VICMining
Maldon
A gold town whose main street stayed put.
1853Gold discovered at Tarrengower
WHAT STARTED IT
Gold found near Mount Tarrengower in late 1853 drew thousands of prospectors. The settlement was formally laid out and named Maldon the following year.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Quartz mining prolonged the gold era. Later slow growth preserved the town’s commercial streets, which now support heritage tourism alongside local businesses and residential life.
Read the fuller history
Alluvial digging gave way to deep quartz mining. As the gold economy faded, slower development helped preserve the shopfronts and buildings of the nineteenth-century town.
TURNING POINTS
1853Gold discovery starts the rush.
1854The settlement is named Maldon.
1987The Victorian Blue Light youth camp opened, occupying part of the gold town’s heritage landscape until 2022.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A small residential and heritage town, with tourism, local businesses and a heritage railway. Its streetscape is one of its main attractions.