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Pioneers of BeechworthPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the pioneers who founded Beechworth and the fact that it was once a famous gold mining town.
Gold was first discovered near the present site of the Newtown Bridge, with the assistance of a local shepherd in 1852. By November 1852, some 1500 miners had descended on the area; by January 1853 that number had multiplied to approximately 8000.
During this time the area was known as Mayday Hills (named by Lieutenant-Governor GJ La Trobe in May 1852). Over four million ounces of gold were found between the years 1852 to 1866, which is worth several billion dollars in today's currency. By 1853 a township began to form and the name Beechworth was bestowed by George D. Smythe, the Government Surveyor who planned the first streets and public areas for the town.
Location
| Address: | Camp & Ford Streets, Beechworth, 3747 |
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| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -36.359502 Long: 146.687283 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1954 |
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Erected in 1954 in memory and in honor of the pioneers who founded this town, and to commemorate the fact that Beechworth was once a famous gold town.
Some historical dates.
Feb. 1852 Gold discovered.
July 1853 Beechworth named and declared a township.
Sept. 1855 Famous Golden Horseshoes incident.
1852 - 1866 gold returns totalled 3,121,918 ozs.
1856 - 1859 Robert O"Hara Bourke, Capt. Police in Beechworth.
Aug, 6th 1880 Ned Kelly"s trial begins in local Court-house.
