John's Church of England, Riddells Creek, The Forgotten History Revealed

St John's Church of England, Riddells Creek, The Forgotten History Revealed

Edited by Robin Godfrey | 

The following account, researched by Riddells Creek Historian Robin Godfrey, explains where the original St. John Church was originally built - on the site of a present nursery.

A few years after the transition, the old Church was demolished and the existing one was built.

The following account was written by a journalist travelling on the newly open railroad to the goldfields of Castlemaine and Bendigo.

Historical Account from The Argus Newspaper, Thursday 25 July 1861, page 5

The journalist reviews the construction progress of the Melbourne to Bendigo Railway and his report gives a first-hand view from the train carriage window as he travels through Riddells Creek towards Woodend.

Mount Macedon with its mass of mountain and wood on the right (or the north) of the line. Below lies the newly proclaimed and rising township of Riddell's Creek. The stream is the same as that which farther down forms Jackson's Creek; and here it is a pretty clear and noisy streamlet, brawling over its shallows like an English brook. A neat church, in the English style, though built of less durable materials than are customary in such erections in England, rises from among a scattered collection of canvas huts, a few weatherboard houses of a more permanent character, and a perfect wilderness of ballast heaps, marked with the broad arrow, or with the less agreeable mark of official condemnation upon them.

On the left (or the south) of the line is Messrs. Riddell and Hamilton's station (Cairnhill). Riddell's Creek has been the great depot for the ballast required for the line. Its' quarries supplied the material to any extent, and the whole slope of the hill is covered with the teams of men engaged in this work, and in breaking up the stone to the requisite dimensions.

The line now enters the last series of bluestone cuttings, the basalt formation here terminating, and the line escaping from it in a long and heavy though not deep cutting, spanned about midway by an elliptic arch bridge, constructed solely of bluestone, from the end of this cutting to Woodend.

In 1865, St John's Church of England relocated from south of the Macedon River (Riddells Creek) to the north.

Land Sales and Community Efforts

The Argus Newspaper, Monday 28 August 1865, page 7, documents a land sale advertisement proving that, in 1865, the Church of England was located north of the railway line near the Common School. The Common School is where the Montessori Kindergarten is today (in 2025) and the (Old) Church of England was located in Melvins Road near to where the present St John's Anglican Church now stands in 2025.

The Bacchus Marsh Express Newspaper, Saturday 2 April 1881, page 3, shows that in 1881, the townspeople of Riddells Creek were actively engaged in raising funds for the repair and maintenance of the (Old) Church of England in Melvins Road. A concert was held on the 16th, arranged by Mrs. T. F. Hamilton and Mrs. C. Ryan, which was a decided success with high-class music and cultural performances.

New Church Construction and Local History

The Sunbury News, Saturday 19 June 1926, page 7, reports a new Church of England was about to be erected near where the old building had been for over 60 years. The old Church, erected in the 1850s, was historically significant, built during the main Bendigo line construction. The township was initially where Smith's Nursery was established. The old Church was used for many purposes during railway construction days, including as a morgue, and was reputed to be haunted.

The present St John's Anglican Church in 2025 stands with its Church Hall built approximately where the old St John's C of E stood. The conifer tree in the foreground is the same tree as the immature one featured in the old photograph of the church.

Noted a few days later on their Facebook page:

"After 160 years, the historic Anglican church is set to be sold, with just a handful of parishioners left. Locals are upset about the lack of community consultation, saying the church has been part of weddings, funerals, and history for generations. The sale (which the church now denies) aims to fund redevelopment of a parish in Gisborne — but many feel it’s the end of an era for Riddells Creek.

To sum up, the present church is 100 years old next year and is under special Preservation Orders from the Macedon Ranges Shire Council - a fact that most parishioners were not told until last week.

A group of parishioners and concerned townspeople have developed a facebook page to keep the town informed of efforts to save the church. These efforts may involve using the church and its hall for musical events and social activities and occasional religious services."

For more on the broader context of Anglican heritage and challenges, see TheGoodNews story: Planting and Closing: The Global Anglican Dilemma of Law, Heritage, and Faithfulness by Shane Reynolds, June 12, 2025.

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Editors note: More stories coming — we are covering "Save St Johns Riddells Creek" closely and speaking directly with their team.