John Riddoch

Born in Banffshire, Scotland, John Riddoch (1827-1901) was a 23 year-old brickmaker when he migrated to Victoria in 1852. At the forefront of the gold rush to the Ovens Valley diggings, he soonstruck gold, immediately bought a bullock wagon, and became a trader and gold-buyer. Within two years he established himself as a wine and general merchant in Geelong, and was able to marry fellow migrant, Elizabeth King.

Purchasing Yallum, near Penola, at shearing time in 1861, Riddoch eventually expanded the property to 50,000 hectares, carrying 110,000 sheep and 3,000 cattle. At the same time, he was the local Member of Parliament from 1865 to 1873, and obtained much-needed funds for roads and education. The Riddoch Highway and Mount Gambier’s Riddoch Art Gallery commemorate his contribution to the district.

He was also instrumental in bringing a railway to the South East, which made it economically feasible for him to subdivide his prime tract of terra rossa soil in 1890, and establish Coonawarra. His obituary in 1901 acknowledged him as ‘The Father of the South East’.

For further information, please see: The Life of John Riddoch.