Stawell, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Stawell is a town in the Wimmera
region of Victoria
, Australia
. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, 237 kilometres (147 mi) west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
, Stawell had a population of 6,035.
Stawell is famed for the Stawell Gift
, a professional foot race. It is also known as the gateway to the Grampians National Park
.
of 1853 and was named Pleasant Creek, but was later renamed to honour Sir William Foster Stawell
(1815–89), the Chief Justice
of Victoria.
Two Post Offices were opened, Pleasant Creek on 19 October 1857 and Quartz Reef, Pleasant Creek on 1 June 1859. From 1861 they were renamed Stawell and Quartz Reef, Stawell. In 1870 Stawell was renamed Stawell West, and Quartz Reef, Stawell was renamed Stawell.
The town was created a borough in 1869.
Stawell's historical association with gold-mining continued when full-scale mining recommenced in 1981.
, run each Easter
long weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, Stawell also has many other sporting outlets and teams.
The town has a main Australian rules football
club, the Stawell Warriors
, competing in the Wimmera Football League
, and another team, the Stawell Swifts, competing in the Horsham & District Football League
.
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around four race meetings a year at Stawell including the Stawell Cup meeting in April.
Stawell Harness Racing
Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town.
Golfers play at the course of the Grange Golf Club on the big mongol, Stawell, or at the course of the Stawell Golf Club on Marnoo Road.
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
region of Victoria
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...
. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, 237 kilometres (147 mi) west-north-west of 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,...
, Stawell had a population of 6,035.
Stawell is famed for the Stawell Gift
Stawell Gift
The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short distance running race. It is run over every Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria.The race is run on grass...
, a professional foot race. It is also known as the gateway to the Grampians National Park
Grampians National Park
The Grampians National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 235 kilometres west of Melbourne. The Park was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern...
.
History
The town site was first settled during the gold rushGold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
of 1853 and was named Pleasant Creek, but was later renamed to honour Sir William Foster Stawell
William Foster Stawell
Sir William Foster Stawell KCMG was a British colonial statesman and a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia.-Early life:...
(1815–89), the Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of Victoria.
Two Post Offices were opened, Pleasant Creek on 19 October 1857 and Quartz Reef, Pleasant Creek on 1 June 1859. From 1861 they were renamed Stawell and Quartz Reef, Stawell. In 1870 Stawell was renamed Stawell West, and Quartz Reef, Stawell was renamed Stawell.
The town was created a borough in 1869.
Stawell's historical association with gold-mining continued when full-scale mining recommenced in 1981.
Sport
Other than the Stawell GiftStawell Gift
The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short distance running race. It is run over every Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria.The race is run on grass...
, run each Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
long weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, Stawell also has many other sporting outlets and teams.
The town has a main 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...
club, the Stawell Warriors
Stawell Football Club
The Stawell Football Club are an Australian rules football club which compete in the Wimmera Football League . They are based in the town of Stawell, Victoria....
, competing in the Wimmera Football League
Wimmera Football League
The Wimmera Football League is based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region. The regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa and Warracknabeal.The league is a major country league....
, and another team, the Stawell Swifts, competing in the Horsham & District Football League
Horsham & District Football League
The Horsham & District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.-History:...
.
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around four race meetings a year at Stawell including the Stawell Cup meeting in April.
Stawell Harness Racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
Club conducts regular meetings at its racetrack in the town.
Golfers play at the course of the Grange Golf Club on the big mongol, Stawell, or at the course of the Stawell Golf Club on Marnoo Road.