Guildford, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Guildford is a small settlement situated on the Loddon River
, 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) north-west of Melbourne
, in Victoria
, Australia
. It is located on the Midland Highway
between Daylesford
and Castlemaine
. The population recorded at the 2006 census
was 205.
Facilities in the town include a post office (in a building dating from 1901), hotel, community hall and a general store
.
It is thought that the town was named after Guildford in England.
(Eucalyptus camaldulensis), located at the corner of Fryers Street and Ballarat Street. It is thought to be one of the largest in Victoria, with a height of 34 metres and circumference of 9.35 metres at the base. The tree is estimated to be over 500 years old.
The area was known as Yarrayne to the original inhabitants of the area, the Jajowarrung people. The first European to explore the area was Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836.
By the 1840s pastoral runs had been established and, in the following decade, gold miners flocked to the area during the rush
at the Mount Alexander
goldfields. The largest encampment of Chinese miners in Victoria (estimates vary from 5000-6000 individual miners) was situated at the junction of the Loddon River
and Campbells Creek. Tensions ran high between the white miners and the Chinese which erupted in numerous local conflicts . This anti-Chinese hostility, combined with discriminatory taxation against Chinese miners, saw the Chinese population dwindle and eventually all but disappear by the end of the gold rush .
The first hotel opened in 1854 but was destroyed by fire three years later. The Guildford Family Hotel which also dates back to this era is still operational today. Other hotels in the town included the Farmers Arms Hotel (delicenced) and the Commercial Hotel (1865), the building now serving as a general store
.
A school was built and a Post Office opened in 1860, followed by the Anglican Church the following year. The Catholic Church and the Wesleyan Chapel are now both private property.
In 1919 an avenue of honour
was planted along the main road, using London Plane
s, to commemorate locals who fought in World War I
.
Loddon River
The Loddon River is a 392-km long tributary of the Murray River that flows through central and northern Victoria, Australia. The river rises near Trentham and flows by Glenlyon. It then flows generally northward through Guildford and Newstead, 40 km west of Bendigo through the Cairn Curran...
, 130 kilometres (80.8 mi) north-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...
, in 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...
. It is located on the Midland Highway
Midland Highway
The Midland Highway links major towns in Victoria , beginning from Geelong and leading all the way to Mansfield. It winds through country Victoria in a large arc, travelling via the towns of Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton...
between Daylesford
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
and Castlemaine
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
. The population recorded 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,...
was 205.
Facilities in the town include a post office (in a building dating from 1901), hotel, community hall and a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
It is thought that the town was named after Guildford in England.
Big Tree
The Big Tree is a large, well-preserved River Red GumRiver Red Gum
The River Red Gum is a tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It is one of around 800 in the genus. It is a plantation species in many parts of the world, but is native to Australia, where it is widespread, especially beside inland water courses...
(Eucalyptus camaldulensis), located at the corner of Fryers Street and Ballarat Street. It is thought to be one of the largest in Victoria, with a height of 34 metres and circumference of 9.35 metres at the base. The tree is estimated to be over 500 years old.
History
By the 1840s pastoral runs had been established and, in the following decade, gold miners flocked to the area during the 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...
at the Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander is a mountain that is located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the small town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level...
goldfields. The largest encampment of Chinese miners in Victoria (estimates vary from 5000-6000 individual miners) was situated at the junction of the Loddon River
Loddon River
The Loddon River is a 392-km long tributary of the Murray River that flows through central and northern Victoria, Australia. The river rises near Trentham and flows by Glenlyon. It then flows generally northward through Guildford and Newstead, 40 km west of Bendigo through the Cairn Curran...
and Campbells Creek. Tensions ran high between the white miners and the Chinese which erupted in numerous local conflicts . This anti-Chinese hostility, combined with discriminatory taxation against Chinese miners, saw the Chinese population dwindle and eventually all but disappear by the end of the gold rush .
The first hotel opened in 1854 but was destroyed by fire three years later. The Guildford Family Hotel which also dates back to this era is still operational today. Other hotels in the town included the Farmers Arms Hotel (delicenced) and the Commercial Hotel (1865), the building now serving as a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
A school was built and a Post Office opened in 1860, followed by the Anglican Church the following year. The Catholic Church and the Wesleyan Chapel are now both private property.
In 1919 an avenue of honour
Avenue of honour
Avenue of Honour is the term given to a memorial avenue of trees, with each tree symbolising a person.The tradition, which originated in the Goldfields region of Victoria, Australia is an important part of Australian culture....
was planted along the main road, using London Plane
London Plane
Platanus × acerifolia, the London plane, London planetree, or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and the Platanus occidentalis . Some authorities think that it may be a cultivar of P...
s, to commemorate locals who fought in World War I
World War I
World 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...
.
External links
- Place Names Search: Guildford Geoscience Australia