Smythesdale, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Smythesdale is an old goldmining town situated on the Glenelg Highway, 19 km south-west of Ballarat and 135 km north-west of Melbourne.

Remarkably, for such a small town, Smythesdale has produced two very interesting figures. One was Arthur Alfred Lynch, a poet, novelist, polymath, journalist, critic, soldier, parliamentarian, diplomatist and rebel who attained a certificate in civil engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Australia, studied physics, physiology and psychology at the University of Berlin, graduated with a medical degree from the University of London and attained a degree in electrical engineering at Paris.

Lynch was the son of John Lynch, an Irish Catholic goldminer who was briefly imprisoned for his role in the famous Eureka Stockade rebellion. Arthur was an individualistic character who, in his youth, excelled at running, at a time when Smythesdale was something of a centre for athletics. An anti-monarchical republican, he was once sent to the USA to reconcile two Irish political factions, became a powerful journalist and Paris correspondent for England's Daily Mail and later formed and led an Irish contingent which fought for Botha in the Boer War. Returning to Ireland where he was elected to represent Galway he was arrested in London when he attempted to take a seat in the parliament, and was sentenced to death for treason, commuted to life imprisonment, over his South African activities. After mass petitioning and the intervention of King Edward VII he was released and pardoned. He later practiced as a doctor, served the allied cause in World War I and published criticisms of the works of Freud and Einstein.

Another son of Smythesdale was Charles Hoskins, an ironmaster who became a central figure in the country's early industrial history when he took over the steelworks at Lithgow in 1908, later throwing in his hand with Australian Iron & Steel and relocating to Port Kembla in 1928 (see entry on Wollongong).

Things to see

Lock-Up
A remnant of the town's early days is the single-storey bluestone Classical police station and lock-up which was built in 1869 with coursed rusticated stonework, a gabled roof and an iron grille door.

Yellowglen Vineyard
Yellowglen Vineyard, established in 1976, specialises in sparkling wines. There are picnic-barbecue areas and it is open daily from late morning until 5.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5342 8617. The vineyard is located 1 km off the Glenelg Highway on Whites Rd. The turnoff is signposted. A picnic area and barbecue facilities are available.

Jubilee Mine Historic Area
There are a few old goldmining remnants (old cyanide vats, mullock heaps and machinery foundations) at the Jubilee Mines Historic Reserve. There are no facilities and no signposting at the moment though these are being developed. Follow the Glenelg Highway south-west for 4 km to Scarsdale and turn left into Pitfield Rd. 4 km along this road turn left onto the Newtown-Berringa Rd (bitumen). After 3 km turn right onto Jubilee Rd (unsealed) and it is about another 3 km to the site, tel: (03) 5345 1352.

Linton
Linton is located 13 km south-west of Smythesdale via the Glenelg Highway. The steep main road is lined with weatherboard shops and small houses with cottage gardens. The public library building dates from 1874. The Jubilee mine site is nearby.