Bealiba is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. The town is located in the Central Goldfields Shire local government area, 207 kilometres (129 mi) north-west of the state capital, Melbourne, and 74 kilometres (46 mi) from the regional city of Bendigo. At the 2011 census, Bealiba and the surrounding area had a population of 300.[1]

Bealiba
Victoria
Main Street
Bealiba is located in Shire of Central Goldfields
Bealiba
Bealiba
Coordinates36°47′0″S 143°33′0″E / 36.78333°S 143.55000°E / -36.78333; 143.55000
Population206 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3475
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Central Goldfields
State electorate(s)Ripon, Western Victoria
Federal division(s)Mallee

The first Europeans in the Bealiba area were drovers in the 1840s and in 1845 George Coutts was the first European permanent settler. In the midst of the Victorian gold rush, gold was discovered in Bealiba in 1856 and for 18 months the town grew to a population of 18,000. After the rush subsided, the area was opened up for selection by farmers.[2]

Facilities in Bealiba include a post office and general store.[3] The town is home to many historic buildings including the pub (built in 1857) and the Town Hall (built in 1879).[2] However, the pub was closed in 2016 by new owners after 12 months ownership. [citation needed]

Bealiba railway station, on the Mildura railway line opened in 1878. It closed in 1981 under the New Deal reorganisation of country rail services.[4]

The Bealiba Court of Petty Sessions closed on 1 August 1968.[5]

Bealiba shares an Australian rules football team with nearby Natte Yallock—the Natte Bealiba Swans—who compete in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Bealiba (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 December 2014.  
  2. ^ a b "Bealiba". Visit Maryborough. Central Goldfields Shire Council. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Bealiba". Central Goldfields Community. Goldfields Online. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Bealiba Railway Station". Goldfields Guide. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria" (PDF). Auditor-General of Victoria. 1986. p. 30. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. ^ "New-look MCDFL competition for 2011". Bendigo Advertiser. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.

External links edit

  Media related to Bealiba at Wikimedia Commons