Mortlake, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Mortlake is a town in the Western District of Victoria
, Australia
on the Hamilton Highway
, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of Warrnambool. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal
Division of Wannon
. At the 2001 census
, Mortlake had a population of 941.
At the 2006 census
, Mortlake had a population of 996.
Mortlake is situated at the foot of Mount Shadwell, formed 25,000 years ago. It is believed that it last erupted about 5,000 years ago. The large ejected rocks are called volcanic bombs. They are often egg shaped because they cooled as they were being thrown through the air. These bombs can contain olivine, a green crystal also known as peridot, the birthstone for August. Self-proclaimed as the Olivine
capital of Australia, it is also known for its bluestone
buildings, with several fine examples dating back to the 1850s visible from the Hamilton Highway.
was named after Major John Paul Hopkins.
The first white settlers to arrive in Mortlake were probably David Fisher and his party in 1839, who set up a station which was left under the charge of Thomas Anderson. Establishment of Mortlake as a settlement occurred in the 1850s and 1860s.The Post Office opened February 2, 1859.
Many of the original bluestone buildings include those in the Shaw Street Bluestone Precinct, such as The Mill, The Old Mortlake Courthouse, and The Old Shire Offices.
In the late 1870s, an area of swamp was drained and established as the Mortlake Botanical Gardens, which at its height covered nearly 50 acres (202,343 m²). As a present to the township in 1988 (Australia's Bicentennial) a new lake was constructed by the State Government. This lake is now known as Tea Tree Lake.
A branch railway line connected Mortlake with Terang
from 1890 until 1977.
primary school, St. Colmans, with around 30 students. There is a pre school.
Mortlake is located between two major agricultural districts: Hamilton to the north-west for the wool
industry, and to the south-east, the dairy
industry. Farms in the area exploit the rich volcanic soil for both farming practices.
One of the town's most famous industries, Clarke's Pies, which made pies for distribution all over Victoria, announced in January 2007 that the company had been sold to Patties Foods and that production would cease in early March 2007, leaving around 50 people out of work. Clarke's regularly featured in the top 10% of pie-makers in Australia. As of April 2007, Clarke's have begun producing the original square pie, on a smaller scale, and delivering within the local area. In 2008 it was announced that an export boning room would commence production mid-year in the premises of the old Clarke's Pies factory. It was planned to employ up to 100 employees with specialised skills.
On 4 July 2008, the Origin Energy Board announced it would construct a $640 million 550 megaWatt (MW) gas fired power station located 12 km west of Mortlake. The power station
is being constructed on approximately 20 hectares of land with an extensive buffer zone around it. Although approvals have been gained for approximately 1,000 MW, the Mortlake Power Station will be built in two stages adjacent to the existing Moorabool to Heywood 500 kV high voltage transmission line. The plant will be supplied with natural gas via a 83 km dedicated underground natural gas transmission pipeline from the new gas processing plant being built near Port Campbell, as part of the offshore Otway Gas Project.
During construction up to 400 jobs will be created and when finished it is anticipated that about 30 employees will run and maintain the station. The power station is expected to come on line during 2011.
Mortlake has a range of community, service and sporting groups and activities. There are Rotary, Lions, Apex, RSL, CWA, Red Cross, Freemasons and Probus clubs, as well as the Mortlake and District Historical Society and the Gardening club, with its annual rose show. Sporting clubs include bowls, swimming, tennis, squash and badminton, as well as a skate park. Young people can also join the Moyne Shire Youth Council to promote youth and community activities. The students and staff at Mortlake P-12 College run a yearly drama production and in previous years they have produced 'Grease', 'Cats', 'Les Miserables', 'Oklahama', 'Pirates of Penzance' and 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Mortlake also fields three Australian rules football
teams - the Terang-Mortlake Football Club in the Hampden Football Netball League, the Woorndoo-Mortlake Football Club in the Mininera & District Football League and Netball Association and the Deakin Uni Football club, which in 2008 fielded junior football and netball teams in the Warnambool and District League.
Mortlake originally fielded the Mortlake Football Club, who went into recess and merged with Derrinallum
for the 1999 season to become the Western Lions in the Hampden league. The Western Lions went into recess in 2000. The original Mortlake Football Club then amalgamated with the Terang Football Club in the Hampden Football Netball League
and the Woorndoo Football Club in the Mininera & District Football League
in 2001, to field two separate teams.
Mortlake has both football and cricket
facilities at the D.C. Farren Oval, which also contains 10 courts for netball and tennis.
Mortlake has a horse racing club, the Mortlake Racing Club, which schedules two race meetings a year including the Mortlake Cup meeting in September.
Golfers play at the course of the Mortlake Golf Club on Hopetoun Street.
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...
on the Hamilton Highway
Hamilton Highway
The Hamilton Highway in western Victoria, Australia runs from the Princes Highway in Geelong west to the town of Hamilton through the towns of Inverleigh, Cressy, Lismore, Derrinallum, Darlington, Mortlake, and Penshurst....
, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of Warrnambool. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
Division of Wannon
Division of Wannon
The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-west of the state, and encompasses most of the Western Region of the state. It adjoins the South Australian border in the west, and the Bass Strait coast in the south. The Division...
. At the 2001 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,...
, Mortlake had a population of 941.
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,...
, Mortlake had a population of 996.
Mortlake is situated at the foot of Mount Shadwell, formed 25,000 years ago. It is believed that it last erupted about 5,000 years ago. The large ejected rocks are called volcanic bombs. They are often egg shaped because they cooled as they were being thrown through the air. These bombs can contain olivine, a green crystal also known as peridot, the birthstone for August. Self-proclaimed as the Olivine
Olivine
The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
capital of Australia, it is also known for its bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
buildings, with several fine examples dating back to the 1850s visible from the Hamilton Highway.
