At 11.30am on 13th October 1867, Jessie, four years and five months old, wandered away from her home [3] which was located next to “Strawberry Glen”, the property of David Kerr. Her father saw her leave but thought she was looking for her brother. When his son returned without Jessie he began the search.
At 12.30 she was seen by Edward Jenner 100 yards in the bush near the Old Hopeful Mine [4]. Mr Jenner did not realise she was lost, and it was not until 5pm after hearing of a lost girl that he notified the police. Further searches were unsuccessful.
On October 20th, in an attempt to recover the body, major searches took place, starting at the Greenhill Flat Bridge [5] and the bridge across King Gully [7]. These were unsuccessful.
On Tuesday the 23rd, John Hodges was cutting mine props in King Gully near the National Mine [6]. He discovered the remains of Jessie McIntosh “right at the top of the range at the south side of King Gully” [8].
Jessie is buried in the Buninyong Cemetery, Presbyterian Section Plot No 25.
WALK DETAILS
Walk Distance: 19 km
Difficulty Level: Medium-Hard
Estimated Time: 5 – 6 hours
MGA94 Co-Ords of Start/Finish:
E 754450 N 5829200
POINTS OF INTEREST
1. De Soza Park
2. Buninyong Gardens
3. McIntosh home
4. Old Hopeful Mine
5. Greenhill Flat Bridge
6. National Mine
7. King Gully Bridge
8. Body found
