The Bright Free Library - Ireland Street, Bright

            The first free library in Bright was a wooden building established in the mid 1880s.  However, but the Twentieth Century, the citizenry wanted something finer and more permanent as their free library, something that would reflect the stability and prosperity of the township.  Wangaratta architect J. E. Ludholm and building contractors Messrs. McNichol and McNichol were awarded the design and construction of the new Bright Free Library.  The elegant Federation Free Classical style building built on Ireland Street was the result. Completed in August 1910, the building was opened on the 23rd of September 1910.  Constructed of red brick with contrasting materials for decoration, it has a symmetrical façade, a prominent tower and decorative finials.  It also has some classical decorative accents.  All of these elements are common characteristics of  Federation Free Classical style architecture.  

Bright, a town in north-east Victoria, is situated in the Ovens Valley and is part of the Alpine Region of Victoria. 210 kilometres from Melbourne, Bright was one of the towns in the Ovens Valley where gold was discovered.  Gold was found near the junction of Morses Creek and the Ovens River in the 1850s.  Established in 1862 and named Bright, most likely after John Bright (1811 - 1889) an English publicist, reformer and parliamentarian the township thrived.  With the Gold Rush in full swing, Bright soon had Catholic, Wesleyan and Presbyterian churches, schools, three hotels, three quartz mills and two bank branches.  As the yield of gold declined in the 1870s, so too did Bright’s population, yet by the 1880s, it became an alpine tourism town.  The Bright Alpine club was formed in 1887 and a community library was started there in 1889. In the following year Bright was connected by railway to Myrtleford and Wangaratta, bringing with it much needed tourists from Melbourne.  In 1910 a grand chalet was opened at Mount Buffalo and Bright ran a hire car service for visitors, who often stayed there overnight at a hotel or guesthouse.  In 1919 a secondary school was opened in Bright.  It also had a tourist progress association and local angling, bowling, racing, tennis and golf clubs amongst its many attractions.  By the mid 1920s the people of Bright began planting exotic trees partly for landscape improvement and partly to lay the summer dust. The street tree plantings produced extraordinary autumn colours.  By 1933, Bright was described as the “Tourism Capital of the Ovens Valley”.  Bright’s train line continued until 1983 when it was finally discontinued and replaced with coaches.  By that time, it was a well established tourism town with people flocking there all throughout the year for different reasons.  Bright is a base for exploring the peaks of Mount Buffalo National Park and Alpine National Park as well as Mount Hotham, a popular ski resort.  Bright is a starting point for the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, a hiking and cycling path. Bright Museum, in the town’s former train station, documents rail and gold rush history.  The region is also known for wineries and of course its amazing display of autumnal foliage.

Taken in: Australia / Victoria / Bright (show map)

Taken on: May 2, 2021

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/3.2, 1/500 sec, 8.3mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/3.2
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	8.3mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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