Winchelsea, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria
, Australia
. It is in the Surf Coast Shire
local government area and located on the Barwon River
115 km south-west of Melbourne
and close to Geelong (37 km north-east).
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 29000 acres (11,735.9 ha), including a mansion which still stands today.
The town developed around the Barwon Inn, established in 1842 by Prosper Nicholas Trebeck and Charles Beal http://www.winchelsea.info/historystory.htm. The Post Office opened as Barwon on 1 July 1848 and was renamed Winchelsea in 1854.
The railway though the town was opened in 1876, 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.
.
Golfers play at the course of the Winchelsea Golf Club on Lorne Road.
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...
. It is in the Surf Coast Shire
Surf Coast Shire
Surf Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southern part of the state, near Geelong. It includes the towns of Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Lorne, Moriac, Torquay and Winchelsea. It has an area of 1,553 square kilometres. It had a population of 24,124 in 2006...
local government area and located on the Barwon River
Barwon River (Victoria)
The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...
115 km south-west 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...
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 AustinThomas Austin
Thomas Austin was an English settler in Australia who is generally credited with the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859.- Personal life :...
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 29000 acres (11,735.9 ha), including a mansion which still stands today.
The town developed around the Barwon Inn, established in 1842 by Prosper Nicholas Trebeck and Charles Beal http://www.winchelsea.info/historystory.htm. The Post Office opened as Barwon on 1 July 1848 and was renamed Winchelsea in 1854.
The railway though the town was opened in 1876, as part of the line to the south west of the state. The local railway station
Winchelsea railway station, Victoria
Winchelsea is a railway station on the Warrnambool railway line in Winchelsea, Victoria, Australia. It is 115km from Southern Cross station. At the peak of operations the station had a four road yard and goods platform...
is served by V/Line
V/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...
passenger services on the Warrnambool line.
Places of interest
- Barwon Park is a (National TrustNational Trust of AustraliaThe Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
) owned property open to the public. Designed by architects DavidsonAlexander Davidson-References:...
& HendersonGeorge Henderson (architect)-Life and career:Born in Edinburgh, Henderson was the son of architect John Henderson and Hannah Matilda Exley. From 1858–1861 he attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He then studied architecture under his father, but his studies were cut short when his father died in June 1862...
and built 1869 - 1871 of bluestone for Thomas and Elizabeth Austin. - Barwon Hotel (1842) with a collection of historical artefacts.
- Barwon River Bridge (1867) over the Barwon River is an impressive stone structure.
- Old Shire Hall
Sport
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 Winchelsea Golf Club on Lorne Road.
Notable people
- Thomas AustinThomas AustinThomas Austin was an English settler in Australia who is generally credited with the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859.- Personal life :...
(1815 – 1871) a pioneer settler at Winchelsea who is generally credited with the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859. - Albert JackaAlbert JackaAlbert Jacka VC, MC & Bar was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces...
, the first Australian to win a Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was born at Winchelsea in 1893. - Marjorie LawrenceMarjorie LawrenceMarjorie Florence Lawrence CBE was an Australian soprano, particularly noted as an interpreter of Richard Wagner's operas. She was the first soprano to perform the immolation scene in Götterdämmerung by riding her horse into the flames as Wagner had intended. She was afflicted by polio from 1941...
, sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, noted as an interpreter of Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's operas, was born at Deans Marsh, south of Winchelsea in 1907.