This self-guided tour is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the rich history as you uncover the stories behind the sites that are sprinkled around the township of Howlong.
The Howlong Hovell tree was planed by President of the Hume Shire Council, Mr J Pearce Smith junior, on 10th August 1938. The tree is located in the recreation section of Lowe Square Reserve. The tree was grown by Mr W Fellows, curator of the Albury Botanical Gardens, from seeds taken from the 'Hovell Tree' Located on the bank of the Murray River…
This house was the abode of Jim Dalton in about 1910. Subsequently, the house has been a residence, antique furniture store and a restaurant.
Mr William Thomas Day was born at sea off the coast of Madagascar in 1879. When he was old enough he mounted his bicycle in Melbourne and rode as far as Howlong. At 15 years of age he obtained an apprenticeship with Mr Ashford as a coach builder and blacksmith. On completion of his apprenticeship he entered into a partnership with Mr Steve May and…
Travel north-west along the Riverina Highway to view the impressive red brick structure that is the Howlong Hotel. The Albury Newspaper records that the Howlong Hotel was opened on 1 January 1857 and built for Matthew Woodward Pearce. The first licensee was Hector Mackenzie. In the mid-1860s, it was purchased by Armer Boyle from Newry, Ireland. He…
Mr Thomas Harris purchased the site of the former bank on 16 January 1867. He died two years later and the property title was transferred to his son. The next recorded transaction is a confirmation made between Ms Mary Darby, Mr William Henry Easterby and Mr Armer Boyle to the Corporation of the Bank of Australasia. The conveyance transferring the…
Mr John Garde Drew was born in 1828 in Ireland. He arrived in Australia in 1841 and was appointed Howlong's first postmaster in 1961. He operated a general store and died in 1901. He was buried in the Howlong Cemetery. His son John Garde Drew Junior was born in 1861 and was a stockman. He established a butcher shop that was located directly…
Formerly known as the Wallis', Osborne's or the McCormack's Store. The western side of the shop used to be the Black's Butcher Shop and the white washed walls are still in evidence. The shop was then taken over by Charlie Cork who turned it into a bookmakers establishment. The building was sold to Mr Ron Wallis who built the existing shop. The…
The original store was owned by Mr Armer Boyle. Mr William Hamilton was bored in Scotland in 1833 and arrived in Australia in 1852. In 1877 he settled in Howlong, married Boyle's daughter and took over the drapery and grocery business. The store was inherited by his son Mr William Barr Hamilton and his sons took over the store in 1938 after his…
Still in use today, the Courthouse Hotel stands proudly at the top end of Hawkins Street and is home to the popular Courthouse Kitchen.The original building was erected by Mr William Murdock in 1879. The licensee was Mr James Stanton. It was initially called Ramsey's Hotel but the name was changed to link it with the Howlong Court House which was…
In its long life, the Mechanics Institute has operated intermittently as a cinema for irregular screenings over the years, among other uses. Earlier records however state that the Howlong School of Arts was built by Mr W. Squires and opened on 21 October 1887. It can only be concluded that the façade of the building was added in 1895 by contractor…
Four commercial business have operated on this site. A garage and bakers shop, and a butchers shop was located on the western side of the existing shop. It is now the newsagent.
The Anglicans built the church in 1865 and it was consecrated by the Bishop of Goulburn, the Right Reverend Mesac Thomas on 3rd May 1876. By the turn of the century, the foundations of the church were unsound and the east end was pulled down. A new chancel and vestry were dedicated in August 1904. The church hall was added in 2010.
Howlong's first police station was opened in 1857. In 1879 a combined Police Station and Court House was erected. The brick building was located between the existing Police Station and the Bush Fire Brigade building. It originally consisted of a court room, magistrates room, clerk of petty sessions room, police station, two cells, walled exercise…
Presbyterians first held church services at Howlong in about 1886. Early services were held in St Thomas' Church until St Andrews' Church was built in 1900. St Andrews' congregation joined the uniting Church of Australia in 1970.
Howlong Station was formed in 1837 by Mr John Hawdon. The size was estimated to be 64,000 acres in 1848 but this gradually reduced to 38,400 acres as indicated in the NSW Gazette in 1866. With no homestead in existence the only building a modest slab hut on ports 42A and 43, west of Pearce Street, accompanied by yards for marshalling cattle. The…
With plenty of room to relax and enjoy the Murray River, Howlong Memorial Park boasts a picturesque foreshore location that is perfect for a family day out. Kids will love a day playing on the play equipment, running around the wide-open lawns, trying their hand at fishing or using their imagination to picnic with pixies and fairies in the…
Catholic presence in Howlong can be traced back to 1858. Records indicate that Father Richard Butler married Mr John Conway and Ms Johanna Leahy in Howlong on 9th May 1874. The first church in Hammer Street was opened on August 5th 1877 by Dr Michael McAlroy at a cost of 560 pounds. St Brigid's was opened by the Most Revered Dr Henschke D.D.…
Younghusbands and Dalgety's Stockyards were located in this vicinity. The sales were conducted once a month on Thursday's from 9..00am to 6.00pm.The famous 100 Mile Horse Race was also conducted in this area in 1873. The horses were 'Viking' owned by Mr Jack Everitt and 'John Sullivan' owned by Mr Ted Brown. The jockeys were Mr Bill Howard on…
Located on the banks of the Murray River, Howlong's permanent Common was dedicated in 1870. The Common is a significant part of British heritage, as are other commons to be found North of the Murray. The land is owned by the State and is administered by a Trust. 'Commoners' have the right to have a set number of cows and calves on the common. The…
The Historic Crossing Place is situated downstream from the Leahy Bridge, the first in a series of bridges crossing the Murray in Howlong from New South Wales to Victoria. To the right of Rutherglen Road on the Victorian side, the Historic Crossing Place is a pleasant roadside stopping place.This stop is significant because, on the night of 17…
Lowe Square was notified as a reserve on 24 December 1861. Mr Lowe donated the land to the authorities for a sports area. The original Howlong Golf Course was located on this site. The course was laid out in 1928 with the first tee in the north east corner and a fairway past the football ground to a sandscape in the south east corner. Today, Lowe…
The school was established as a National School in 1861. The first teacher's name was Ms Emma Hegarty and she had 22 pupils. The next school cost 547 pounds and was built in 1872. Another room was added in 1922. The existing school, incorporating the 1872 buildings was completed in 1990.
The Flour Mill was built for Mr Edwards in 1865. 140,000 bricks were made and fired near the cemetery. The walls are 45cm thich. The mill was operated by a 26 horsepower engine operative six millstones.The engineer was responsible for the installation of the machinery was Mr Edmund Walter. The mill commenced production in 1867 and the flour won a…
The Cemetery was initially dedicated in 1863. Prior to that time burials took place in many locations. Diggers without fail picked a sandy spot and known graves were shifted to the cemetery. Eventually, the Elm trees and rabbits created difficulties so an additional area of acres was added to the cemetery on 23rd February 1889. This enabled…
This superb 18-hole golf course appeals to all golfers. It's a challenge and you will relish a friendly round with your peers. The relatively flat course is in immaculate condition and is regarded as one of the best all-weather courses in the district and is on the previous site of the Howlong Racecourse.Players and holidaymakers alike flock to…
Federation Council would like to show appreciation to those who contributed to this guide, in particular the Howlong History Group and Mr Ron Wilkin
