Kilkivan - Culture and History

The Kilkivan area was settled in the 1840s and the town takes its name from a property which was established around that time. European settlement of the area had been fraught with dangers. A settler named Sheridan had tried to settle in the area but the local Aborigines had successfully repulsed him killing two of his shepherds and large numbers of his stock. Eventually a Scot named MacTaggart selected 1600 acres which he named Kilkivan. European settlement of the area was slow until a gold reef, the Rise and Shine (the town was briefly named after the reef), was discovered at nearby Mount Neurum in 1868.

Like so many of the gold towns in the area the days of Rise and Shine, which relied on the easy discoveries of alluvial gold, were numbered. In its heyday the town had a population of 2 000 miners serviced by grog shanties, four hotels, and several general stores. The best find on the field was a nugget weighing 75 ounces.

Within four years the alluvial gold in the area had run out. Fortunately the Black Snake reef was discovered in 1874 and the economy of the town was sustained until 1902.

Around the same time (1872) copper was also discovered at Mount Clara on the Fat Hen Creek. A smelter was established which today is part of the National Estate.