In the Australian state of Victoria, the building material termed as ‘bluestone’ is basalt or olivine basalt of volcanic origin, and has been quarried by a number of companies throughout the state. During the 1850’s Gold Rush, the use of bluestone became the preferred material in the building trade.
Due to the hardness of bluestone, it was not suited to decorative carving, but provided a firm foundation for churches, warehouses, bridges and numerous public buildings. Some of Melbourne’s smaller lanes still bear witness to the durability of bluestone, which can be seen in cobblestone roads, gutters and curbing.
In Melbourne, the extensive use of bluestone during the nineteenth century was facilitated by local extraction of material from quarries in the Clifton Hill and Brunswick areas. And by the mid 1850’s, in Brunswick alone, the majority of its 3000-strong population was employed in either dressing bluestone or in brickmaking.
Bluestone was also sourced from many other areas of Victoria’s extensive volcanic plain, which extended from Melbourne and encompassed much of the western area of the state. It was widely used in towns and cities of central and western regions including Ballarat, Geelong, Kyneton, Port Fairy and Portland.
Bluestone was also transported as ship’s ballast, interstate for building work in Tasmania and New South Wales.
blessed bluestone 