The gold rush has long ended, leaving behind much history
T
he Rushworth Motel 163 km north of Melbourne might only have eight units, but owners Angela Mimmo and her husband Brett are not afraid of working long hours most weeks in this quiet and usually peaceful town. Rushworth was not always a peaceful place. Following the boom times that gold brought to the areas of Bendigo and to the north east at Beechworth 162 years ago, many travellers between these two centres then found it convenient to stop-over at a spot that would soon become Rushworth. Then, in 1853, they discovered gold at Rushworth. This find would lead to many rather large nuggets being unearthed. Within weeks there were seven hotels hastily constructed with an estimated 40,000 people flocking to Rushworth to live in tents. Today the population there is down to around 1200, with a couple of hotels and the Rushworth Motel being able to cope with accommodation demand for most of the year. The Mimmo’s prepare a nice breakfast that is delivered to each unit, with Brett then five days a week rushing off to his other duties – the manager of a local pet food business. Angela from Monday to Friday takes care of the housekeeping chores with one eye on her other role – that of receptionist. Brett then helps her out after dinner, while at weekends it is his turn to take over the housekeeping and the chores in reception. It seems a busy life, especially when you take in how the couple have raised two kids – a boy and a girl. But it is not all work and no play for the Mimmo’s. In the duck hunting season Brett enjoys his expertise with a gun and makes
time to go off hunting. Also, because they have an experienced retired motel worker in the town, they can also call on her assistance in a quiet moment when wanting to go away for a weekend. Brett Mimmo was no stranger to motel life when he and his wife purchased the Rushworth Motel eight years ago. Years before, when he was only 10, his parents had purchased the Sun Centre Motel in busy Swan Hill on the Murray River. He came to know what it was like growing up in such an atmosphere in a country city where tourism was so important to the local economy. When his parents later decided to retire from the daily responsibility of working seven days a week, his father took up an offer to join the Budget Group as an officer whose position was travelling around inspecting the many businesses in this large motel chain. Rushworth lacks the tourist trade of Swan Hill. However, there are some who may be fond of visiting a little history who will find this town fascinating in it retaining much of its original character through the many early buildings there. Its diggings back in the 1850’s were quite significant, as several of the mining companies back then where known to have gone down to a depth of some 270 metres. It was also a valuable district for logging with as many as seven major sawmills operating at one time. These days only one major sawmill remains. Wiggs Brewery operated there from 1854 to 1898. No brewery is there today, but there is Jones’s Eucalyptus Distillery that can be inspected.
The town does have a fascinating museum, and for bird watchers, a 24,300 hectare State Forest. The thousands of trees there are mainly red ironbark, yellow gums and grey box eucalypts. More than a hundred different bird species have been identified in the forest. Seven km to the south of Rushworth is Whroo Historic Reserve which represents what was once a thriving little goldmining town of more than a thousand people along with 139 buildings. All the buildings have been moved or demolished, though nearby one can observe the 25-metre deep open-cut mine on the hill. The area is well signposted for walkers and visitors. Back in 1885 a 64 km diversion channel was hand dug from the Murray River at Echuca down to Murchison that would bring water to the Murray Goulburn where it developed a dairy and orchard industries. Then in 1908 the seven-km Warringa Basin Embankment Wall was erected near Rushworth, again by man and horsepower. The outlet canal now follows the course of that first diversion channel. Rushworth does have a lot to offer the tourist with time on their hands to look about this once famous gold-mining area. And mine hosts of the Rushworth Motel, Angela and Brett Mimmo, will be most helpful to look after you when staying with them. n
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