buninyong is part of the Greater City of Ballarat. Its population is around 1700.
The Buninyong Gold King Festival is held on the third weekend in February. There are concerts, sporting events, street stalls and a procession.
Things to see
Historic Buildings Around the Main Intersection
There is a roundabout at the town's main intersection where Warrenheip St (the north-south Geelong Road) meets Learmonth St (the Midland Highway).
The National Bank building on the south-eastern corner dates from 1867-68. The store on its eastern side was established in 1855. A little further east are the town hall and courthouse (1886). The courthouse section has historic displays with a large collection of photographs and local records. It is open Sundays from 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.
Cross over Learmonth St and return to the intersection. The commercial complex of the north-eastern corner incorporates an 1857 general store.
Turn right into Warrenheip St. To the immediate right is the former Eagle Hotel (1858). Note the ornate facade of the gold-boom era with its decorative columns and heads.
Cross over Warrenheip St to the Crown Hotel which was issued the first inland hotel licence in 1842. It therefore claims to be the oldest continually licensed premises in the state, although the present Gothic-inspired building dates from 1885 after a fire destroyed the original.
The hotel is at the corner of De Soza Park, named after Simon De Soza who made his fortunes on the local goldfields. It was originally the Buninyong Creek and Tannery Reserve as there was a tannery on the creek bank to the west. There is a pleasant walking track.
Mechanics' Institute Information Centre
Continue north along Warrenheip St a short distance. On the left-hand side of the road is the old mechanics' institute (1861) which was a gift to the town from Robert Allen, the original owner/manager of the Crown Mine. The mock masonry and timber facade is thought to have been imported from the UK. This is now a library and historical reference centre with maps, booklets and information on local walks and tours. It is open weekends from 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and sometimes during mid-week.
Historic Walk - Eyre St
Continue north to the Eyre St intersection. On the north-western corner is a 19th-century shop with an intact facade. The premises diagonally opposite (the former Whykes Grocery Store) are also quite old.
Head west along Eyre St. Cross the creek and to the left, at the Winter St corner, is 'Glencairn', thought to have been built in the early 1850s by Robert Allen with more recent additions.
Diagonally opposite is 'Clifton Villa'. It was built in 1859 by the Newmans who based it on the family home in Bristol. There was originally a ballroom though it was later dismantled and reassembled elsewhere as a church.
Historic Walk - Learmonth St
Walk south along Winter St to the park, cross the footbridge over the creek, walk directly across to Learmonth St and turn left, heading back to the main intersection. To the immediate left is the house which once belonged to Thomas Hiscock who was the first to find gold on the Ballarat goldfields.
Just past it is the post office which was built in 1874 after 29 years of operation from local stores.
Over the road, at 405 Learmonth St, is Buninyong Antiques which is situated in a house thought to have been built in the 1870s. It is constructed of handmade bricks with bluestone foundations and a bluestone cellar. It is open from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. weekends and public holidays or by appointment.
On the eastern side of Buninyong Antiques is a two-storey timber house built in the 1890s for a local doctor. The iron panels in the fence were originally part of the Royal Hotel at Horsham.
Historic Walk - Warrenheip St South
From the roundabout head south along Warrenheip St. On the north-western corner of the Warrenheip and Scott St intersection is 'Netherby' which was built prior to 1873. Note the wooden outhouses.
Cross over Scott St. To the right is Holy Trinity Anglican Church, built 1861-62. The Sunday school hall was erected in 1857 as a common school. Adjacent is the vicarage, constructed in 1857, although the verandah and cast-iron lacework are later additions. It is now a private residence.
Continue south a short distance, cross over Yuille St and, to the right, is the former Wesleyan Church and Hall (1860s). It closed in 1974 and is now in private hands.
Historic Walk - Primary School and Botanic Gardens
When you come to Simpson St turn left. At Simpson and Inglis is the primary school, built in 1873 for 500 pupils.
