In the late 1850s, Daylesford had no facility to restrain the miscreants who came in ever-increasing numbers as gold was discovered in the area.

A story in The Daylesford Advocate on Saturday 30 April 1859 highlighted the problem and seemingly kicked off a successful campaign to address the issue.

ESCAPE FROM SPRING CREEK LOCK-UP

On Sunday night last, a Chinaman named Ah Tah, who was in custody for stealing wash dirt, and who was awaiting examination at the Daylesford Police Court, contrived to effect his escape from the above lock-up, by drawing one of the staples on which the door was hung, and got clear away.  A little while before, the policeman on duty had visited the place, and being satisfied that all was right, had retired to his room: but in the course of an hour, on his paying another visit, he found his bird had flown. 

In the hurry of escaping, he left a portion of his pigtail in a crevice of the door, where it had evidently got jambed (sic) in the hurry to escape.

It was decided long ago that a lock-up should be built at Daylesford, where the police court and other buildings are, but this has not yet been done, and prisoners for examination are confined at Spring Creek, from which place they have to be brought to Daylesford, a distance of two miles, and when committed, taken back again.

How long are the people of the district willing to suffer from this and other neglect?  Up and doing must be their motto, if they desire to be placed on a footing with other districts where so much supineness does not exist

A police reserve of 66.8 acres was set aside on Wombat Hill when Daylesford was first surveyed in 1854.  A government camp was established with space to graze and exercise police horses.  In 1859, the first Courthouse and rudimentary police quarters, lock-up and stabling were built.

The Courthouse soon became inadequate.  Sittings spilled over into Jamison’s Hotel.  By 1863 a new Courthouse, a solid lock-up and good wooden stables were built to replace the earlier versions.  The original reserve was reduced in order to allocate land for public gardens, a water reserve and smaller residential and commercial allotments.  Finally, a new police residence and office was also built in 1875.

From the Daylesford and District Historical Society.  https://daylesfordmuseum.net/