Yackandandah

Yackandandah
Victoria

High Street, recorded on the Register of the National Estate
Yackandandah
Coordinates 36°18′47″S 146°50′21″E / 36.31306°S 146.83917°ECoordinates: 36°18′47″S 146°50′21″E / 36.31306°S 146.83917°E
Population 663 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 3749
Location
  • 313 km (194 mi) NE of Melbourne
  • 28 km (17 mi) S of Wodonga
  • 22 km (14 mi) E of Beechworth
LGA(s) Shire of Indigo
State electorate(s) Benambra
Federal Division(s) Indi

Yackandandah /ˈjækəndændə/ is a small tourist town in northeast Victoria, Australia. It is near the regional cities of Wodonga and Albury, and is close to the tourist town of Beechworth. At the 2006 census, Yackandandah had a population of 663.[1]

History

It is a former gold mining centre known for its alluvial wet mining techniques. Yackandandah Post Office opened on 13 June 1856. Another office nearby, Yackandandah Junction, opened in 1872 but closed in 1885.[2]

In his local book, O'Brien (p. 22) quotes an old poem published in the Melbourne Punch, 11 June 1857, titled, "The Lass of Yackandandah".

“ "Let poets sing of English girls,
Their beauty and their candour;
Give me a sweeter nymph than all, –
The lass of Yackandandah."

"She draws a cork with such an air,
No mortal can withstand her;
She turns a tap, and turns our heads, –
The lass of Yackandandah."		 ”

—O'Brien, The Lass of Yackandandah – a goldfield beauty

Today

The area is now predominantly a dairy farming and forestryregion, and has numerous bed and breakfast lodges which allow its many visitors to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the district's forest and mountains.

The town is affectionately known as "Yack", though in more recent times it has increasingly been referred to as "the 'dandah" by its younger residents.

The commercial centre of the town, known as the Yackandandah Conservation Area, is recorded on the Register of the National Estate.[3]

The town has an Australian rules football team competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Yackandandah Golf Club on Racecourse Road.[4]

Rail

The Yackandandah railway line once linked Yackandandah to Beechworth, and opened in 1891.[5] The route to Woorragee and from there to Yackandandah was steep; trains descending the last gradient into Yackandandah would halt (near the now Yackandandah turnoff, from the Beechworth-Wodonga Road) so the guard could apply hand-brakes to carriages and wagons. The last train on the Yackandandah-Beechworth line was in July 1954.[6] Though the line was torn up, many sections of the original right of way are visible from the roadway between Beechworth and Yackandandah.

Culture

Used for the filming of the 2003 film, Strange Bedfellows, (starring Michael Caton and Paul Hogan), Yackandandah is also home to the annual Yackandandah Folk Festival attracting local, Australian and international artists. Like its larger neighbour, Yackandandah promotes itself as a tourist destination on the basis of its gold mining history, and features a period street scape and an increasing number of antique shops.

Two historic buildings, the 146-year-old museum (formerly the Bank of Victoria) and an adjacent timber store ("Rainbow Crystal"), were destroyed by a fire in the early morning of 21 December 2006. A real estate agency was also severely damaged.[7] The museum was rebuilt, reopening in November 2008.[8]

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Yackandandah (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  2. ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
  3. ↑ "Yackandandah Conservation Area, Yackandandah, VIC, Australia (entry AHD4677)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Golf Select, Yackandandah, retrieved 2009-05-11
  5. ↑ Eardley, Gifford. — "The Ovens Valley Goldfields Railways". — Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin. — December, 1968. — pp.281-294.; January, 1969. - pp.1-18.
  6. ↑ Larsen, MayDay Hills
  7. ↑ Switzer, Renee (21 December 2006). "Historic buildings razed in blaze". The Age. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  8. ↑ "Yackandandah's tribute to history". Weekly Times. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.

External links

Media related to Yackandandah at Wikimedia Commons