A famous man

It's good fun mooching around the Mitcham Cemetery.  So many famous names - some rich, and some not so rich, but all of them with their own stories.

Back in the 1870's, South Australia was very nearly bankrupt.  The gold rush was on in Victoria, and men were leaving in droves to try and strike it lucky.

These very same men found out that they could make more money by selling their gold in South Australia.  Police Commissioner Alexander Tolmer suggested an overland gold escort service from Victoria to South Australia, designed to reverse the drain of currency from the colony during the gold rush. 

The connection between Belair National Park and Mr. Tolmer was that he  used to rest his horses in the Park, and these days there is a picnic area called Gold Escort.