The area was once occupied by the Jajowarrung Aborigines who called the area 'Peerick'. The first European in the area was Thomas Mitchell. The first squatters were the Kirklands and a Mr Hamilton who took up land in 1838. The latter's 'Trawalla' station was taken over by Adolphus Goldsmith in 1841 and he established a rich grazing enterprise.

Gold was discovered in 1852 with another rush at Fiery Creek in 1854. Four settlements sprung up on the Fiery Creek Diggings'; one of which was Beaufort. It was surveyed in 1857 and town allotments were sold from 1858. A Catholic church was built in the early 1860s and the first council meeting was held in 1864 - the same year the town's primary school was established.

It is claimed that there were 10 000 prospectors in the immediate area at the peak of the rush but the alluvial gold was gone by the mid-1860s. However, reef mining continued until 1914. In its place grazing reasserted itself, logging got under way and agriculture developed with some ex-miners taking up selections in the district. A flour mill opened in 1865 and the railway arrived in 1874.

The town was allegedly named after Rear Admiral Francis Beaufort who devised the Beaufort scale for measuring wind velocity. However, other sources suggest the source is a village in Monmouthshire, Wales.

Radical activist, labour leader and poet, Bernard O'Dowd was born at Beaufort in 1866, although his attempts to set up a local school failed as his free-thinking, skeptical attitude to conventional religiosity and wayward spiritualism were unpopular. On a more earthy note, it is alleged that vegemite was invented at Beaufort in 1923 by Dr Cyril Percy Callister.

Today the town is a service centre to the area which produces beef, fat lambs, wool, cereals and timber. There is a timber-treatment plant in town.

Things to see

Primary School
Beaufort is quite an historic town but there is little information that is readily available on the town's heritage buildings. Consequently, dates are often unavailable. However, as you enter Beaufort along the highway (from Melbourne), you will see the town's primary school to the left. The original school building dates from 1864.

The Garage Sale
As you continue along the highway, you will see, also to the left, The Garage Sale, a large second-hand bric-a-brac shop, tel: (03) 5349 2771.

DeBeare House Antiques
Just past it is the first main crossroad - Lawrence St. On the corner is the antique shop which is situated in a lovely old 19th-century building, tel: (03) 5349 2696.

Post Office
Turn right into Lawrence St and, 50 metres along the road, to the right, is the old post office, which is still in operation. It dates from the late 19th century.

Railway Station
Another 50 m along Lawrence St, turn right when you get to the pub, into Pratt St. Just along here is the old railway station (1874) which is no longer in use.

War Memorial
Continue along Pratt St as it veers back to the highway where you will find an attractive war memorial with a rose garden setting.

Band Rotunda
Almost opposite is an octagonal band rotunda (1908) which is crowned by a fine octagonal lantern with iron-grille decoration and a four-faced clock.

Tourist Information and Primitive Methodist Church
Just a little further along the highway (towards Ararat) is the town's information centre which is located in an old church hall associated with the Primitive Methodist Church adjacent (1886).

Mechanics' Institute
Walk back along the highway towards Melbourne and turn right into Havelock St. Just along here are the attractive old fire station and the former mechanics' institute.

Beaufort Lake
Return along the highway to Lawrence St and turn right, heading south. Along this road is Beaufort Lake which is lovely spot for a picnic. There is a caravan park and a football ground.

Lake Goldsmith
15 km south of Beaufort (via Lawrence St) is Lake Goldsmith, noted for the steam rally which is held there twice a year, usually in April and October. It is one of the largest of its type in the state with hundreds of steam and antique oil engines on display. The actual site of the rally is 1 km east of the lake along the Lake Goldsmith to Ballarat Rd, tel: (03) 5349 5512.

Mt Buangor State Park
Mt Buangor State Park (2630 ha) is located to the north-west of Beaufort. Ferntree Gully Rd heads north off the Western Highway at the Major Mitchell Trail sign, 14 km west of Beaufort. A side road on the left after 800 m leads to the popular Middle Creek camping area which is joined by a 15-km network of tracks to the Ferntree Falls campsite. It also the starting point for the strenuous Cave Walking Track.

The main road (now known as Ferntree Waterfalls Rd) continues north past Bales Picnic Area to a side track on the right which leads to the Ferntree Falls Camping and Picnic Area where you will find the short and easy self-guided Waterfalls Nature Walk and other longer paths. The flats here are characterised by woodlands of swamp gum, manna gum and blue gum. Beyond here the main road heads west as the Saddle Road concluding at the Buangor-Warrak Rd. Turn left to the village of Buangor on the highway.

The northern section of the park can be accessed from the Main Mount Cole Rd which leads through Mt Cole State Forest (see next entry). For further information ring (03) 5349 2404.

Mt Cole State Forest
The Main Mount Cole Rd, which runs from the small village of Raglan in the south-east to Warrak in the north-west, bisects Mt Cole State Forest (11 130 ha) and also provides access to the northern section of Mt Buangor State Park. As the two reserves adjoin they share similar plant and animal communities.

Small timber mills were set up here in the 1840s and they prospered in the goldrush era. Logging continues in Mt Cole Forest but is now banned in Buangor Park.

There are numerous picnic and camping areas which are clearly signposted off the Main Mt Cole Rd, and an extensive system of walking tracks, ranging from short family walks to overnight hikes. Particularly good is the 4-km walk through fern gullies and dry sclerophyll forest at the Ditchfield Camping Area along Camp Rd (signposted off Mt Cole Rd).

There are several fine lookouts in the forest, including Lookout Hill and Ben Nevis which is part of the Mt Cole plateau. Another track heads off the main road through the Mugwump Camping Area and up to the snow gums of Mt Buangor (993 m). These are two of the four hang-gliding sites in the reserve. Two fine scenic sites are The Glut and Victoria Mill Picnic Areas.

In all there are 250 km of tracks in the forest though many are only suitable for 4WD. Take care as the roads are narrow, winding and unsealed and logging trucks may well be just around the next corner. For further information ring (03) 5349 2404.

Buangor
Buangor is a small town on the Western Highway, 20 km west of Beaufort. The name is Aboriginal for 'pointed hill', a reference to Mt Buangor. It developed in the 1860s as a service centre to local farms and travellers and as a Cobb & Co. staging station on the Raglan-Beaufort and Horshan runs. On the right-hand side of the highway, as you head towards Ararat, is the Catholic church dating from 1875. Behind it is the school (1878).

Just past the church is a Cobb & Co changing station built in 1869 and still in good condition. If you wish to see the interior speak to someone at the nearby hotel, first licensed in 1865. Turn left at the hotel into Main Rd. The first side road on the right is Cobbs Rd which has the Buangor Nursery. The second, Bunagor Rd, contains the railway station (1875). The store opposite Buangor Rd dates from 1865. The third, Challicum Rd, contains the old Anglican church (1888), now a private residence, and the cemetery.

Mt Langi Vineyard
The Warrak Rd heads north off the highway at Buangor. 5 km along is the caravan display and museum where there are historic vans, bottles and collectables. It is another 2 km to the Mt Langhi Ghiran Vineyard, situated on the eastern slopes of the mountain. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. weekdays and 12.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. weekends, tel: (03) 5354 3207.

For tourism information see Visit Beaufort website.