Penshurst, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Penshurst is a town in Victoria
, Australia
. It is in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area and is located at the foot of Mount Rouse, an extinct volcano
. At the 2006 census
, Penshurst had a population of 461. Basic facilities include a hospital with an aged care residency and doctor's surgery, a pub, a post office, a newsagent, a grocery store, a hall and two schools – one a state school, the other a Catholic
school – the state school has approximately six children, the Catholic school about 30.
The town was settled in the 1850s, the Post Office opening on September 1, 1857
Penshurst is located in an area littered with basalt
stones up 2m long from the Mount Rouse volcano. These are know locally as the stony rises. The north east side of Mount Rouse is used as a quarry and crushed for road making scoria
.
There were instances in the 1970’s where bushfires triggered peat fires beneath the stony rises which burnt for a number on months. A fire watch building is located at the top of Mount Rouse.
The Penshurst Volcanoes Discovery Centre is an interpretive centre and tourist information centre located in Martin Street in the old Shire of Mount Rouse
offices. It contains an audio/visual display of volcanoes in general, and the eruptions and lava flows of the district in particular.
Penshurst is serviced by a fresh water spring located in the town and has many historic shops.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Mininera & District Football League
.
Penshurst has a horse racing club, the Penshurst & District Racing Club, which schedules one race meeting a year, the Penshurst Cup meeting on Boxing Day
(26 December).
The racecourse is located about 1 km north of Bell Street (the Main Street).
Golfers used to play at the course of the Penshurst Golf Club on Racecourse Road. The club disbanded in 2002, just two years short of its centenary. The golf course no longer exists.
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 Shire of Southern Grampians local government area and is located at the foot of Mount Rouse, an extinct volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. 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,...
, Penshurst had a population of 461. Basic facilities include a hospital with an aged care residency and doctor's surgery, a pub, a post office, a newsagent, a grocery store, a hall and two schools – one a state school, the other a Catholic
Catholic
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"...
school – the state school has approximately six children, the Catholic school about 30.
The town was settled in the 1850s, the Post Office opening on September 1, 1857
Penshurst is located in an area littered with basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
stones up 2m long from the Mount Rouse volcano. These are know locally as the stony rises. The north east side of Mount Rouse is used as a quarry and crushed for road making scoria
Scoria
Scoria is a volcanic rock containing many holes or vesicles. It is most generally dark in color , and basaltic or andesitic in composition. Scoria is relatively low in mass as a result of its numerous macroscopic ellipsoidal vesicles, but in contrast to pumice, all scoria has a specific gravity...
.
There were instances in the 1970’s where bushfires triggered peat fires beneath the stony rises which burnt for a number on months. A fire watch building is located at the top of Mount Rouse.
The Penshurst Volcanoes Discovery Centre is an interpretive centre and tourist information centre located in Martin Street in the old Shire of Mount Rouse
Shire of Mount Rouse
The Shire of Mount Rouse was a Local Government Area located about west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994.-History:...
offices. It contains an audio/visual display of volcanoes in general, and the eruptions and lava flows of the district in particular.
Penshurst is serviced by a fresh water spring located in the town and has many historic shops.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing 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:...
.
Penshurst has a horse racing club, the Penshurst & District Racing Club, which schedules one race meeting a year, the Penshurst Cup meeting on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
(26 December).
The racecourse is located about 1 km north of Bell Street (the Main Street).
Golfers used to play at the course of the Penshurst Golf Club on Racecourse Road. The club disbanded in 2002, just two years short of its centenary. The golf course no longer exists.