HISTORY OF OUR TOWN OF PYRAMID HILL

In 1836 Major Thomas Mitchell on his journey of exploration named and climbed Pyramid Hill.

In 1861 Burke and Wills camped one night at Mt Hope Station on their ill fated journey to the north of Australia.

The township grew on the south side of the hill after selectors came in 1870s. A quarry was commenced on Lacey’s Hill, south of Pyramid Hill, to provide ballast for the railway north of Pyramid Hill to Swan Hill. After the railway line was opened in 1884 on the west side of the hill and the Bullock creek the township moved west to the line. The Quarry is now on the north side of Lacey’s Hill and is owned by Mawsons.

There was a Racecourse south of the Hill where races were held on St Patrick’s Day. Also a Gun Club and Greyhound Racing Club. In the 1980s and 90s an Iron Man Competition was held at the Hill for a number of years. A picturesque golf course surrounds the hill. Many locals take the walking track around the hill and native flora and fauna attracts visitors. Northern District Quarter horse Association has head quarters at the base of the hill.

In 1888 the Pyramid Hill & District Agricultural and Pastoral Society held their first Show in the Showground on the west side of the hill. A special train came from Bendigo for the day. The Show was held at the hill until 1936 when a new showground was made to the west of the town. This move introduced fine trotting, according to one record, and a fine track was laid around the area. Memorial Gates were placed at the entrance of the park, having been subscribed for by the surviving pioneers in 1937 to the memory of the pioneers who had passed away. The gates were dedicated by Dame Enid Lyons. Mitchell Park is home to the Pyramid Hill Football & Netball teams.

The Pyramid Butter Factory operated until the 1970s. It has been extended and is now Bush’s Pet Food Factory.

In 1934 a Bush Nursing Hospital commenced in what had been the home of John McKay. The Bush Nursing Hospital opened in 1959 and closed in 1995. The building has been extended and is now an Aged Persons’ Hostel and consulting rooms for the Doctors. Community Health Service is available, plus a volunteer CERT team. There is also a Neighbourhood House.

There are 4 churches in the town. There is a Preschool Centre and two schools in the town; St Patrick’s Convent Prep to year 6, and Pyramid College which goes from Prep to year 10.

The Pyramid Hill and District Historical Society Museum has received many awards and has tourist buses visit. There are also many requests for information from family historians. Pyramid Hill Mt Hope and Terrick Terrick National Park are interesting to explore; bird watchers, climbers and hikers visit as well as picnickers.

The town has many sporting facilities including a Football ground with Netball courts, Golf Course, Lawn Tennis Courts, Basket ball stadium at Pyramid College, Swimming pool, Bowling Green, Quarter horse Complex. The well equipped Memorial Hall is a centre for many community activities as is the Senior Citizens’ Club rooms.

Farming in the surrounding areas includes Dairying in irrigated areas, several Piggeries, Cereal cropping and Fat Lamb production, Wool & Merino Studs, Flowers, Apples and Cherries, Walnuts are grown and Green Tea is being trialled.

The Abattoir is of export standard and may commence again soon.

The Salt Works west of the town has featured on Landline on ABC TV several times.

There is presently a train to and from Melbourne daily and a Coach Service to & from Bendigo twice a week.

HISTORY OF MITIAMO

Old Township moved to be near railway.

Mitiamo was first built near the Piccinni Creek (also known as the Bendigo Creek and Mt Hope Creek), 4 kms east of where the town is today. When the railway came through, the town was moved lack, stack and barrel to be near the railway line. Some of the original buildings can still be found in the township, such as the Uniting Church parsonage in Haig Street and a miner’s cottage in Glossop Street. Both the Mitiamo Hall and the Anglican Church were built in 1885 and are still used today. The old water tower near Joffre Street built in 1883 is an interesting relic of the steam train era.

The majority of Mitiamo’s past may be visited with your imagination – picture these in the town if you can; two Bakeries, a Bank, Barber, Bicycle repair shop, Store, Blacksmith, Boot maker, Butcher, Catholic Church, Fruit and sweets shop, two Garages, two General stores, Grocery store, Hospital, two Hotels, Ice and ice cream factory, Locomotive turntable, Primary school, Race course, Railway station with refreshment rooms (at one time 23 girls worked in these rooms), Saddlery, Sale yards, Shoe shop, Soliticor,, Uniting Church, and Skin store. Mitiamo in its heyday was a very vibrant centre. Today all roads lead to Mitiamo at Harvest time.

