If the walls of the Beechworth Courthouse could talk, oh the stories they would tell.
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Of prisoners, police, politicians and pioneers, of dastardly deeds, determined dignitaries, decent men (and women), of the trials and tribulations of a fledgling justice system.
Of how the wild west of the nation's gold rush days was tamed.
And now, thanks to a $1 million cultural heritage collaboration between Indigo Council and the Victorian government, the walls of this beautifully preserved building will literally come to life with the stories of its remarkable history.
It was during a personal holiday to Normandy, France that Cameron Auty was to discover the inspiration for this proposal for the Beechworth Historic Precinct.
The Burke Museum and Cultural Heritage manager visited Rouen Cathedral, where Joan of Arc was put on trial.
There he experienced a powerful multimedia tour documenting the story of one of the most famous heroines in history.
The faces and voices of those who tried and ultimately sent this girl to her death are projected from within the walls in "a beautiful interpretation" of this famous story.
"It was hugely powerful - I walked out feeling as if I had lived some of this history, not just looked at it," Mr Auty recalls.
This was to become the catalyst for imagining how that visitor experience could be recreated at Australia's best preserved gold rush town.
At the Beechworth Historic Courthouse, with famous tales, triumphs and tragedies of its own.
At the place which saw more than 40 trials of Ned Kelly, his family and supporters including the committal hearing that sealed the bushranger's fate after the siege at Glenrowan.
Where "hanging judge" Sir Redmond Barry presided, where Elizabeth Scott was tried and became the first woman hanged in Victoria, where many more lesser known women, children and migrants stood within its now heritage-listed walls.
Their stories and the rich drama of Australia's emerging system of law and order will be re-created using state-of-the-art projection technology interwoven with traditional museum displays, artefacts, tours and storytelling.
The two-year project, which kicked off on July 1, has been driven by Indigo Council's desire to "better tell the rich, authentic stories of Beechworth and optimise the experiences in our heritage buildings," says tourism manager Susannah Doyle.
"Our history is a critical foundation stone for creating vibrant, connected communities," she says.
"Gaining a deeper understanding of the stories Beechworth has to tell connects us to place and to community ...we understand who we are."
From the colourful tapestry of the extensive law library, judge's chambers and barristers' rooms to the holding cells, witness room and main courtroom, visitors will be immersed in a history lesson like no other.
Barristers' voices will boom across chambers in heated debate, wigged judges will appear to deliver their verdicts, prisoners will share haunting tales of woe in whispers and wails as the whole building comes alive through the use of film projections and carefully mapped sound, lighting and displays.
The centrepiece of the experience will unfold in the main court room with simultaneous, timed projections of key moments of Ned Kelly's trial including the judge, accused, witnesses and jury while visitors sit surrounded in the public gallery.
Ms Doyle says the beauty of projection technology is that it doesn't impact on the nationally significant and incredibly well preserved buildings.
"The vision is that every building will tell its own authentic story that collectively tells the history of Beechworth," she says.
Council's $500,000 injection of funds has been matched with an equal contribution from the state government's Regional Infrastructure Fund.
Ms Doyle says the vision is to build visitor numbers (currently about 25,000 a year) to 100,000 a year over the next decade.
Long-term resident Erin Davis-Hartwig is excited by the "cutting edge" project she believes will not only attract tourists but encourage locals to to re-connect with the town's rich history.
"When I go to museums in Melbourne, the contemporary displays use digital imagery to engage the audience and you can have a more absorbing and interesting experience," she says.
And that's something Mr Auty is banking on since a critical component of this project is presenting the "bigger picture" of how our justice system was forged out of the chaos of the gold rush era.
It's not just about telling stories of colourful characters, or indeed black-and-white representations of our "heroes" or "villains", but a much closer examination of the deeply complex layers of society at that time.
The aim is to tell the "authentic story" of this pivotal justice precinct including the often neglected voices of women, migrants and indigenous cultures.
"Hopefully people will come out with a far better understanding of the history of law and our legal system," he says.
Even more importantly, this is a powerful opportunity to inspire and educate future generations about the significance of "how that Australia came to be the Australia we are now".
So that history does not repeat itself.
