Dunolly: Goldfield History, Cycling Routes and Dredge Hole

Goldfield history, historic buildings, signposted cycling routes and a lake surrounded by bushland give Dunolly its distinctive character. The Old Lead Diggings tell the story of alluvial deep lead mining, while the Dunolly Cycle Tracks pass through historic gold-mining towns. At Dredge Hole, by contrast, the focus is on a short walk around the water. This gives you different interests to consider during your stay, rather than limiting your trip to just one type of excursion.

Goldfields and historic buildings

The Old Lead Diggings, Dunolly (H2402), are on Dunolly-Rheola Road. The heritage site is of state significance and is listed as a registered place and a registered archaeological place in the Victorian Heritage Register. The Diggings include several thousand surviving mining shafts associated with alluvial deep lead mining along the Main Lead and its tributary gullies. For history enthusiasts, this connection makes the site especially vivid: the shafts are traces of gold mining, and their link with the Main Lead and its tributary gullies points to the methods used.

The Dunolly Historic Precinct offers another perspective on the past. It includes the 1884 town hall on Broadway. On Market Street, the precinct also includes the courthouse, stables and lock-up dating from 1863, as well as a police station from the 1950s. The buildings and their different dates provide tangible points of reference in the historic townscape. The precinct offers a self-guided walk, so you can include a visit in your travel plans and explore independently.

The Dunolly Goldfields Museum’s collection includes casts of gold nuggets, photographs, firearms and records relating to local history. This combination offers a different way to explore the past than the surviving mining shafts or the buildings in the Historic Precinct: here, the focus is on collection items and records. Visitors especially interested in goldfield history will find several points of interest in Dunolly.

Cycling routes and a walk by the lake

The Dunolly Cycle Tracks start at Dunolly Town Hall. They are signposted forest roads and tracks ranging from 14 to 47 kilometres in length. This range gives you a specific choice of distances when planning. The routes pass through forests and historic gold-mining towns, combining cycling with a glimpse of the region’s history. If you’d like to include a bike ride in your travel plans, you can use the different distances as a starting point for choosing your preferred day’s route.

Another way to spend time outdoors is at Dredge Hole, a lake in Dunolly surrounded by bushland. The easy 550-metre loop goes around the lake. There are picnic tables along the path with views of the water. The excursions described here differ clearly in scale: the Cycle Tracks are forest roads and tracks of 14 to 47 kilometres, while the path at Dredge Hole is a short 550-metre loop. If you’d like to accommodate different preferences in your travel group, you can choose between cycling, history and a walk by the water.

Market visit and choosing your stay

The Dunolly Community Market offers local produce, arts and crafts, and furniture. It is scheduled for the second Sunday of each month, from 9 am to 2 pm, on Broadway in Dunolly. If the market fits your travel plans, you can take its schedule into account when planning the timing of your stay.

More local pages

More local pages: Dingley Village, Venus Bay, Mitta Mitta, Moe, Moe South, Lalbert, Mokepilly and Ballarat.

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.