At times special trains were taken to Mitiamo from Bendigo for the horse racing.

Here’s an interesting story about a local at the local railway station… One man used to sit on the platform of the station when the trains were coming in. He would sit in full view of the passengers peeling tobacco from a wad to make “roll your owns”. When he had cut the tobacco he would then flick the knife, to the horror of the passengers, into his leg. When the train left he would remove it from his wooden leg. I’m sure many a youngster would have enjoyed the anticipated spectacle at the Mitiamo railway station.

Mitiamo’s main industries are cropping and sheep. Mitiamo silos are the central grain receiver site for the district, and in 1977 additional silos were built for the rice industry, including storage and drying facilities. In early days livestock were sent by rail to sale yards in Bendigo and Newmarket (the main Melbourne stock saleyards). Today the station and stockyards have gone, but grain, including wheat, barley, oats and canola (rape seed), is still loaded onto trains from the silos and transported for processing and/or export.

Ken Sheldon – ex Carlton player and coach of St Kilda played all of his younger days playing at the Mitiamo Cricket Ground (M.C.G.)

FACILITIES NOW

• Petrol
• Post Office
• Park
• Shop
• Sporting grounds
• Camping
• Bed & Breakfast
• Pool

TERRICK TERRICK NATIONAL PARK

• Bird watching
• Old cemetery
• Miti Rock

Aboriginal canoe trees and camping sites can be found around Mitiamo Rock. It is an easy climb to the summit of Mt Terrick Terrick, You get a great 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside. It has the most significant stand of White Cypress Pines in Victoria. This species is slow growing with most of the trees in the Park being over 100 years old.

It is a favourite place for bird watching.

An old cemetery is nestled within the forest area.

HISTORY OF DINGEE

The name Dingee is aboriginal for “Star”.

The original township was 5kms to the east and was relocated with the advent of the railway in 1883. In 1912 the installation of the telephone exchange and a large irrigation system allowed the development of a successful dairy industry. Cereal crops, fat lambs and cattle are also produced. Dingee White Clover, which was discovered in 1917, was later successfully harvested and sold nationally.

Tang Tang Wildlife Reserve, is a known breeding ground of the Brolga and sightings of some 20 native birds species, and the home to some unique native grasses. A popular area for bird watchers.

Ernie Old and his brother Tom were children of a pioneering family from Dingee in the late 1880’s. Ernie established a Blacksmith’s shop and patented a number of inventions. He later became noted as an exceptional distance bike rider. One of his achievements was in 1948 when he rode from Melbourne –Adelaide –Darwin – Brisbane – Melbourne a distance of 6000 miles in 56 days. His brother Frank became a Member of Parliament in Swan Hill for 26 years.

The Bush Nurse was established in Dingee in 1923. Because of the distance from Medical centres in Bendigo it was necessary to be able to get medical help as soon as possible to the local rural community. The Bush Nursing Centre provides medical assistance to a large extended area. The nurses employed in the Bush Nurse Centre are Victorian Remote Area Nurses.

Nine kilometres west of Dingee you will find the East Loddon & District Historical Society. Visit by appointment only by calling Judy on (03) 5436 8354.

FACILITIES NOWADAYS

• Bush Nurse
• Petrol
• Park
• BBQ facilities
• Shop
• Toilets
• Sporting grounds
• Hotel /meals
• Churches Methodist, C of E, and Catholic

LAND DEVELOPMENT

The Pastoral era in this region saw huge land holdings of many hundreds of thousands of acres. They were often split up into areas of 100,000 acres with a manager for that area. In the Dingee, Prairie and Mitiamo areas some of the stations were named Tandarra, Piccaninni Creek, Terrick Terrick West, Terrick Terrick East and so on. Then came the Agricultural era. The Lands Acts, which came into being in the 1860’s, were dire failures mostly because the allotments were too small. (Probably based on English ideas and being far too small for this climate).

After this was tried, most of the land was taken over by the squatters. The McPherson Act of 1869 was workable, 320 acres of land @ 2 shillings an acre for 3 years, then a lease with 7 years at 2 shillings an acre making it freehold. The earliest agriculturists in this area were Charles Cable in 1864. In 1878 area was increased to 640 acres and payments 1 shilling over 20 years.

Soldier Settlement areas were also set up in the Irrigation area of Dingee.

Today land is in bigger holdings, due to economically being more viable than the original 640 acres.