Attractions and Festivals of Yackandandah

Remember to come and check out the Yackandandah folk festival in March each year. People getting together to celebrate, play and listen to good music, to dance and maybe learn a new skill. We hope that you are able to make the most of this great musical event, with the opportunity to enjoy all that Yackandandah has to offer. We have outdoor stages, childrens activities, workshops and concerts featuring International and Australian talent. Meander through market stalls and visit tourist venues with entertainment and great food.

Gold Discovery Site and Police Paddock

Alluvial gold was found in 1852 at the junction of Yackandandah and Commissioners Creeks. A lucrative field for small miners, settlements sprang up along the creek, followed by reef mining in the hills. During the depression people eked out a living in the area, with gold fragments still to be found. A police camp, the Police Paddock, was set up in 1853 overlooking Commissioners Creek, followed by the lock up, residence, police station and court house.

The Gorge

At the top end of Whiskey Flat, Messrs Edwards and party constructed a tail race in 1859. This was deepened in the early 1880s and now forms the gorge which diverts the creek from its former course. A 2 to 3 minute walk takes you to the gorge, two man made stone diversion walls and through an area that was extensively mined. Return to town the same way turning right into Windham Street.

Yackandandah General Cemetery

Established on its present site in 1859, the cemetery contains memorials and stories of many of the district’s pioneers. Up the hill and to the right there is an area reserved for Chinese graves. Fine timber gates built in 1881 were replaced to the same design in 1915. The prominent trees, a Canary Island Strawberry Tree, an Irish Strawberry Tree and a Lawson Cypress are on the National Trust Significant Tree Register