Coleraine is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Glenelg Highway, 334 kilometres (208 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne and 34 kilometres (21 mi) north-west of Hamilton in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area. It was named after the town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. At the 2006 census, the urban area of Coleraine had a population of 991.[2]

Coleraine
Victoria
View of town from Peter Francis Points Arboretum
Coleraine is located in Shire of Southern Grampians
Coleraine
Coleraine
Coordinates37°36′0″S 141°42′0″E / 37.60000°S 141.70000°E / -37.60000; 141.70000
Population1,383 (2006 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3315
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Southern Grampians
State electorate(s)Lowan
Federal division(s)Wannon

History

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The area was first settled by Europeans in 1838 for pastoral grazing. The town was surveyed later on Bryan Creek, a tributary of the Wannon River.

In April 1840 the Fighting Waterholes massacre of up to 60 Jardwadjali people of the Konongwootong Gundidj clan occurred near the current day Konongwootong reservoir.[3][4]

The Post Office opened on 16 November 1854.[5]

The Coleraine Magistrates' Court closed on 1 November 1981, not having been visited by a Magistrate since 1971.[6]

Today, Coleraine's primary industries are beef and wool. The town hosts an Agricultural Show in November and an art show in August.

Notable past residents of Coleraine include Helena Rubenstein - cosmetics manufacturer.[7]

Sport

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Coleraine has a football team playing in the South West District Football League.

It has a horse racing club, the Coleraine Racing Club, which runs the Coleraine Cup meeting in September.[8] The meeting features the steeplechase race commemorating the feats of district horsemen and renowned Australian poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.[9]

Golfers play at the Coleraine Golf Club on Gordon Street.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Coleraine (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Coleraine (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  3. ^ "Konongwootong Quiet Place | Monument Australia". monumentaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. ^ partland, lily (10 July 2014). "Western District memorial commemorates Aboriginal massacre". ABC South West Vic. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 6 March 2021
  6. ^ "Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria" (PDF). Auditor-General of Victoria. 1986. p. 78. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. ^ Rubinstein, Helena (1870–1965) Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 11 1988
  8. ^ Country Racing Victoria, Coleraine Racing Club, archived from the original on 21 July 2008, retrieved 7 May 2009
  9. ^ Gardiner, Frank, 2003, The Fields of Coleraine : at the heart of both Australia Felix and Western District of Victoria, Camberwell, Vic.
  10. ^ Golf Select, Coleraine, retrieved 11 May 2009
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