Historical Walking Tour of Clunes

Built of bluestone with cement dressings in 1870-71, this Decorated Gothic church is the only identifiable Australian work of architect Thomas Austin, of Austin and Johnson. The adjoining timber hall, the original 1859-60 church, is a rare Victorian survivor for its board-and-batten external skin.

Source: ohta.org.au

Begun in 1872 from bluestone and opened on 9 March 1873, this Gothic Revival Catholic church was designed by architects Henry Richards Caselli and W. B. Tappin, influenced by St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat. It served Clunes' gold-era Catholic community before closing in 2018 and becoming a private residence.

Source: Wikipedia

Built in 1872-3 to a symmetrical Victorian Free Classical design by architect Percy Oakden, this civic complex combined borough offices and a police court flanking a two-storey central hall. Funded partly by a £2100 government grant, it reflects the wealth and pride of Clunes at its gold-town peak.

Source: Victorian Heritage Database

Built in 1870 by owner-occupier Griffin Wiles, the Club Hotel stands on Fraser Street in the commercial heart of the former gold-mining town of Clunes. One of several hotels raised here in the late 1860s and 1870s, its Conservative Classical detailing and cast-iron verandah earn it a place on the Victorian Heritage Register (H0341).

Source: Victorian Heritage Database

Built in 1871 for the English, Scottish and Australian Bank, this Fraser Street landmark served as a bank branch until the 1930s. The Returned and Services League has owned it since 1954, and it is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (H0340).

Source: wikidata.org

Built in 1879 to a Public Works Department design, this two-storey rendered-brick post and telegraph office replaced an 1861 predecessor as Clunes boomed on deep-lead gold. Its Italian Renaissance palazzo styling, arcaded loggia and slate roof mark the goldfields' prosperity; it is now heritage-listed.

Source: Victorian Heritage Database