Hidden Creswick

“I have never forgotten my birthplace, and I have often recalled the great men who can claim it as such.” - John Curtin. (Haddon, 1999)

What does Creswick mean to you? You may think of the Lindsay family or the Magic Pudding. You may see the monuments to the Creswick men who fought in the World Wars. You may see the forestry that surrounds the town, or the big stone buildings built with money from gold. But what don’t we see? And how does the area look from the other side? From the point of view of the communities and identities that we don’t see any more?

“It was a wild rush of excitement from early dawn, and all worked like tigers.” (Palmer & MacLeod, 1962)

What have we forgotten?

“We stroll through it, and return with a general impression of people who have not too much to do, of Chinamen and Chinese stores, of heavy boots, jumpers, and moleskin trousers…” (Denny, 2012)

And who are we missing?

“The gold and land are ours by right so why should we pay money to the queen?” (Cahir, 2012)

Join us as we explore some of the hidden, beautiful, horrible and fascinating history not just of a town built on gold but of a community created by people.