August 31.....

1894

The Dunolly Free Library held a fund-raising Grand Concert in the Dunolly Town Hall with the entertainment supplied from the Dunolly Cuckoo Club.

Sadly, feathers were ruffled to the point that no clue to the Dunolly Cuckoo Club exists online today.

Random Dunolly Photo

August 30....

1919

Tarnagulla Turf Club held its Handicapped Trotting Races at, you guessed it, Tarnagulla.
I'm hazarding a stab in the dark here that, as many Aussie blokes would gamble on two flies crawling up a wall, it was likely that the Tarnagulla Turf Club Trots were popular.

Random Dunolly Shot

August 29....

1859

Ooo, errr.
Mr Lyle, it was reported in the local press, had started running a coach on the Dunolly-Tarrangower Road.

*Am unable to find any direct route between the two towns so I think this may have actually been the Dunolly-Tarnagulla Road.




Now....although it was a 9 day wonder for some reason Dunollyites preferred the regular garden variety stagecoach style (below).


Speaking of Dunolly winners...this 4 year old gelding, named Dunolly, looks like he's one to keep an eye on in future.

August 28....

1907

Poor old Alfred Smith, aged a tender 16 years, was trundling off to work on his not-so-trusty treadly when, suddenly, the handle-bars went one way and he went the other, resulting in poor Alf being knocked unconscious as he was thrown madly from the unruly boneshaker.
Fortunately Mr Beasley found young Alf and conveyed him to the hotel where the local doctor stitched up the many lacerations and then moved him on to recuperate at the Dunolly and District Hospital.

1920

Dunolly soundly trounced Railways (Victorian Railways Football Club) to take off the Maryborough District Association Premiership (Aussie Rules football) with a convincing lead at 6 goals 6 points to Railways 3 goals 6 points.
Woot woot!

August 27....

1858

In order to escape the piercing gaze of the women-folk gather and exchange ideas whilst expanding their education Tarnagulla held it's first meeting
of the Mechanics Institute in a room loaned to them by John Beynon.


No, this wasn't it but I bet they all wished it was.

Bee Stings at the Dunolly Bakery!!!

This is a Bee Sting

This is a single serve, not a family-sized treat.
They are available at the Dunolly Bakery.
Every day.
A Bee Sting is actually a pastry filled with custard with the outside coated in almonds and honey, then sprinkled with icing sugar.
This is very, very, VERY delish and I can recommend one should use a knife and fork to tackle this beauty.
Because there's one calling for you, siren-like, from the Dunolly Bakery right now.....

Vanilla Slices at the Dunolly Bakery

Doesn't it just roll off the tongue?
No?
Well, let me assure you those vanilla slices don't roll off anyone's tongue, either!
They gallop down the gullet.
With glee!

 Nom nom nom nom nom
Morning tea on Saturday.
See the things I put myself through just to test for you, dear readers?
Vanilla slice special on Market Sundays - $3.80 each or two for $5.60....and so, of course, you have to buy two.

Be at the Dunolly Bakery soon;  your Vanilla Slice of glorious sugary nom-fest goodness is just waiting for you!

August 24.....

1871

Rev. Poynder felt moved to host a lecture in the Town Hall, to help raise money for the building fund.
The lecture was titled *ahem*
"Woman and Her Characteristics".
Admission was 1 shilling with kiddies half price.
Sadly, history fails to tell us if the female Dunollyites were sufficiently moved to actually attend.




1898 
The Tarnagulla Bicycle Club held a successful meeting at the Tarnagulla Reserve with good weather ensuring a great number turned out for the many varied races while the afternoon tea was supplied by the ladies and an evening concert in the Victoria Theatre rounded out the whole day with entertainment talent from Bendigo, Dunolly and surrounding districts.
Proceeds of the day went towards the Mechanics Institute.

Wild weekend away from the pollies in blissful Dunolly

There will be frivolity and jocularity in the Dunolly chronology for August 24, I promise.
No, that is not a politicians promise nor is it hung up on anything.
And I promise I won't be calling you to broker power deals to run this joint.
But as soon as the bajillion and 3 photos I snapped have uploaded to photobucket I can proceed to torment and taunt you with VANILLA SLICES (in full Technicolour!!!) from the Dunolly Bakery.
And their famous BEE STING PASTRIES (again in full Technicolour!!!).
Fear not!
Dad (the picky eater) made his spinach and ricotta pastie disappear faster than I could wrestle my camera from its bag.
Feral kidlet managed to just about inhale his Pizza Pie (pizza flavoured pie, very yum) while my curry pie didn't touch the sides.
Just as there will not be Full Tormenting Technicolour shots of Dad's scrumptious custard tart , party pie or the Chunky Cheese & Cracked Pepper pie or lunchtime sausage roll.
But there will be a photo to make you weepy.
It will be certain to bring a tear to anyone's eye.
The sight of the Dunolly Bakery closed for the day.

August 23.....

1881

The Minister for Railways, Mr Bent, and the Minister of Mines tootled off from Wedderburn to Inglewood at 3.30pm at afternoon tea time hoping for scones, jam and cream to have a gander at the rail lines while chin-wagging about the proposed Dunolly - Inglewood railway line.

1938

The Bealiba Branch of the Country Women's Association celebrated its 4th anniversary in the Town Hall and inaugurated the teaching of first aid to all members.

August 22.....

