Blackwood & District Historical Society

16/09/2026

Well , well , well .. Lookey here !!
Every now and again a member of the public contacts us bearing gold.
On this occasion its a previously unseen ( at least by this little black duck) photo of the Ballarat Hotel , built during the heyday of Barrys Reef , and thought to have been erected around 1874. This hotel was near the Sultana mine ( still there) , around the location of the brick house with the wire fenced perimeter. The final owners of the hotel were the Goodge family , namely Mary-Jane Goodge , who relinquished the licence at the end of 1913 and died in 1931 whilst still in possession of the building . The site was subsequently claimed by adverse possession.
This photo is of great significance as there are few , if any , in existence , with such clarity , capturing any of the half dozen or so hotels in existence in Barrys Reef at the time.
The photo has clearly been enhanced and colourised , giving a much greater perspective of what it actually looked like.
The chap out front is Bernard Goodge , son of Richard and Mary-Jane.
Many thanks to Marg Riordan for sharing the photo with us . Marg is the Great Granddaughter of Richard and Mary-Jane.
As a further addendum, Richard was also part owner of the 2 storey brick brewery in Barrys Reef. Any photo in existence of that would be gold plus !!!

Ray Castellin

07/09/2026

Our AGM will be held Thursday 24th September location will be the Blackwood Historical Society at 6:00pm. Drinks and snacks provided hope to see you there.

04/09/2026

We will be open tomorrow 10am. We will be moving things around at the same time but that’s never stoped the visitors.

Oh and we got rid of the holly and dead tree on the Courner.

26/07/2026

The Crown Hotel. Looking forward to Saturday 1st August this is the Crown Hotel part of our new Diorama of the GoldFields! #3458

https://blackwoodhistoricalsociety.com.au

20/07/2026

Hello everyone,

Please find attached a form from Pippa Morris, President of the Ballan RSL Sub-Branch. The Ballan RSL, in partnership with our Society, is working on upgrading the Blackwood War Memorial, and part of that work is making sure all the names that should be on the Memorial are included.

If you know someone with war service, warlike operational service or peacekeeping service since the end of World War 1, please fill in the attached form with their details. Only those who served during war time, warlike operations or peacekeeping operations are eligible for inclusion on the Memorial.

Completed forms go back to the Ballan RSL, not to us. You can email the form to [email protected], post it to Ballan RSL, PO Box 344, Ballan, Victoria, 3342, or drop it in the letter box beside the front door of the Ballan RSL Hall at 146 Inglis Street, Ballan.

Any questions about the Memorial project can go to Pippa directly on 0498 807 558 or [email protected].

Thanks

Send a message to learn more

04/07/2026

We have recent completed a massive amount of work at the historical society. The whole team have been at it repairing leaks, installing a new ceiling, repairing plaster work, patching and priming holes in the player and of course painting. We couldn’t have done it without the help of Mayor Steven Venditti-Taylor - Moorabool Shire Council who prior to his official position was a member and supporter and despite his extremely busy schedule still makes community and historical support a priority and was the master painter which now look amazing and bright in the kitchen and meeting room. Thanks to the whole crew for the hours of work and effort.

03/05/2026

Thanks to all those that visited today! The morning was extremely wet so we were glad some still battled through and enjoyed not only the Stables and Museam but all the The Great Trentham Spudfest related activities in town.

28/04/2026

20/04/2026

Hi all , as per attached the ANZAC day dawn service will be held this Saturday. With many thanks to our CFA and the Progress Association , a free breakfast will be served at the conclusion. This offering is provided in no small way thanks to the efforts of Brett and Terri , much appreciated guys.. The Coffee Roasters will also be open at this time with one dollar from each coffee etc being donated to the Ballan RSL. Thanks S & S..Sure beats Nescafe Blend 43 !! Finally, thanks to the members of the Ballan RSL and Blackwood Historical Society for helping make this day happen and a now permanent fixture on Blackwoods calender. See you there on this most remembrance/respect filled day.. Ray Castellin .

19/04/2026

Our Next Open Day will be May 3rd which is a Sunday!

This is to help The Great Trentham Spudfest with extra activities on the Sunday near by. We will open the doors from 10am till 2pm if you need to come earlier we can probably do that aswell!