TRAWALLA SCHOOL

TRAWALLA-WATERLOO ROAD AND WESTERN HIGHWAY TRAWALLA, PYRENEES SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    TRAWALLA SCHOOL - History

    Aboriginal occupation of the Trawalla area (the name is thought to mean 'wild water' or 'much rain') spans centuries and millennia, as recent investigations in the area have shown (Anderson et al. 2011). The first European settlers in Trawalla set up sheep and cattle grazing runs, and Trawalla station was established in 1838/9 (Anderson 1969). The early years of European settlement are recorded in Katherine Kirkland's memoir, 'Life in the Bush', published in 1845 (Anderson 1969). Following the discovery of gold in the Beaufort and Waterloo areas from the 1850s, Trawalla would have experienced growth, and it might have been the location of one of the coaching stations run by Cobb & Co. which operated a line along what is now the Western Highway. In the 1870s, the Ballarat to Ararat railway opened, and Trawalla station was located on this line, between Burrumbeet and Beaufort.

    The site is likely to be the site of the first school at Trawalla. Trawalla is famed as the birthplace of James Henry Scullin, Australian prime minister between 1929-1932. It is possible that Scullin attended the school located at the present site. According to a local history of the Trawalla area (Nunan 1971), the first records of a headmaster at Trawalla school date from 1885. Whether this was located at the present site is uncertain. The school was closed in the late 1960s and a new primary school was later built on the opposite side of Mount Emu Creek.

    Interpretation of Site

    TRAWALLA SCHOOL - Interpretation of Site

    There can be little certainty about the site's chronology and development and the activities occurring there on the limited recorded evidence. The basalt feature in the southwest of the area might be part of the main school building, which shows up on aerial photographs taken in 1963 (906/6 Standard Mapsheet Photography, 7523S4, 906/6, no. 84). Artefacts nearby include ceramic and glass sherds that appear to date from the early 20th century. The concrete footings in the northeast of the area probably date from the mid- or second half of the 20th century. The site's function as a school is likely to have lasted from between 1885 and 1971 .

    Archaeological Significance

    TRAWALLA SCHOOL - Archaeological Significance

    There is a high likelihood of in situ structural remains and artefact deposits. The site is assessed to have moderate archaeological significance.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    TRAWALLA SCHOOL - Heritage Inventory Description

    The grounds of the former school at Trawalla are situated in a plot of land between the Western Highway and Waterloo Road, west of Mount Emu Creek, Trawalla, The plot is encircled by overgrown pine and fir trees; towards the southwest is a circular feature of basalt blocks; in the northeast is a concrete platform - the footings of a structure; piles of brick and some glass and ceramic fragments are spread across the area. Aerial photographs from the 1960s show a structure, since demolished, to the west of the site.

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