Where is Skeleton Hill and why is it so special?
Chiltern (pop.1400) is one of four communities in the Indigo Shire in North East Victoria that are sometimes referred to as Australia’s best collection of significant gold field heritage towns. Chiltern is unique, in that it is the only town, certainly in Victoria, that contains three National Trust properties open to the public.
It is believed that Chiltern was so named because the surrounding hilly landscape reminded some of its early European settlers of the Chiltern Hills in south east England. There is a feature called Skeleton Hill in the Chiltern Hills.
The Chiltern - Mt Pilot NP virtually surrounds Chiltern, and near the town the dominant landscape feature is Skeleton Hill. Its ridge-line runs roughly east-west, with the eastern extremity of the hill being inside the NP. The western side of the hill is privately owned land clearly protruding out of the NP, because in contrast to its eastern side it contains far less trees.
There are three major hills in the region around Chiltern, Mt Lady Franklin near the neighbouring township of Barnawartha, Skeleton Hill, and Mt Pilot itself, a further ten kilometres to the south of Skeleton Hill.
In the late 1800’s these three iconic landscape features were all the subject of many paintings by the noted artist Alfred William Eustace. Eustace was a shepherd, who lived virtually at the foot of Skeleton Hill. He had lived in the Chiltern Hills in England before emigrating.
It is possible, but not verified, that Eustace himself may have given this hill the name Skeleton Hill. The hill has always been regarded with affection by Chiltern locals; particularly those who as children utilised it for all sorts of adventurous activities.
Being a major landmark, Skeleton Hill provides a wonderful backdrop to Chiltern when approaching from the north, and when travelling along the Hume Freeway from the south- west is the dominant landscape feature, being at times directly in the traveller’s eye-line for several kilometres leading to Chiltern.
Should the proposed quarry eventuate, these travellers will have an unparalleled view of the face of the quarrying activities. The southerly approach to Chiltern from nearby Beechworth provides magnificent uninterrupted views of Skeleton Hill, particularly so from atop Mt. Pilot, itself a significant tourist site.
The Google Map pictured below indicates where the current quarry is positions. The proposed new quarry will be positioned to the bottom left in the squarer area that is currently speckled with trees. This can be pictured better on our "Proposed Quarry" page.
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