Creswick, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia
. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat
and 129 km northwest of Melbourne
, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census
, Creswick had a population of 2,485. Creswick was named after the Creswick family, the pioneer settlers of the region.
people before white settlement. The pioneer white settlers were Henry, Charles and John Creswick, three brothers who started a large sheep station
in 1842.
Creswick is a former gold-mining town, established during the Victorian gold rush
es in the 1850s. The Post Office opened on 1 September 1854 but was named Creswick's Creek until around 1857. The population reached a peak of 25,000 during the gold rush. Today, local industries include forestry, grazing and agriculture.
Creswick was the site of the New Australasian Gold Mine disaster
on 12 December 1882, Australia's worst mining disaster in which 22 men drowned.
. The campus is situated in Water Street and houses the School of Forest & Ecosystem Science, a highly-regarded research and teaching institution.
Creswick has three primary schools, two government and one Catholic - Creswick Primary School, Creswick North Primary School and St Augustines respectively.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Central Highlands Football League
.
Golfers play at The Forest Resort on the Midland Highway.
The town also has an aged care facility. The John Curtain Memorial Hospital was formerly the townships health care hospital but was converted in 1998 to a nursing home.
(landscape painter), Sir Lionel Lindsay
(printmaker, painter and critic), Norman Lindsay
(painter, sculptor and writer), Ruby Lindsay
(illustrator) and Sir Daryl Lindsay
(painter and arts administrator). Percy Lindsay painted many landscapes of the town and Norman Lindsay immortalised the town in his novel Redheap, a work that was banned for many years.
Other famous Creswickians include John Curtin
, Australia's Prime Minister
during World War II
, and a Victorian Premier
, Sir Alexander Peacock
.
train services to Ballarat and Maryborough, as well as buses from Ballarat
operated by Davis Bus Service.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
and 129 km northwest of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Creswick had a population of 2,485. Creswick was named after the Creswick family, the pioneer settlers of the region.
History
The area was inhabited by the Wemba-WembaWemba-Wemba
The Wemba-Wemba are an Indigenous Australian group in north-Western Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia, including in the Mallee and the Riverina regions. They are also known as the Wamba-wamba....
people before white settlement. The pioneer white settlers were Henry, Charles and John Creswick, three brothers who started a large sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
in 1842.
Creswick is a former gold-mining town, established during the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
es in the 1850s. The Post Office opened on 1 September 1854 but was named Creswick's Creek until around 1857. The population reached a peak of 25,000 during the gold rush. Today, local industries include forestry, grazing and agriculture.
Creswick was the site of the New Australasian Gold Mine disaster
New Australasian Gold Mine disaster
The New Australasian No.2 Deep Lead Gold Mine, was a goldmine located in Creswick, Victoria, Australia, that is now infamous for being Australia's worst below-ground gold mining disaster....
on 12 December 1882, Australia's worst mining disaster in which 22 men drowned.
The Town today
The original School of Forestry was established in 1910 by the Department of Forestry. It was the first institution set up in Victoria to train and accredit young foresters. Now the campus is part of The University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. The campus is situated in Water Street and houses the School of Forest & Ecosystem Science, a highly-regarded research and teaching institution.
Creswick has three primary schools, two government and one Catholic - Creswick Primary School, Creswick North Primary School and St Augustines respectively.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Central Highlands Football League
Central Highlands Football League
The Central Highlands Football League is an Australian Rules Football League in the Ballarat region. The league coordinates Senior, Reserve, Under 18 and Under 15 grades.-History:...
.
Golfers play at The Forest Resort on the Midland Highway.
The town also has an aged care facility. The John Curtain Memorial Hospital was formerly the townships health care hospital but was converted in 1998 to a nursing home.
Notable people
Creswick is the birthplace of the Lindsays, perhaps Australia's best known art family. Famous Lindsays (in birth order) were Percy LindsayPercy Lindsay
Percival Charles Lindsay was an Australian landscape painter, illustrator and cartoonist, born in Creswick, Victoria. Percy was the first child born to Jane Lindsay and Dr Robert Charles Lindsay...
(landscape painter), Sir Lionel Lindsay
Lionel Lindsay
Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay was an Australian artist and brother of artist and illustrator Norman Lindsay.-Early life:...
(printmaker, painter and critic), Norman Lindsay
Norman Lindsay
Norman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer. He was born in Creswick, Victoria....
(painter, sculptor and writer), Ruby Lindsay
Ruby Lindsay
Ruby Lindsay was an Australian illustrator and painter, sister of Norman Lindsay and Percy Lindsay.Lindsay was born in Creswick, Victoria, the seventh child and second daughter of Robert and Jane Lindsay, and lived in Melbourne from the age of 16 with her brother Percy while studying at the...
(illustrator) and Sir Daryl Lindsay
Daryl Lindsay
Sir Ernest Daryl Lindsay was an Australian artist and member of the creative Lindsay family.-Early life:...
(painter and arts administrator). Percy Lindsay painted many landscapes of the town and Norman Lindsay immortalised the town in his novel Redheap, a work that was banned for many years.
Other famous Creswickians include John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
, Australia's Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and a Victorian Premier
Premiers of the Australian states
The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
, Sir Alexander Peacock
Alexander Peacock
Sir Alexander James Peacock, KCMG , Australian politician, was the 20th Premier of Victoria.Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born after the gold rush of the 1850s and the attainment of self-government in Victoria. He was distantly related to the family...
.
Transport
Creswick is located on the Midland Highway. Creswick railway station is served by V/LineV/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
train services to Ballarat and Maryborough, as well as buses from Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
operated by Davis Bus Service.