Inverleigh, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Inverleigh is a small rural township in Victoria
, Australia
located 28 kilometres (17 mi) west from the City of Geelong
and 87 kilometres (54 mi) from the state capital, Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
, Inverleigh had a population of 562.
Since the mid 1970s Inverleigh has become a dormitory suburb of Geelong
with some residents commuting to Melbourne. The recent opening of the Geelong Ring Road will improve access to Melbourne which should be only a 45 minute drive away.
It has been speculated that the first European to arrive in Inverleigh was William Buckley
, but the first European known to have visited Inverleigh was the surveyor J.H. Wedge who arrived in 1835, probably naming the Leigh River after his Tasmanian farm 'Leighlands'.
Very soon thereafter the Weatherboard Station land was taken up either by George Russell or by station manager David Fisher on behalf of The Derwent Company. It was claimed that the weatherboard homestead built by the station manager was Victoria's first weatherboard homestead. The name of the station is now commemorated by Weatherboard Road.
The Post Office opened on 11 October 1856.
.
Golfers play at the course of the Inverleigh Golf Club on Common Road.
The railway station is closed to passengers, being a siding on the Western standard gauge line
between Melbourne and Adelaide. Inverleigh is 104 kilometres (65 mi) from Melbourne by rail.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
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...
located 28 kilometres (17 mi) west from the City of Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
and 87 kilometres (54 mi) from the state capital, 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...
. 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,...
, Inverleigh had a population of 562.
Since the mid 1970s Inverleigh has become a dormitory suburb of Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
with some residents commuting to Melbourne. The recent opening of the Geelong Ring Road will improve access to Melbourne which should be only a 45 minute drive away.
Early history
Very little has been recorded of the original inhabitants of the area. The few records available are reports of conflict. In the summer of 1837-38 a band of aborigines attacked the lower station of the Clyde Company (near Lullote) with two aborigines being killed and another injured and in 1839 George Russell reported natives sheep duffing.It has been speculated that the first European to arrive in Inverleigh was William Buckley
William Buckley (convict)
William Buckley was an English convict who was transported to Australia, escaped, was given up for dead and lived in an Aboriginal community for many years....
, but the first European known to have visited Inverleigh was the surveyor J.H. Wedge who arrived in 1835, probably naming the Leigh River after his Tasmanian farm 'Leighlands'.
Very soon thereafter the Weatherboard Station land was taken up either by George Russell or by station manager David Fisher on behalf of The Derwent Company. It was claimed that the weatherboard homestead built by the station manager was Victoria's first weatherboard homestead. The name of the station is now commemorated by Weatherboard Road.
The Post Office opened on 11 October 1856.
The town today
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Geelong & District Football LeagueGeelong & District Football League
The Geelong & District Football League is the oldest surviving football competition in Victoria . It is one of three Australian rules football leagues in the Geelong area, the others being the Geelong Football League and the Bellarine Football League....
.
Golfers play at the course of the Inverleigh Golf Club on Common Road.
The railway station is closed to passengers, being a siding on the Western standard gauge line
Western standard gauge line
The Western standard gauge is a railway line in western Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1995, it forms part of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway and serves as the principal interstate rail link between Victorian and the western states...
between Melbourne and Adelaide. Inverleigh is 104 kilometres (65 mi) from Melbourne by rail.
External links
- www.inverleigh.net - Inverleigh Progress Association