1884 

Mr Cheetham and Mr Williams were badly shaken but only slightly injured when the horse drawing Mr Cheetham's buggy began kicking and bolting through the rear stable area of the Bendigo Hotel resulting in the buggy overturning.

August 21....

1899 

Councillor Desmond, at a meeting of the Dunolly Shire Council in the Town Hall, heaped praise upon The Argus for it's efforts to promote the cause of Federation.

August 20.....

1931 

A Susso (sustenance) worker - early form of unemployment benefits/work for the dole scheme - was working some of the old diggings opposite the White Swan Hotel at Waanyarra when into his hot little hand tumbled a 58ounce nugget.
This was worth US$2,528.80 in 2010 money and was US$188.53 in 1931.


Click to enlarge to read.

August 19.....

1859

A new rush happened in the blink of an eye between Mt Moliagul and Cochran's Creek (Bealiba). Mr Callot's crushing machine was going like the clappers with the best bling having been found at Kingower and Old Dunolly and a new rush at Moliagul on the Jericho Road.

1861

A new gold rush, which revived the slowly fading town of Dunolly, began at
Burnt Creek.

August 18.....

1932

Two miles north of Dunolly Walter Rooney, the lucky devil, found a gold nugget weighing 2oz as he was washing dirt he'd brought up from a 5 feet deep shaft he'd just dug.
Now, tootling about online in today's prices the nugget would be worth US$2,443.42 that equates to US$165.20 in 1932 money.
Which is a lot when you realise that a hired farm hand in 1932 got a yearly income of US$216.00.


Oh, alright.
He had really captured a leprechaun.
Oh, alright.
He really was a leprechaun.

August 17.....

1864

Elections were on for the Dunolly Borough Council with Martin, Daly, Walls, Simpson and Phillips elected to the Borough Council while Mr Thompson and Mr Heap were elected to the Bet Bet Road Board.

1942

Mrs Mary Cheetham, of Tarnagulla, passed away at the sprightly age of 99; she was the first European girl in the district when she arrived 90 years earlier and her husband, James Cheetham, had been the local Member for the Legislative Assembly half a century ago.

Aerial ping pong

Drat, drat and double drats.
Looks like Dunolly got done like a dogs dinner in the footy this weekend.
*sigh*
We shall mourn in silence.

XKARSQ3N879B

August 16....

1882

Two teams, with 15 players each, got together for a game of Aussie Rules at Goldsborough.
Twas a tad wet with Dunolly and Goldsborough each just scoring a goal.
The game was eventually declared a draw.
Gee, they were good with their arithmetic *snort*

1891

The Union Flour Mill, owned and operated by Joseph Hill, in North Broadway was completely destroyed by fire with only 200 bags of wheat saved.
The full news report can be read HERE.

1945

The Dunolly Bowling Club was formed at a meeting held on this day.
And remember...it's 'bowls' not 'balls'...!

August 15....

1878

Renown jam manufacturers, Oldmeadows of Dunolly, received a very honourable mention from the Food Jury for their entries in the Paris Exhibition. 
Dunolly tucker rocks.
Even the French say so!

1911

Horses were on parade in Dunolly for the once-over by the Government Inspector Mr Johnson.

August 14.....

1935

Mr Macrae applied for a motor bus licence to carry children to school.

August 13.....

This is very embarrassing this lack of information for these dates.
It's not like I've spent the past untold weeks scouring the news archives for media reports on activities in Dunolly & District.
Ohhhhh, no, not at all (you may wipe up the sarcasm there).


Here's a random photo from the bowels of my computer for your brief entertainment.

August 12.....

As they still haven't thrown us an iota of gossip for this date let's gather ourselves together and gaze in numbing boredom at this grouping of quartz.



Which doesn't hold any gold.

Hold the presses!
I just found....

The Argus, Thursday 12 August, 1869

August 11.....

As apparently everyone in Dunolly & District was frozen with nothing happening (according to the media) we'll just look at some pretty pictures until the action heats up again.

August 10.....

1920

The licence for the Railway Hotel, on the Broadway at Dunolly, was transferred from Thomas Hartley to Elizabeth Whelan.

Partial review of Dunolly Bakery

This is only a partial unbiased review of the most delectable, delicious, scrumptious, yummiest bakery on the goldfields Dunolly Bakery.
I say partial as we got as far as devouring tasting the chocolate hedgehogs and the vanilla slices.
Oh, the vanilla slices...!!!!
And the odd pie and pastie.
And the bread rolls.
The vanilla slices stopped us in our taste-testing tracks.
Oh.My.Lordy.
The vanilla slices...!
Perfection is the only way to describe them.
Diet? What diet? I have no idea what you're talking about *mutter mutter*
The pies are yummy, the meat to gravy ratio well balanced (yes, I am serious, thankyouverymuch) and the pastry flaking just so, the bread rolls were light, fluffy and most nom-worthy without any filling.
But best of all are the staff behind the counter who do customer service old-school with welcoming smiles, pleasant attitude, ready to help/serve/answer queries all in a friendly manner that is distinctly lacking in many metropolitan places.
So, as this is only a partial review of course we will have to continue our taste testing next time we travel to Dunolly!

August 9.....

1886

A large fox was shot near Natte Yallock, the first ever reported for this district.

1935

With heavy rain falling the bridge at Betley was under water, Burnt Creek and Bet Bet Creek were running bankers and crops were ruined but spring feed was assured for stock.