Walk up Inglis St, past the school and bowling club and turn right into the Buninyong Botanical Gardens. Established in the 1860s they were designed by Ferdinand Von Mueller who was responsible for Melbourne's Botanical Gardens. They feature a lake, barbecue facilities, a children's playground, 1870s swimming baths which have been converted into a courtyard garden, and the Queen Victoria rotunda (1901).
On the southern edge of the Gardens is the old miners' court which was built in 1859. It is now used by the school.
Historic Walk - The Gong and Brewery
Walk east through the Botanical Gardens to Cornish St. On the far side of Cornish St is a lake known as The Gong or Upper Reservoir. The lake was intended to supply most of the town's water needs.
On the southern side of the lake (off Cornish St) is the Buninyong Brewery, built prior to 1857. It is now a private residence.
Historic Walk - Simpson St and Mt Innes Reserve
Walk south along Cornish St and turn left into Simpson St. You will soon see, to the left, 'Kings Hill' built in the 1850s for Thomas Shepherd who operated the brewery.
Continue on to the end of Simpson St which reaches a T-intersection with Lal Lal St. On the far side of Lal Lal St is 'Brim Brim', built in 1859-60 for a local magistrate.
Head north along Lal Lal St. To the right is Mt Innes, otherwise known as Hastie's Hill as Reverend Hastie (the town's first Presbyterian minister) is thought to have established the first Presbyterian school on this hill which offers views over the town.
Historic Walk - Scott St
Turn left into Scott St then take the first left into Fisken St. St Peter's and St Paul's Catholic Church was commissioned in 1853 and completed in 1858. It has been considerably altered over the years.
Turn left back into Scott St and follow it along past the Botanical Gardens to the Inglis St intersection where you will see the former Presbyterian (now Uniting) church. This Gothic structure was built in 1860. One of the stained-glass windows depicts Thomas Hastie. Buggies and horses were once tethered in the large shady yard.
Continue along Scott St for a short distance. To the left is the Presbyterian manse, built in the 1870s for Thomas Hastie.
At the end of Scott St, to the left, is 'Camellia Cottage' (1863), thought to have been built by Dr Casey, the grandfather of Lord Casey, a governor-general of Australia.
Turn right into Warrenheip St and return to the main intersection.
Buninyong Flora and Bird Park
About 2.5 km north of the main intersection at Buninyong there is a turnoff on the left into Eddy Ave and at no.408 is Buninyong Flora and Bird Park which contains 60 parrot aviaries with parrots from around the world. A 500-metre raised boardwalk leads past rainforest ferns, a waterfall, waterlilies, orchids, climbers and flowering natives. There is also a kiosk, a tea room, souvenirs and gifts. It is open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (03) 5341 3843.
Buninyong Cemetery
If you head west of the main intersection along Learmonth St you will cross a bridge over the creek. On the other side is a turnoff on the right into Cemetery Rd which leads past the second registered cemetery in Victoria. There is an information rotunda.
Shops and Galleries
At 217 Learmonth St is Buninyong Gallery, open most Sundays or by appointment, tel: (03) 5341 3210. Out of the Ordinary is an arts-and-crafts, jewellery and gift shop at 326 Learmonth St (open daily), tel: (03) 5341 3683. Buninyong Antiques are at
409 Learmonth St (open weekends and public holidays or by appointment), tel: (03) 5341 3735, and Andrew Scott Furniture sells handcrafted timber furniture and collectables. It is open daily, tel: (03) 5341 3674.
West of town on the Buninyong-Sebastapol Rd are the Clayfire Gallery which is open daily for sales of pottery, jewellery and glassware (tel: 03 5341 8163) and Timeless Timber gallery which is also open daily for sales of handcrafted timber pieces and giftware, tel: (03) 5341 8318.
