An 18-place Nathalia Historical Short Walk can be photocopied for you at the Barmah Forest Heritage and Education Centre in the middle of Nathalia. It offers a succinct look at the most interesting buildings in the town. The numbers coincide with the numbers on the brochure. The highlights include:
1. Court House Hotel
Located on the corner of Blake and Pearce Streets, a timber hotel was built on this site in 1879. It burnt down in 1905 and the current building replaced it in 1906. It had 32 rooms. It was named the Court House because the first owner, Charles Whitty, was a policeman who used the hotel for court sessions.
2. Nathalia & District Historical Society Museum
Located at 43 Pearce Street and occupying the old Mechanics Institute (1887) and the surrounding grounds, the museum contains maps, books, memorabilia, old photographs and the grounds around the building have a range of historic farm equipment including important harvesting equipment. It is open on the second Sunday of each month from 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm, tel: (03) 5866 2289.
4. Post Office
Located in Blake Street, the Post Office, now commercial offices, dates from 1878 and was used as the town's post office until 1973. It is a decorative single-storey brick building with stucco mouldings and Jacobean touches. It was built in 1878 with the front office added in 1891 and the residence in 1915.
6. Nathalia Hotel
Located in Blake Street, the Nathalia Hotel was built in 1882. At the time it had 11 rooms for accommodation and proudly declared that it had good stables and two loose boxes for the horses owned by the residents. All the horses were fed by a full-time groom.
7. Bank of Australasia
Located in Blake Street, the Bank of Australasia was opened in 1889. It had cost over £1,500 to build. The manager at the time was George Keogh who was only 25 years old. He was paid £170 a year. It subsequently became the ANZ Bank but was closed in 2011.
10. War Memorial
The town's war memorial is in the central plantation on Blake Street, on the southern side of the Town Bridge which spans Broken Creek. It consists of a large rock bound in chains and bearing the names of the locals who died in the two world wars.
11. G.R.A.I.N Store Nathalia
Located in a converted grain store shopfront in the middle of town, The G.R.A.I.N Store is a not-for-profit nationally recognized rural arts centre with a history of exhibitions, performances and workshops.
The G.R.A.I.N. Store has been designated as a “Model Project” for rural development and arts and a unique relationship has been established with La Trobe University. It fosters art which furthers community, the environment, rural health, reconciliation and education locally, statewide and nationally, while contributing to the economic development of the area.
