Winchelsea, Victoria
| Winchelsea Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Former town hall, now tea rooms | |||||||||||||
  Winchelsea | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°14′0″S 143°59′0″E / 38.23333°S 143.98333°ECoordinates: 38°14′0″S 143°59′0″E / 38.23333°S 143.98333°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 1,336 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3241 | ||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Polwarth | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||
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Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. Most of the town is located in the Surf Coast Shire local government area, with a small section part of the Shire of Colac Otway. Winchelsea is located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong (37 km north-east).
History
The first Europeans to reside in the area were squatters who established grazing runs there c. 1837. Thomas Austin migrated from Tasmania and occupied the present day site of Winchelsea in 1837. The area was then called Austin's Ford. Austin built up his estate of Barwon Park to 29,000 acres (12,000 ha), including a mansion which still stands today.[2]
The town developed around the Barwon Inn, established in 1842 by Prosper Nicholas Trebeck and Charles Beal . The Post Office opened as Barwon on 1 July 1848 and was renamed Winchelsea in 1854.[3] The town was the administrative centre of the Shire of Winchelsea, which was proclaimed in 1864, and which continued until March 9, 1994 when it was amalgamated with the Shire of Barrabool to become the Surf Coast Shire.[4]
The railway though the town was opened in 1876,[5] as part of the line to the south west of the state. The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line.
Places of interest
- Barwon Hotel (1842) with a collection of historical artefacts.
- Old Shire Hall
Heritage listed sites
Winchelsea contains a number of heritage listed sites, including:
- 105 Inverleigh-Winchelsea Road, Barwon Park [6]
- Princes Highway, Barwon River Bridge [7]
- 70 Hopkins Street, Eastern Reserve Memorial Grandstand and Gates [8]
- 17-19 Willis Street, Globe Theatre [9]
- 765 Ingleby Road, Ingleby Homestead [10]
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Geelong & District Football League.
The Winchelsea Golf Club is located between Lorne Road and Lauders Lane. The course is popular with locals and tourists alike.[11]
Notable people
- Thomas Austin (1815 – 1871) a pioneer settler at Winchelsea who is generally credited with the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859
- John Rout Hopkins 1828-1897 a pioneer settler at Winchelsea who served in local government and the Victorian government for many years
- Marjorie Lawrence, soprano, noted as an interpreter of Richard Wagner's operas, born at Deans Marsh, south of Winchelsea in 1907
- Denis Napthine MP (1952- ) Premier of the State of Victoria
- Darcy Parish, Australian Rules Footballer
- Warren McCallum, State Hockey Champion
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winchelsea, Victoria. |
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Winchelsea (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
- ↑ "Thomas Austin". Australian Dictionary of Biography Online.
- ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
- ↑ "Winchelsea Shire | Victorian Places". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- ↑ Sid Brown (March 1990), "Tracks Across the State", Newsrail, Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division), pp. 71–76.
- ↑ "Barwon Park (H0365)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ "Bridge Over Barwon River (H1456)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ "Memorial Grandstand and Gates (H1525)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ "Globe Theatre (H2226)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ "Ingleby Homestead (H0364)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ↑ Golf Select, Winchelsea, retrieved 2009-05-11