By Ewen McRae
The history of Melton will come alive as part of the Australian Heritage Festival this weekend.
Events are happening across the region, but one of the most popular is the Walk Among the Tombstones event at the Melton Cemetery, shining a light on some of the interesting and noteworthy residents of the area.
The tour will be led by local historian Judith Bilszta and organiser Deb Slattery and will feature stories of the sometimes tragic and sometimes amazing lives and deaths of early residents of the district.
Ms Slattery said the 157-year-old cemetery had plenty of stories.
“We’ll go through some of the older tombstones, with a talk on each one, and different information on what we know about them,” she said.
“People are always interested in learning about local history, and I think since Melton has so many new people moving into the area there’s an eagerness to get to know some of that.
“There’s history going back to the 1840s in this township.”
The first tour on April 26 had more than 60 attendees. The final tour will be held on May 4.
Other Heritage Festival events include a tour with indigenous elders to prominent local sites, and the Heritage of the Air bus tour.
Melton mayor Bob Turner encouraged residents to explore the various events happening across the municipality as part of the festival, which runs until May 19.
“We’ve had an incredible response to this year’s Heritage Festival, and some events have already booked out,” Cr Turner said.
Information on the Australian Heritage Festival and local events can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.au/ahf.
