July 22, 2025
The Lake Hotel: a family affair
THE Lake Hotel stood on the corner of Heathcote-Nagambie Road and the Northern Highway, Heathcote. It was built in the mid 1850s, and at least...
July 15, 2025
Beer and horses: the early years of the Commercial Hotel
HEATHCOTE'S Commercial Hotel, fondly known as "the Middle" to many locals, is one of the town's two original pubs still operating today. The other...
July 8, 2025
New beginnings: the early days of St Johns Anglican Church
ST John's is the only religious building in Heathcote still standing on the original site granted by the government in the early 1850s. The first...
July 1, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 YEARS AGO Published 10 June 1875 A Misfortune WE are sorry to hear that, through a slight settling of the ground under one corner of the...
June 3, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 years ago Published 6 May 1875 School Site WE notice by the Government Gazette that a site of four acres 3 roods 4 perches has been...
May 27, 2025
The kangaroo chronicles: a glimpse into the past
KANGAROOS have commanded many column inches in the McIvor Times over the decades; whether as a subject of amusement or concern, they have always...
May 20, 2025
Billy Hughes: feisty fighter and maverick politician
WILLIAM 'Billy' Morris Hughes was Australia's longest serving politician, spending 58 years at a state, and then federal, level. He was the Member for Bendigo...
May 13, 2025
Lost Heathcote
WHEN Heathcote bank manager Roderick Gates ventured out with his camera in the 1890s, he captured the last remnants of a bygone era. The lively...
May 6, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 years ago Published 22 April 1875 Random Notions A FEW nights ago the equilibrium of a family circle at Mount Camel was abruptly disturbed by noise...
April 26, 2025
A moving tribute from Gallipoli
THE impact of the First World War on small towns across Australia was profound. Many young men did not return, and those who did were...
April 23, 2025
The Boer War: fighting for queen and empire
AS Australia stood on the brink of nationhood in the late 1890s, it also became involved in armed conflict for the first time. The Boer...
March 31, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 YEARS ago Published 25 March 1875 Lucky Find MR James Waters was on Saturday last the lucky discoverer of a nice piece of gold, weighing 13...
March 24, 2025
Lake Eppalock: agent of local change
THE construction of Lake Eppalock in the early 1960s brought enormous change to the Heathcote district. Large tracts of farmland disappeared under water, along with...
March 17, 2025
A night to remember
A MID-August Saturday night in 1932 saw Heathcote's customary calm upended when two separate events resulted in gunfire, assault and a 50-mile car chase...
March 12, 2025
Hard fight for equal rights
AFTER many years of campaigning, women gained the right to vote in Australian federal elections in 1902 and in Victorian state ballots in 1908. In...
March 4, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 years ago Published 4 February 1875 Local and general news Deputation A deputation consisting of the Mayor and the President of the Shire has been appointed to...
February 18, 2025
Mainly for women: fashion, food and film in the 1930s
IN the 1930s, the McIvor Times began to feature lengthy articles aimed at its women readers. Under the heading Let's go gossiping, there was a...
February 11, 2025
Towards a united front: Heathcote’s Methodists
LIKE most towns, nineteenth century Heathcote boasted a number of churches. The Anglicans and Catholics laid claim to the highest numbers of members, with the...
February 4, 2025
From the pages of the McIvor Times
150 years ago Published 7 January 1875 TO the editor of the McIvor Times Dear Sir, Where were the police on New Year's Eve, when a mob of...
January 27, 2025
Keeping the bang out of the mining boom
HEATHCOTE'S powder magazine now sits quietly in the Heathcote-Graytown National Park, but for a few years after its construction in 1864 it was an...
January 21, 2025
Bowled over: Heathcote’s 19th century cricket scene
CRICKET was a popular summer pursuit in Heathcote during the second half of the 19th century. Local clubs sprang up across the Victorian goldfields and...
December 23, 2024
From the pages of the McIvor Times
140 years ago Published 12 December 1884 THE session of parliament, which is now drawing to a close, is one that should long be remembered by...
December 17, 2024
‘Tis the season: a Heathcote Christmas in the 1860s
CHRISTMAS on the goldfields in the 1860s could be challenging. Air-conditioning and refrigeration were non-existent, and for many Europeans their loved ones were half a...
December 9, 2024
Testing boundaries: the downfall of Henry Stephenson
THERE have always been those who make a habit of minding other people's business and Heathcote's Henry Stephenson was no exception. But his prurient interest...
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