A PERFORMANCE by one of the University of Melbourne’s finest college choirs in Beechworth’s historic Anglican Christ Church, guided walks below the town’s impressive trees and a hosted tour of the Hotel Nicholas historic photograph collection are features of this year’s National Trusts’ Australian Heritage Festival.

The 14 choristers of Queen’s College Chapel will launch the event program, called ‘Dig into Beechworth’, by singing in Christ Church a program called ’60 minutes of bliss’ on Saturday, 5 April.

The concert will include works by musicians ranging from Italian late Renaissance composer Giovanni Palestrina to The Beatles.

On 12 April hotelier Ross and Lorraine Lucas will lead a guided tour of historic photographs in their extensive Hotel Nicholas collection, including many images associated with the gold rush and the bush-ranging Kelly Gang.

On 13 April, in Quercus Beechworth’s Oregon Hall, Beechworth History and Heritage chair Jamie Kronborg will speak about the life and life-saving work of Beechworth-born Jean Macnamara.

As a medical scientist, Dr Macnamara led research into poliomyelitis therapy and went on to campaign for the release of the myxoma virus to combat Australia’s rabbit plague in the mid-20th century.

On 26 April and 10 May the festival will feature ‘Treestoreys’, guided 90-minute walks of Beechworth’s historic trees and treescape, drawing on extensive work and information gathered by the former Beechworth Treescape Group during its campaign to prevent the felling of some important trees.

On 17 May heritage adviser and architect Deborah Kemp and Jamie Kronborg will discuss ‘Democracy: digging for the vote’, and the conditions that led miners to rally against the extortionate gold licence.

The miners’ campaign against “taxation without representation” developed well ahead of the Eureka rebellion near Ballarat in December 1854.

The last festival event will be ‘Autumn afternoon’, a concert in Christ Church on 24 May by soprano and The Beechworth Singers’ director Colleen Arnott and musician Sandra Williams performing works written for Nellie Melba and others written by Grainger, Gershwin and Australian composer Carl Vine.

For information and tickets go to beechworthhistoryandheritage.com/post/dig-into-beechworth.

Funds raised from ticket sales support Beechworth History and Heritage Society’s volunteer work and events and the maintenance of Christ Church’s important, heritage-listed pipe organ and grand piano.