Ten-Inch Daylesford Block

 

When I saw the name of today’s block, my first thought was it might have something to do with the Yorkshire Dales, an upland area of the Pennines in Northern England. But then it would have been spelled in two words, without the “Y.” So, I looked up the name. Daylesford (one word, with a “Y”) refers to a spa town in Victoria, about 70 miles northwest of Melbourne, Australia. In 1848, European settlers called this place “Wombat Flats.” But three years later gold was discovered here. There was the inevitable rush and boom, and the resulting town got a more gentrified name. Eventually, of course, the gold ran out. But there are 65 mineral springs in the area – 80 percent of Australia’s mineral springs are right here – and in the early 1900’s this was a very fashionable place to come “take the waters.” With art galleries, restaurants, gardens and B&Bs, it’s still a popular tourist destination.