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Born again! Walhalla today
If the coming of the train was the handmaiden to Walhalla's decline, then it may have been the arrival of the motor car that saved it, and it may yet be the return of the railway that reinforces that salvation. The freedom that the family car gave motorists to visit more remote locations such as Walhalla as early as the 1920s, but especially after World War II, and notably during the 1950s and 1960s, led to a surge in tourism. "Back To Walhalla" days had been held by descendants of the pioneers as far back as the 1930s, and a growing appreciation of the untapped riches in the township's history produced a rebirth of civic pride. The Post Office was purchased by the state government in 1989 and has since been restored at the southern end of the main street. The Long Tunnel Extended Mine was reopened in the 1970s for the guided tours that are still conducted today. The Walhalla Goldfields Railway has restored the narrow-gauge service into Walhalla, and the train is now again carrying passengers into the town from the Thomson River station up the picturesque Stringer's Gorge, following a re-inauguration ceremony on March 13th, 2002.
Walhalla Mechanics' Institute Buildings and amenities such as the Mechanics' Institute have been lovingly restored as a result of local initiatives by largely volunteer work, carried out by government bodies including the Department of Conservation, Natural Resources and Environment (now the Department of Sustainability and Environment), Army apprentices, and by greatly-appreciated work brigades from the Office of Corrections. |
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Today Walhalla continues to draw crowds of tourists every weekend, but its appeal now is in the glimpse that it offers of what life was like back then, over a hundred years ago, in a charming and remote, self-contained community set in a spectacular landscape.
Now, read about the work of the Walhalla Heritage and Development League in promoting our town. |
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© 2005 Walhalla Heritage & Development League Inc. |
