Discover the history of Howlong The Historic Crossing Place This self-guided tour is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the rich history as you uncover the stories behind the twentyeight sites that are sprinkled around the township of Howlong. The tour takes approximately 3 hours by foot or one hour by car. Howlong’s origins can be traced back to 1836 when the NSW surveyor-general, Major Mitchell set up camp on the southern bank before crossing the river as part of his Australia Felix expedition. In 1838 Joseph Hawdon set off from Howlong on the first Overland Cattle Drive to Adelaide. The same river crossing was used by Hawdon for the first overland mail delivery from Port Phillip (Melbourne) to Yass, thence to Sydney via stage coach.
Federation Council would like to show appreciation to those who contributed to this guide, in particular the Howlong History Group and Mr. Ron Wilkin.
26. The Flour Mill, The Residence and The Mill Hotel The Flour Mill was built for Mr Edwards in 1865. 140,000 bricks were made and fired near the cemetery. The walls are 45cm thick. The mill was operated by a 26 horsepower engine operative six millstones. The engineer responsible for the installation of the machinery was Mr Edmund Walter. The mill commenced production in 1867 and the flour won a gold medal at the Philadelphia World Fair. It is interesting to note that the mill featured an exhaust fan that sucked refuse instead of blowing it over the country side, indicating that Howlong was in the conservation and environmental business in 1867.
1. The Howlong Hovell Tree The Howlong Hovell tree was planted by President of the Hume Shire Council, Mr J Pearce Smith junior, on 10 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 at Albury. William Hovell carved his initials and year on the tree when he passed through on his overland journey from Sydney to Melbourne in 1824. 2. The Peppercorn Cottage This house was the abode of Mr Jim Dalton in about 1910. Subsequently, the house has been a residence, antique furniture store and a restaurant. 3. The Blacksmith Shop and Garage 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 built a wheel wright and blacksmith shop in Hawkins Street. William’s son, Mr Mick Day took over the business from his father and operated it as the Howlong Garage for another 40 years.
The Mill Hotel The Mill Hotel was built by Mr George Fuller in about 1870 for Mr William Easterby. Mr John Joseph Costello was the licensee in 1870 followed by Ms Matilda Lester. Ultimately, it was purchased by Mr George Fuller. George married the daughter of Mr Neville Walter who owned the Border Inn Hotel. As well as running the 12 roomed hotel, he farmed the 40 acres of land adjacent to it. The hotel was delicenced in 1920 and purchased by Mr Robert Walter who changed the name to ‘Piercefield’ after the Walter’s family estate in England. 27. The Howlong Cemetery 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 23 February 1889. This enabled specific zones to be set aside for the main denominations. The Cemetery gates were installed in 1930 and the Columbarium built in 1987. The lawn cemetery and rose garden cemetery were added in 2011.
Mr Edwards built for himself a residence which must be one of the oldest and best preserved residences in the district. In 1900, the mill building and residence was purchased by Mr Thomas Ashford and converted into a coach building works. Ashford was elected to the first Hume Shire Council in 1906 and was Shire President on a number of occasions.
28. The Howlong Golf Club The Howlong Golf Club was originally on the location of the Howlong Race Course. The first races in Howlong were staged on 28 & 29 February 1860. The 100 mile race in 1873 took place around the old Roman Catholic Church. The first record of a race course on this site was notification in the Government Gazette of a reserve for a race course in Howlong dedicated on 7 September 1910. An additional area was added on 12 April 1929. In 1959 a letter arrived from the Minister of Lands enquiring about the future use of the land as the government of the day was considering selling any unused property. The secretary of the Race Course Committee immediately contacted the local State Member and explained the extremely cramped location of the Golf Course at Lowe Square. At a committee meeting on 5 May 1959, a letter was tabled from the Minister of Lands informing the club that the status of the race course was being reviewed and asking if the Golf Club would be interested in re‑establishing in that area. The outcome, after careful negotiation, was the Golf Club purchase of the land freehold ensuring its future as the Howlong Golf Club.
4. The Howlong Hotel The Albury Newspaper records that the Howlong Hotel was opened on 1 January 1857 and built for Mr Matthew Woodward Pearce. The first licensee was Mr Hector Mackenzie. In the mid 1860’s, it was purchased by Mr Armer Boyle. Boyle was born in Newry, Ireland in 1835. He migrated to Australia in 1854 at the time of the gold rushes and settled in Howlong in the early 1860’s. In 1869, Boyle organised the quickest journey from Albury to Melbourne. Passengers would leave Albury at 3am on the Deniliquin coach. Another coach took them from Deniliquin to Echuca where a Melbourne train was waiting. Two years later he went one better by organising the Albury coach to travel to Tocumwal and meet the paddlesteamer ‘Wahgunyah’ heading for Echuca. Mr Armer Boyle had 12 children and died in July 1906 aged 70 years. He is buried in the Pioneer section of the Howlong cemetery.
5. The Howlong Bank
6. The Howlong Butchery Mr John Garde Drew was born in 1828 in Ireland. He arrived in Australia in 1841 and was appointed Howlong’s first postmaster in 1861. 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 opposite the entrance to Lowe Square. He married Ms Alice Easterby and died in 1947. During his life the decision was made to move the butcher shop uptown to the location indicated on the map. The shop remained in the ownership of the Drew family until it was eventually sold by Mr Harry Drew in 1966. This site is now occupied by a funeral parlor.
Mr Thomas Harris purchased the site of the former bank on 16 January 1857. He died two years later and the property title was transferred to his son.
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transaction is a confirmation made between Ms Mary Darby, Mr William Henry Easterby and Mr Armer Boyle to the Corporation of the Bank of Australiasia. The conveyance transferring the ownership of the land from the Bank of Australasia to the Australia and New Zealand Bank took place on 9 September 1955. The building is now owned by Federation Council and is the Howlong Library and Resource Centre.
7. The General Store Formerly knows as Wallis’, Osborne’s or the McCormack’s Store. The western side of the shop used to be 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 next owners were the Osbornes followed by the McCormacks. 8. The Hamilton’s General Store The original store was owned by Mr Armer Boyle. Mr William Hamilton was born 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 death. The store was destroyed by fire in 1941 and was rebuilt in 1949 as it is today. In 1976 the store was sold ending 100 years of ownership by the Hamilton family. It is now the Howlong Cafe.
Upon request of the individual owners of the privately owned buildings on the trail be respectful when visiting. The premises may not be entered unless prior arrangements have been made with the property owners. Corowa Visitor Information Centre 100 Edward Street, Corowa Civic Centre, Corowa NSW 2646 (02) 6033 3221 tourism@federationcouncil.nsw.gov.au www.northofthemurray.com.au Find us on Facebook & Instagram @northofthemurray #northofthemurray Howlong Library & Resource Centre 59 Hawkins Street, Howlong NSW 2640 (02) 6026 5055 Get involved & learn more about local history! Got a story, family photo, or question about local history? The Howlong Historical Society would love to connect: • Email: Drop a note anytime to howlonghistory@gmail.com • Meet the Historians: Society members host regular drop-in sessions. To check when a volunteer will next be available, pop into the Howlong Council Office & Library for current days and times Tip: keep an eye on the library noticeboard for upcoming historical walks, updates to the trail & special displays! DISCLAIMER: This document is to be used as a guide only. Federation Council makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Federation Council and their employees shall not be liable in any way for loss of any kind, including damages, costs, interest loss of profits or special loss or damage arising from any error, incompleteness or other defect in this information: PUBLISHER: Federation Council, November 2018 Creative Design & Printing: Specialty Press, Albury
Howlong History Trail