A former goldmining town that appears to have been snap frozen in time. Many of its original buildings remain. These include the fire station, museum, post office, Windsor House, Mechanics Institute, bank vault Freemason's Lodge, St John's Church of England and, possibly the most photographed thing in Walhalla, the grand old band rotunda.
Location: north of the Latrobe Valley and nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range 46 km north of Moe; 176 km east of Melbourne
Origin of name: Believed to be the Aboriginal name for the locality. It was named Stringer's Creek in 1862 when gold was first discovered here, after the first gold prospector.
Brief history: the European history of the district began in December 1862 when Ned Stringer found gold in the creek which bears his name. Shortly afterwards the discovery of the massive Cohen's Reef, which stretches from Bass Strait to Bathurst, led to the permanent settlement of the town. During the 1880s Walhalla was one of the state's richest goldfields. The Long Tunnel Extended Mine, which operated from 1871 until 1911, yielded 815,568 ounces of gold and paid dividends of $2.5 million.
Natural features: Mount Erica; Mount Baw Baw; Mount Tanjil; Mount Carmel; Mount Useful; Moondarra State Park; Baw Baw National Park
Built features: Glenmaggie Reservoir
Heritage features: Walhalla Conservation Area, including retaining Wall, Fire Engine Shed, House on the hill; former Wesleyan Church; Bandstand; curved flight of steps; Brunton's Bridge; Walhalla Goldfields Tourist Railway
