It took me a while to dig these out. Chiltern is a gorgeous little town in North Eastern Victoria where many of the buildings have had plaques affixed, providing a short description and history.
This building was built in 1866, a popular time for Athenaeum construction in Australia following the gold rush in these small but prosperous towns. The Athenaeum was meant to be a place or club where the citizens could get their dose of learning from books, periodicals and newspapers. It also doubled as the Town Hall.
The neighboring town of Wangaratta also had an Athenaeum. As the story goes, the Wangaratta Athenaeum got a lot more popular when a billiards table was installed! Chiltern however had a separate and designated Billiards Room. Perhaps that will be my next Doors post.
The building was not open when I was there, possibly due to the time of day I visited.
Though the cobwebs around the door made me wonder.
Dancing with Magpies HOME 