Mt Buninyong
Mt Buninyong is an extinct volcano offering excellent views of the southern part of Central Victoria. To get there head east of the main intersection for 1.5 km then turn left onto Mt Buninyong Rd. After another 2 km there is a fork in the road. Keep to the right and follow the sealed road to the summit which is 1054 metres above sea-level. Alternatively, there is a car park at the foot of the mountain and a footpath which winds its way to the summit (45 minutes). This is the spot from which Europeans first surveyed the Ballarat district in 1837. There is a lookout tower from whence it is possible to see the Grampians and, on a clear day, the ocean. There is a picnic area in the crater.
Lal Lal, Historic Blast Furnace and Bungal Dam
Head south-east from Buninyong along the Midland Highway for 12 km and take the left onto the Clarendon-Lal Lal Rd (signposted for Lal Lal Falls). It is 4 km to the hamlet of Lal Lal where the Lal Lal Falls Hotel, bluestone railway station and railway water tower are of historic interest.
Once you drive across the railway line you are on Lal Lal Falls Rd. Take the first bitumen road on the right (known as Ironmine or Bungal Tap Rd) which should be signposted for the dam if not the blast furnace. The bitumen peters out after about 2 km. You will soon see a parking and picnic-barbecue area with information boards in a bush setting from whence it is possible to see the dam spillway.
A walking track leads to the Lal Lal Blast Furnace which is considered an industrial site of great historical significance by the National Trust. The Lal Lal Blast Furnace hsa three claims to our attention (a) it is now the only example of its type of blast furnace from the colonial era (b) it is the only 19th century blast furnace in the Southern Hemisphere (c) by world standards it is a superb example of a 19th century blast furnace.
An iron ore quarry on the west bank of the Moorabool River and the smelting works were established by the Lal Lal Iron Mining Company in 1874. At its peak 160 men were employed at these works which initially supplied a booming Ballarat with iron for the production of mining machinery and railway locomotives. Some were Cornish miners who were invited to Australia because of their industrial experience.
Charcoal from local timber, brown coal from the area and Ballarat coke were all used as fuel for the smelting process. The stone and brick blast furnace which remains was the third on the site, being built in 1880-81. It produced 2260 tonnes of pig iron from 4429 tonnes of ore before the venture folded in 1884 due to a fall in prices and declining demand from Ballarat.
Remnants include the furnace, a Cornish flue, a tramway bed, mines, machinery sites, stone quarries and charcoal sites. These elements are situated in five hand-hewn terraces which were cut into the side of the hill. The furnace was situated on the lowest level with a steam engine, boiler, pumps and other machinery on the next two strata and stone sheds and stockpiles on the top two levels.
From the first parking area you will plainly see a track which leads down to another parking area from whence there are superior views of the dam.
Lal Lal Falls
Return along Ironmine Road and turn right, back into Lal Lal Falls Rd which leads straight to the falls, situated on the Moorabool River tributary. They drop 34 metres down a gorge, which was created by the collapse of a lava tunnel, into a tranquil pool below. The local Kooris are said to have believed that Bunjil, their creator, resided at this place. The name is thought to be Aboriginal for 'dashing of waters'. It is no longer possible to walk right down to the base of the falls but there are fine views from the higher elevation.
Whitehorse Wines
Whitehorse Wines, established in 1990, is situated on the Whitehorse Range at Mt Clear. It produces pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet/shiraz and riesling and is open weekends and public holidays from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5330 1719. To get there head north from the main intersection at Buninyong along Geelong Rd (Warrenheip St). After 4 km take the signposted left into Reid Park Rd which heads west off the main road, opposite Greenhill Rd which heads east. There are picnic and barbecue facilities.
Mt Buninyong Winery
Mt Buninyong Winery, established in 1993, is located in Platts Rd at Scotsburn. It produces shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, colombard, muscat and liqueur chardonnay. The cellar door is open weekends and public holidays from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5341 8360. Just follow the Midland Highway south-east of Buninyong for 5 km and turn right at the Scotsburn school (just watch for the winery sign).
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