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Accommodation in Beechworth >> Freeman on Ford Bed & Breakfast (circa 1866)
More than 30 National Trust classified buildings, many built using distinctive honey coloured local granite, stand on the wide tree-lined streets of historic Beechworth, one of the best preserved gold rush towns in Victoria. Gold was first found around Beechworth in 1852 and the gold fields proved to one of the richest in Australia. There are still treasures to be unearthed in Beechworth today too, although they are more likely to be found in the antique stores and crafts shops dotted amongst the town’s restored 19th century streetscapes. The town also offers a selection of tea rooms, restaurants and cafes and accommodation options to choose from. Nestled in the foothills of the Australian Alps and 267km north-east of Melbourne, Beechworth (population approximately 3,200) can be accessed via the Hume Highway. |
Beechworth Information CentreAddressTown Hall, Ford Streeet Beechworth VIC 3747 Phone 1300 366 321 Fax03 5728 3083 Email Click here Website Click here Open from 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day. |
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Town Features >> Click here to show all town features
Courthouse ¦ Ford Street Forming part of the Beechworth Justice Precinct, this granite Courthouse was built in the 1850s and is now classified by the National Trust. Bushranger Ned Kelly was tried here the 1870s, and again in 1880 following the siege at Glenrowan before the trial was relocated to Melbourne. National Trust classified. Post Office ¦ Ford Street A substantial double storey post office built in 1870 but incorporating a square bell tower dating from 1865. National Trust classified. Ovens District Hospital Ruins ¦ Church Street The granite façade (1862-63) and some of the gardens are all that survives of Beechworth’s original hospital, built in 1857 and once the main medical centre between Sydney and Melbourne. The hospital closed in 1940 and was subsequently demolished. National Trust classified. |
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Accommodation >>Freeman on Ford Bed & Breakfast (circa 1866) Bronze room  Freeman on Ford B&B HistoryBuilt on land granted to the Oriental Bank in August 1857 and designed by noted architect Leonard Terry, this building remained a bank for around 20 years before it was purchased for use as Australia’s second Brigidine convent (the first was at Echuca). In 1886, four Brigidine nuns left Ireland to bring “virtue’ to Beechworth and finally arrived in town by train in 1886 to a very enthusiastic public welcome. Mother Superior began to convert the bank into a convent and school, improvising to the extent that she made an altar out of a luggage case. The bank chamber was fitted with desks and, in 1887, three rooms were furnished as dormitories. Not long afterwards, the nuns built a larger convent in Priory Lane. The building then became the premises of the State Savings Bank of Victoria and remained so until 1988. It was then privately purchased by a family who rented it out as an art gallery. It subsequently became a private residence for approximately 12 years. In 2003, it was officially opened after being painstakingly restored and turned into a sumptuous Bed and Breakfast by owners, Heidi Freeman and Jim Didolis, and a team of tradespeople. In 2005, it was accredited as a Beechworth's first and only 5 star rated accommodation and was featured on The Great Outdoors television show.
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