April A-Z Challenge: I for Irishtown

I am back again for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge so have made the commitment to blog every day in April except the Sundays. Some bloggers choose a theme, and others do random posts. For me, a theme works better, so them I’ve chosen for 2016 is Towns in Victoria. I will be choosing  towns with a relevance to my family history, where possible.

I is for Irishtown, an area near Castlemaine, Victoria, which thrived during the goldrush of the 19th century. When gold was found, the population increased very quickly. And they left just as fast when the gold was gone.

Irishtown has no relevance at all to my family history, but I chose it as I had Irish ancestors who settled in Victoria. None settled at Irishtown, but when I read about it, I could imagine the hopes that the miners had, and wondered if maybe my ancestors had the same high hopes when they arrived in this hot, dry, dusty land.

Today Irish town, is just a location, with no population. But it is well known for it’s many heritage sites, associated with the goldrush, that can still be seen.

 

photo: tripmondo.com

photo: expoloroz.com