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About: barbara

Posts by: barbara

September 3, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 years ago Published 15 August 1884 AS time progresses, the introduction of the new Railway Construction Bill is most anxiously looked forward to by the...

August 28, 2024

Historic first flight by local inventor

IN 1910, the windswept paddocks of the Spring Plains pastoral run near Mia Mia, south west of Heathcote, were the site of the first...

August 19, 2024

Early Reminiscences: the origin of the Mia Mia

First published 14 January 1909, THIS account of how the Mia Mia area, south-west of Heathcote, was named was published in the McIvor Times...

August 13, 2024

The Heathcote Mechanics’ Institute: enrichment and entertainment

MECHANICS' institutes sprang up across Australia during the nineteenth century, and many of the buildings remain in use today. Their primary purpose was to provide...

August 7, 2024

The age of the bachelors’ ball

HEATHCOTE'S social calendar was filled with dances in the early years of the twentieth century. With no television, and music only from instruments played by...

July 29, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 years ago Published 11 July 1884 ONE of the most important events in the history of this town that has occurred for some time is...

July 21, 2024

The Redesdale Bridge: shining a light on a hidden historical beauty

ONE of Victoria's oldest and most ornate iron truss bridges can be found nestled in a valley in central Victoria.The Redsdale Bridge, roughly halfway...

July 16, 2024

Heathcote’s contribution to the 1866 Intercolonial Exhibition

THE 1866 Intercolonial Exhibition showcased resources, products and artistic works from across Australasia. It opened in Melbourne on 24 October and was the antipodean prelude...

July 9, 2024

Stand and deliver: the 1853 gold escort robbery at Mia Mia

THE sleepy hamlet of Mia Mia, south-west of Heathcote, hit headlines across Australia in 1853 after the ambush of a private gold escort. On 20...

June 30, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 Years Ago Published 27 June 1884 BACHELORS' BALL AT AXEDALE A grand ball was given in Drake's Assembly Room, on Wednesday night, by the bachelors of...

June 23, 2024

Heathcote’s Union Hotel: the early days

THE Union Hotel is one of only two nineteenth century watering holes still operating in Heathcote, the other being the Commercial Hotel. At one stage...

June 17, 2024

The weather outside is frightful

EVERY year in late May, a sharp wind whistles up High Street, Heathcote, stripping the last burgundy leaves from the claret ash trees and...

June 9, 2024

Back to Heathcote 1925

THE King's Birthday long weekend sees many people travel to the district for Heathcote on Show. But while the modern wine industry has heightened public...

June 2, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 Years Ago Published 2 May 1884 A mud storm A STRANGE phenomenon, in what is described as a mud storm, was experienced at Heathcote and locality,...

May 3, 2024

International touch down for Heathcote player

HEATHCOTE'S Gabe Bradshaw is about to don the green and gold as part of the national under 20s gridiron team, the Australian Outback. He's taking...

April 28, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 years ago Published 18 April 1884 To the Editor of the McIvor Times Sir, -- The late secretary of the Acclimatisation Society made a fatal mistake...

April 21, 2024

Local soldiers help defend Australia

DESPITE the gathering clouds of war in Europe, the McIvor Times was largely preoccupied with local issues until mid 1939. But amid stories of council...

April 14, 2024

Stepping out at the Easter parade

BY 1915 Heathcote's Easter Hospital Fete had been a semi-regular part the district calendar for more than 40 years. This was the 22nd event since...

April 7, 2024

Remembering Redcastle

REDCASTLE was once a thriving mining centre with its own township, but these days it's a rural district where sheep graze and wine grapes...

April 7, 2024

Remembering Redcastle

REDCASTLE was once a thriving mining centre with its own township, but these days it's a rural district where sheep graze and wine grapes...

March 31, 2024

From the pages of the McIvor Times

140 years ago Published 7 March 1884 Snake encounter A snake of the brown species was pluckily killed on Saturday afternoon last by Elizabeth Herman, who was...

March 24, 2024

The early days of a bluestone beauty

THE TOOBORAC Hotel has been a landmark since it was built in the late 1850s. In its early days, the sturdy bluestone walls provided respite...

March 19, 2024

Making a difference

SINCE January 2016, Heathcote's Never Give Up Group has been raising money to help support people living with Motor Neurone Disease. The last ever MND...

March 17, 2024

Help keep Heathcote Show happening

HEATHCOTE'S agricultural show society is looking for a new secretary. Society president Alan Harris said it was a fantastic opportunity for someone to become involved...