Creswick

If a town’s status were measured solely by the national influence of its residents, Creswick would occupy a prominent position in Australia. The country’s wartime Prime Minister John Curtin was born here in 1885, just six years after another famous Australian, noted artist Norman Lindsay. An easy 90 minute drive from Melbourne and close to Ballarat and the famous Spa Country lies one of the prettiest towns you could visit.

Infrastructure in Creswick includes the Creswick Woollen Mills, which has been a focus of manufacturing in the area for over three generations. The Woollen Mills together with the CFA’s Protective Equipment Department, recently created a Personal Protection Blanket, which was issued to all CFA members for the fire season. In April 2003, Creswick was transformed into the township of Jerusalem’s Lot, U.S.A. for the filming of a U.S. mini-series called Salem’s Lot. Snow making machines covered the streets in snow, U.S cars drove on the wrong side of the road and the locals were employed as extras.

Today the township of Creswick balances a relaxed community lifestyle with a welcoming attitude towards visitors, providing an array of accommodation, tourist attractions and local festivals. Community facilities include: a hospital, aged care hostel, health care centre, library, community house, visitor information centre, primary schools, kindergarten, fire brigade, police station and sporting facilities.

History

The Creswick of today is in stark contrast to the Creswick of the goldrush period of the 1850’s, when the population exceeded 25,000. Today remnants of that era are still evident all around. During the goldrush era, the countryside that surrounded Creswick was devastated by intensive alluvial mining.

Thanks to the pioneer work of one of Victoria’s first landcarers, John La Gerche, Creswick became a role model for communities working to rehabilitate their environment. Now known as the Home of Forestry, Creswick boasts the Melbourne University School of Forestry, Victorian Timber Industry Training Centre and Landcare Centre.

Creswick was also the birthplace of a union-led push to improve working conditions in Victorian mines, which was unregulated until 1872. Creswick’s Madam Berry Mine was once thought to have been the richest goldmine in Victoria and on the outskirts of town, the long abandoned New Australasian Mine, was the scene of the country’s worst ever goldmining accident, when in 1882 it accidentally flooded and 22 men were drowned.

Back to location index