Of course, Tallygaroopna has more history and humour than of the toilet variety to brag about, and the town’s history group president, Trish Moss (née Strang), will share many a tale while guiding a one-hour heritage walk on October 20.
Hear about Mrs J. Sandilands, who once ran a tea shop next to her home, serving arvo teas, sweets and ice-cream that she’d churned by hand, before ringing a bell — ice-cream truck style — to signal to the townsfolk it was ready for sale, so they could buy it before it melted.
Or Rowe’s Store, a mixed business that not only sold groceries, pies and vegetables brought in by a Chinese gardener, but made and repaired shoes on the verandah, too.
You can learn about more interesting characters from the history books, the fires, the floods, the buildings, the banks, butchers, bakehouses and watering holes on the walk, which culminates in a morning tea at the town’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hall.
The hall itself is rich in heritage, having celebrated its milestone centenary year last year.
Registered with the Victorian War Heritage Inventory and as a ‘Place of Pride’ with the Australian War Memorial, it also harbours a mysterious dugout underneath it, which can be explored by guests on the historic Victorian Seniors Festival tour.
The walk begins at 10am on Monday, October 20, at the Soldiers’ Memorial Hall in Victoria St.