History
The Mortlake area was probably first surveyed by Major Thomas Livingston Mitchell when he passed through the area in 1836-37. The town is based at the foot of a mount, as are many towns across the volcanic plains. The mount, Mount Shadwell, was named after his friend Major Thomas Henry Shadwell Clerke, and the nearby Hopkins RiverHopkins River
The Hopkins River is a river in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It begins near Ararat, and enters Bass Strait at Warrnambool. It is one of two rivers flowing through Warrnambool, the other is the Merri River....
was named after Major John Paul Hopkins.
The first white settlers to arrive in Mortlake were probably David Fisher and his party in 1839, who set up a station which was left under the charge of Thomas Anderson. Establishment of Mortlake as a settlement occurred in the 1850s and 1860s.The Post Office opened February 2, 1859.
Many of the original bluestone buildings include those in the Shaw Street Bluestone Precinct, such as The Mill, The Old Mortlake Courthouse, and The Old Shire Offices.
In the late 1870s, an area of swamp was drained and established as the Mortlake Botanical Gardens, which at its height covered nearly 50 acres (202,343 m²). As a present to the township in 1988 (Australia's Bicentennial) a new lake was constructed by the State Government. This lake is now known as Tea Tree Lake.
A branch railway line connected Mortlake with Terang
Terang, Victoria
Terang is a small Australian town situated in Corangamite Shire in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, on the Princes Highway 212 km south-west of the state's capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Terang had a population of 2256...
from 1890 until 1977.
Education and Industry
There are two schools in Mortlake, both co-educational. The largest school is the government school Mortlake P-12 College, with approximately 300 students ranging from Prep to Year 12. There is also a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
primary school, St. Colmans, with around 30 students. There is a pre school.
Mortlake is located between two major agricultural districts: Hamilton to the north-west for the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
industry, and to the south-east, the dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
industry. Farms in the area exploit the rich volcanic soil for both farming practices.
One of the town's most famous industries, Clarke's Pies, which made pies for distribution all over Victoria, announced in January 2007 that the company had been sold to Patties Foods and that production would cease in early March 2007, leaving around 50 people out of work. Clarke's regularly featured in the top 10% of pie-makers in Australia. As of April 2007, Clarke's have begun producing the original square pie, on a smaller scale, and delivering within the local area. In 2008 it was announced that an export boning room would commence production mid-year in the premises of the old Clarke's Pies factory. It was planned to employ up to 100 employees with specialised skills.
On 4 July 2008, the Origin Energy Board announced it would construct a $640 million 550 megaWatt (MW) gas fired power station located 12 km west of Mortlake. The power station
Mortlake Power Station
The Mortlake Power Station is a 550MW open cycle gas fired power station being developed by Origin Energy, located 12km west of Mortlake, Victoria....
is being constructed on approximately 20 hectares of land with an extensive buffer zone around it. Although approvals have been gained for approximately 1,000 MW, the Mortlake Power Station will be built in two stages adjacent to the existing Moorabool to Heywood 500 kV high voltage transmission line. The plant will be supplied with natural gas via a 83 km dedicated underground natural gas transmission pipeline from the new gas processing plant being built near Port Campbell, as part of the offshore Otway Gas Project.
During construction up to 400 jobs will be created and when finished it is anticipated that about 30 employees will run and maintain the station. The power station is expected to come on line during 2011.
Events and Culture
Mortlake plays host to the annual Australian Busking Championships. Normally held on the first Saturday of February, until 2006 when it was held in April, the festival attracts people in their thousands to displays of street-performers, professional buskers, stalls and kids' rides.Mortlake has a range of community, service and sporting groups and activities. There are Rotary, Lions, Apex, RSL, CWA, Red Cross, Freemasons and Probus clubs, as well as the Mortlake and District Historical Society and the Gardening club, with its annual rose show. Sporting clubs include bowls, swimming, tennis, squash and badminton, as well as a skate park. Young people can also join the Moyne Shire Youth Council to promote youth and community activities. The students and staff at Mortlake P-12 College run a yearly drama production and in previous years they have produced 'Grease', 'Cats', 'Les Miserables', 'Oklahama', 'Pirates of Penzance' and 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Mortlake also fields three Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
teams - the Terang-Mortlake Football Club in the Hampden Football Netball League, the Woorndoo-Mortlake Football Club in the Mininera & District Football League and Netball Association and the Deakin Uni Football club, which in 2008 fielded junior football and netball teams in the Warnambool and District League.
Mortlake originally fielded the Mortlake Football Club, who went into recess and merged with Derrinallum
Derrinallum, Victoria
Derrinallum is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Hamilton Highway, in the Corangamite Shire. The town is the centre for the surrounding farming community and lies at the foot of Mount Elephant....
for the 1999 season to become the Western Lions in the Hampden league. The Western Lions went into recess in 2000. The original Mortlake Football Club then amalgamated with the Terang Football Club in the Hampden Football Netball League
Hampden Football Netball League
The Hampden Football Netball League is based in South-Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns located along or near the Princes Highway from Camperdown to Port Fairy. The league is a major country league...
and the Woorndoo Football Club in the Mininera & District Football League
Mininera & District Football League
The Mininera & District Football League is based in South-western Victoria, with clubs located east of Hamilton, south of Ararat and west of Colac. The league absorbed several teams from the defunct Ararat & District Football Association in 2000.-History:...
in 2001, to field two separate teams.
Mortlake has both football and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
facilities at the D.C. Farren Oval, which also contains 10 courts for netball and tennis.
Mortlake has a horse racing club, the Mortlake Racing Club, which schedules two race meetings a year including the Mortlake Cup meeting in September.
Golfers play at the course of the Mortlake Golf Club on Hopetoun Street.