Community
9 August, 2026
St Arnaud 100 Years Ago: sold shops and deaths in town
News from the town in 1926.
100 Years Ago
August 1926
Football: A large crowd watched St Arnaud play Donald at King George Park.
Scores- ¼ time St A 5-1 Don 3-5, ½ time St A 8-2 Don 6-7, ¾ time St A 8-8 Don 9-9, last ¼ St A 11-13 beaten by Don 15- 9.Litchfield 3-10 defeated Birchip 3-7 and Watchem 10-11 defeated Cope Cope 6-2.
St Arnaud Juniors – North End 4-7 beat South End 3-5.
Death: The death occurred of former St Arnaud resident Mrs Campbell of Elwood; whose husband Ronald Campbell was the head teacher of the St Arnuad State School 1909 – 1914.
Visit of ‘Reso’ Train: The Victorian National Resources Department Train carrying sixty visitors arrived on Thursday and was met by a large number of St Arnaud residents. This visit had been looked forward to for many weeks.
The men are travelling all over Victoria to secure information regarding agriculture, wool growing and others objects to be of interest in the future.
Twenty-five cars took the visitors to the Telford Bros farm at Slaty Creek, which is considered the most modern property in the district.
The farm consists of 2,700 acres, 400 acres of this is cultivated yearly, and the rest kept for grazing with the fattening of crossbred sheep predominating.
There is ample water available, 40 miles of fencing, 103 gates and buildings are electrically lighted. In the grain shed were five varieties of wheat and four of oats on display and a large map of the farm showing the use of the different paddocks and location of dams.
The sheep were inspected and twenty draught horses in peak condition were much admired. The visitors then went back to St Arnaud for a tour of the hospital, the flour mill and the electric light power house.
In the evening the shop windows were lighted up and the Band played outside the Town Hall while the visitors enjoyed a smoke social in the hall. The next morning they left for Daylesford. They had originally intended to go Cope Cope to inspect the Swanwater district which is known for high yields often 15, 16, 17 bags wheat per acre but the wet conditions made this too difficult.
Rain: During July 226 points fell and 78 points fell over 5 days during the first week of August.
Depths of reservoirs – Teddington 13 ft 4 ins, Goldfields 12 ft 7 ins, Government Dam 12 ft.
Fundraiser: The St Arnaud Black And White Minstrels gave a concert in Avoca to raise funds for the Avoca Soldiers War Memorial.
Shops Sold: The estate of the late Mr W L Marrison sold the two storey brick premises in Napier Street, at present occupied by V P C for £1,455 to Victorian Producer’s Co-Operative Co- LTD and the adjoining shop and dwelling occupied by W S Williams to Mr A Travaglia for £1,155. They also sold a weatherboard cottage on corner Canterbury and Mills streets to Mrs C A Adams of St Arnaud for £350. A cement sheet and weatherboard dwelling of 4 rooms plus bathroom and wash-house recently erected in Powell Street leased at £5/5/4 monthly and an adjoining vacant allotment were both passed in.
Read More: St Arnaud