Beechworth Artwalk

Our sincere thanks to all who dug into Beechworth and supported and participated in our National Trusts' Australian Heritage Festival events across April-May.

Government Camp. Mayday Hill. Ovens. December 1852. Attributed to Edward Bateman. State Library of New South Wales.

𝗣𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 - the last of these - was sold out on Saturday (16 May) with 15 people joining our guided walk through Beechworth's art history. This included an acknowledgement of our Dudhuroa Waywurru people's ancestors and the thylacine-like and snake-like ochre-trace rock art figures at Yeddonba below Mount Pilot.

Participants were invited to think on 'boomtown Beechworth' before it was named, with Edward Bateman drawing the tented government camp at 'Mayday Hill, Ovens' in December 1852, accompanied by Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood sculptor Thomas Woolner.

We talked about the significant contribution of Chinese migrants to Beechworth's cultural heritage; the photography of Walter Woodbury (1856) and Charles Bayliss (1876); the work of colonial government botanist and inveterate correspondent Ferdinand von Mueller, whose botanical studies and plant collector networks led to the Burke Museum holding two folio editions and Stanley Athenaeum one of his 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘦, and his relationship with senior police officer and explorer Robert O'Hara Burke; the lives, works and friendship of Austrian-born painter Eugene von Guerard and his Russian-born colleague Nicholas Chevalier; James Bray's photography of suffrage campaigners and the Kelly Gang's Glenrowan siege; the Beechworth childhood of Hilda Rix (Nicholas) who went on to become a leading painter in the first half of the twentieth century; the poetry and books of writer and social observer Ada Cambridge; the gift by clergyman Charles Phillip Greene to Beechworth's Anglican Christ Church of important Cox and Son textiles in 1885; and modern artworks by leading regional artists and makers presented by Beechworth Biennale founder Nina Machielse Hunt in her Beechworth Contemporary art space.

We're grateful to Hotel Nicholas hosts Lorraine and Ross Lucas for guiding participants through 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. - their extraordinary photographic collection of historic Beechworth; Col Gladstone and Jan Milhinch for setting out notes and walking route among our significant trees for 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘆𝘀; Burke Museum and Beechworth Historic Precinct curatorial and visitor staff for enabling us to view the Burke memorial window designed by Beechworth headmaster John Cuzner in 1864 and created by Ferguson and Urie glassmakers in 1874, and the Burke's marvellous Chinese ceremonial banners; and Freemen on Ford's Heidi Freeman for opening the Star Hotel's salon to the tour and for its view over Ford Street.

You can check in on Beechworth History and Heritage Society's activities at https://www.beechworthhistoryandheritage.com/blog.