Discover Rushworth

Gold rush history on High Street

Rushworth combines the history of the Victorian gold rush with a historic streetscape. The town was founded in 1853 during the Victorian gold rush. Historic buildings line High Street; many historic buildings in Rushworth are classified by the National Trust. Notable structures also include the hundred-year-old band rotunda, which is also classified by the National Trust. The community project “Walk Through Time” lets you stroll along High Street and read the plaques on numerous buildings. This gives you two different ways to explore the town’s history: its streetscape and the plaques.

Museum and local history

The Rushworth Museum adds another perspective, with more than 4,000 objects relating to local history. It is housed in the former Mechanics Institute. The plaques on High Street draw attention to the buildings, while the collection focuses on objects from the local past. These different approaches offer various ways to understand Rushworth’s history without reducing it to its year of foundation. The year 1853, when Rushworth was founded during the Victorian gold rush, provides a chronological starting point.

Railway traces

Rushworth also has surviving traces of its railway history. A significant part of the track infrastructure on the former Rushworth railway site remains; the goods shed and platform also still stand. The remains of the old railway turntable are visible east of the CFA station site. Unlike the plaques and museum objects, these are traces of the infrastructure itself. Railway heritage can thus be considered as a distinct theme alongside the history of the gold rush and the town.

The Waranga Rail Trail

The Waranga Rail Trail is an accessible, 19 km-long path along the route of the disused railway line from Rushworth to Murchison. It brings together two aspects of railway heritage: the former rail line as a trail and the surviving infrastructure at the former railway site in Rushworth. Within the wider destination of Campaspe Shire, the trail passes Waranga Basin, bushland and farmland. This route brings together the former railway line and the landscape along the trail.

Landscape and water activities

Rushworth is surrounded by the world’s largest box-ironbark forest; this landscape provides a distinct point of interest alongside the history of the gold rush and railway. Harriman Point is close to Rushworth. There, a dual-lane boat ramp improves access for boating, sailing, windsurfing, fishing, jet skiing and kayaking. Goulburn-Murray Water installed it in 2022. If water sports are part of your plans, you can consider Harriman Point as a nearby option. Check the current condition of the boat ramp beforehand.

History in Campaspe Shire

Within the wider destination of Campaspe Shire, the Lockington & District Living Heritage Complex adds to the picture of regional history. As a local history museum and resource centre, it includes historical exhibits from the district, including a shearing shed, a blacksmith’s forge, a historic classroom, a restored tram, locally built tractors and a steam wagon. These examples have a different focus from the collection at the Rushworth Museum, which is devoted to local history.

Discover more destinations: Wycheproof, St Andrews Beach, Dingley Village, Lovely Banks, Minyip, Kyneton, Merricks, Bacchus Marsh.

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.