About the Historical walk

Undertake a self-guided historical walk of Clare with an brochure. There are plaques on historic buildings throughout the town.

Clare was established in 1842 by Edward Burton Gleeson, and named after his ancestral home of County Clare in Ireland. The town was first named Inchiquin, which this was later changed. Lake Inchiquin is now the name of a reservoir located to the north of the town, near the golf club. A railway line was built from Riverton to Clare in 1919 and on to Spalding in 1922. It closed in 1974 and the tracks were removed in the 1980s after damage caused by the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983. The alignment now carries the Riesling Trail walking and cycling trail. The layout of the town’s road system was apparently designed by a draughtsman in Adelaide, without any knowledge of the local geography. There are several roads in Clare that end abruptly at a cliff face, only to continue again at the top of the cliff.

Approximate time for the full walk at a leisurely pace is 1.5 hours.

Pick up the walk brochure from the Clare Valley Visitor Information Centre or download the walk brochure.

Prepared by the Lions Club of Clare District and the Clare Regional History Group.