Trawalla, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Trawalla is a town in central Western Victoria, Australia
, located on the Western Highway
, 41 km west of Ballarat
and 154 km west of Melbourne
, in the Shire of Pyrenees. At the 2006 census
, Trawalla and the surrounding agricultural area had a population of 224.
Trawalla sits at the headwaters of the Mount Emu Creek
where it crosses the Western Highway. The Ararat railway line passes through the area. A railway station was in service at Trawalla but closed in the 1960s. A local primary school, a roadhouse and the minimum security prison farm HM Prison Langi Kal Kal
, are the focal points of the area. The Moner balug clan of the Wathaurong Aboriginal people called the area, Trawalla which means 'wild water' or possibly 'much rain'.
In 1836 the district was traversed and noted by explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell after ascending Mount Cole
. The first European settlers to arrive in the area were squatters
, the Kirkland brothers and a Mr Hamilton, who established sheep and cattle grazing runs. Trawalla Station, was established by Hamilton in 1838 and acquired by Adolphus Goldsmith three years later. After passing through several owners the property was taken over by Rear Admiral Bridges in 1887. It was under his ownership that Trawalla House was constructed.
Trawalla Post Office opened on 3 December 1864 at the time of closer settlement
and closed in 1974.
After Bridges' death in 1917 a large part of the Trawalla estate was acquired and subdivided by the Commonwealth Government for the Soldier settlement scheme
. The Langi Kal Kal pastoral run was subdivided for the same purpose after World War II
in 1948.
Trawalla is the birthplace of Australia's ninth Prime Minister James Scullin
. James Henry Scullin was on 18 September 1876. He died in Melbourne
on 28 January 1953. He married Sarah McNamara in 1907, but had no children. He was commonly known as Jim. He was the fifth of the nine children of John Scullin and Ann Logan, both immigrants from Derry, Ireland. His father, John Scullin had been a miner and later a platelayer
on the railways. He attended small state schools, first at Trawalla and later at Mount Rowan near Ballarat. A memorial cairn is located close to where Scullin lived.
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...
, located on the Western Highway
Western Highway, Victoria
The Western Highway is part of the principal route linking the Australian cities of Melbourne and Adelaide with a length of approximately 314 kilometres. It is a part of the National Highway network and designated as National Highway A8...
, 41 km west of Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
and 154 km 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 the Shire of Pyrenees. 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,...
, Trawalla and the surrounding agricultural area had a population of 224.
Trawalla sits at the headwaters of the Mount Emu Creek
Mount Emu Creek
Mount Emu Creek is a long but small meandering waterway located in the west of Victoria. The total length of the Mount Emu Creek is over 250 kilometres. The creek forms near Trawalla, and Trawalla Creek flows to Mount Emu Creek , the quantity and quality of water from Trawalla Creek is of great...
where it crosses the Western Highway. The Ararat railway line passes through the area. A railway station was in service at Trawalla but closed in the 1960s. A local primary school, a roadhouse and the minimum security prison farm HM Prison Langi Kal Kal
HM Prison Langi Kal Kal
HM Prison Langi Kal Kal is an Australian prison located at Trawalla, near Beaufort, Victoria, Australia. The prison is a minimum security prison farm and all inmates are required to work during their stay unless over retirement age...
, are the focal points of the area. The Moner balug clan of the Wathaurong Aboriginal people called the area, Trawalla which means 'wild water' or possibly 'much rain'.
In 1836 the district was traversed and noted by explorer Sir Thomas Mitchell after ascending Mount Cole
Mount Cole
Mount Cole is a mountain over high, on the west side of Shackleton Glacier, between the mouths of Forman Glacier and Gerasimou Glacier, in the Queen Maud Mountains. It was discovered and photographed by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump, 1946–47, and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names...
. The first European settlers to arrive in the area were squatters
Squatting (pastoral)
In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first Europeans in the area....
, the Kirkland brothers and a Mr Hamilton, who established sheep and cattle grazing runs. Trawalla Station, was established by Hamilton in 1838 and acquired by Adolphus Goldsmith three years later. After passing through several owners the property was taken over by Rear Admiral Bridges in 1887. It was under his ownership that Trawalla House was constructed.
Trawalla Post Office opened on 3 December 1864 at the time of closer settlement
Selection (Australian history)
Selection referred to "free selection before survey" of crown land in some Australian colonies under land legislation introduced in the 1860s. These acts were similar to the United States Homestead Act and were intended to encourage closer settlement, based on intensive agriculture, such as...
and closed in 1974.
After Bridges' death in 1917 a large part of the Trawalla estate was acquired and subdivided by the Commonwealth Government for the Soldier settlement scheme
Soldier settlement (Australia)
Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes administered by the State Governments after World Wars I and II.- World War I :...
. The Langi Kal Kal pastoral run was subdivided for the same purpose after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1948.
Trawalla is the birthplace of Australia's ninth Prime Minister James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
. James Henry Scullin was on 18 September 1876. He died in 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...
on 28 January 1953. He married Sarah McNamara in 1907, but had no children. He was commonly known as Jim. He was the fifth of the nine children of John Scullin and Ann Logan, both immigrants from Derry, Ireland. His father, John Scullin had been a miner and later a platelayer
Platelayer
A platelayer or trackman is a railway employee whose job is to inspect and maintain the permanent way of a railway installation.The term derives from the plates used to build plateways, an early form of railway....
on the railways. He attended small state schools, first at Trawalla and later at Mount Rowan near Ballarat. A memorial cairn is located close to where Scullin lived.