Walhalla

Overview

Walhalla's picturesque location in the mountains mixes a wild Australian bush environment with the colonial style of the gold era. Exotic trees and cute miners’ cottages line the street in the steep narrow valley.
 
Walhalla’s unique topography meant that the early townsfolk needed to think vertically… Walhalla’s cemetery (one of the most unusual in Australia) clings to the side of the hill at a 45-degree angle, the cricket ground is set on top of a hill and the slopes are dotted with cottages built on narrow ledges cut into the hillsides.

History

Walhalla was once one of Australia’s richest towns  following the discovery of gold in 1863.  Life was tough, with miners forced to endure fires, flood and disease. But the lure of gold made this mountain outpost a vibrant place, with 10 hotels, 7 churches, several dance halls and more than 30 shops.
 
During most of the twentieth century Walhalla was virtually frozen in time; electricity was only connected in 1998. After nearly becoming a ghost town, many of its buildings and services have been lovingly restored.
 
The railway into Walhalla was an engineering masterpiece when built. Today the reconstructed narrow gauge Walhalla Goldfields Railway clings to a narrow ledge on the southern face of the Stringers Creek Gorge winding its way high across the Thomson River Bridge.

Places of interest

Corner Store Museum
The Old Fire Station
The Mountaineer Brass Band Rotunda
The hilltop Cricket Ground and hillside cemetery with its vertical graves
Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine
Walhalla Goldfields Railway
Boola Boola Winery
Mount St Gwinear and Mount Baw Baw
Alpine wilderness
Thomson River

Accommodation

There is something for everyone in Walhalla. Accommodation includes two B&Bs, several self-contained cabins, a hotel and a luxury lodge.

Telephone: 1800 621 409
Website: www.visitwalhalla.com

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