Walkerville, Victoria

Last updated

Walkerville
Victoria
Walkerville North coast looking towards Walkerville South.jpg
Walkerville North coast looking towards Walkerville South
Australia Victoria South Gippsland Shire location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Walkerville
Coordinates 38°51′S145°59′E / 38.850°S 145.983°E / -38.850; 145.983
Population84 (2016 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 3956
LGA(s) South Gippsland Shire
State electorate(s) Gippsland South
Federal division(s) Nicholls

Walkerville is a village on Waratah Bay in southwest Gippsland, Victoria, approximately 190 km southeast of Melbourne. The town comprises three sections: Walkerville North, Walkerville South, and the Walkerville Promontory View Estate. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 84, [1] down from 262 in 2006. [2]

Contents

Wilsons Promontory viewed from Walkerville North beach Wilsons Promontory viewed from Walkerville North beach.jpg
Wilsons Promontory viewed from Walkerville North beach
Ruins of limestone kilns at Walkerville, formerly known as Waratah Limestone kiln ruins at Walkerville, Victoria, Australia.jpg
Ruins of limestone kilns at Walkerville, formerly known as Waratah
Ruins of limestone kilns viewed from the Limeburners Track Limestone kiln ruins viewed from Limeburners track at Walkerville, Victoria, Australia.jpg
Ruins of limestone kilns viewed from the Limeburners Track

History

Walkerville is situated on the traditional lands of the Brataualung people, a clan of the Gunai/Kurnai nation. [3]

The settlement was originally named Waratah but changed to Walkerville in 1892 to avoid confusion with mail directed to Tasmania. The name honored the recently dead William Froggatt Walker, the former Victorian Customs Commissioner. [4]

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Walkerville was a thriving industrial hub due to its lime production. Limestone mined from local cliffs was processed in six kilns and transported by horse-drawn trams to a 300-meter jetty for shipping. [5] However, transportation difficulties, such as bad weather preventing ships from docking and lime spoiling in moist air, caused the industry to decline. Rising shipping costs led to the closure of operations in 1926. [6]

A Post Office operated from 10 August 1885 until its closure in 1972. [7]

Walkerville was a lively settlement during its peak, hosting horse races, sports, and annual balls in the old hall, which served as the center of community life. [6] However, by 1940, Walkerville was described as a "ghost township," omitted from tourist guides and treated as if it "was not on the map" by railway and road services. [6]

A legend associated with the town involves a ship’s carpenter accused of stealing bullion in the 19th century. The gold was allegedly hidden near Walkerville, but its location was never discovered. [6]

Today, remnants of Walkerville’s history remain, including lime kiln ruins, jetty pilings, and stonework from former buildings. The old hall and other structures reflect the town's transition from an industrial hub to a tourist destination. [5]

Geography and Features

Walkerville is divided into two coastal sections:

- Walkerville South: Features a sheltered bay with a sandy beach and a boat launching ramp. [8] - Walkerville North: Includes the Walkerville Foreshore Camping Reserve and the Limeburner's Walk, which features interpretive signage about the area's mining history and a historic cemetery. [9]

Alison Lester's children's book Magic Beach, was inspired by her childhood summers in the area. [10]

Walkerville by Weddings Parties Anything, from their 1996 album River'esque is written from the perspective of a resident of the town at the closure of limestone mining. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lime kiln</span> Kiln used for the calcination of limestone

A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devonport, Tasmania</span> Port city in Tasmania, Australia

Devonport is a port city situated at the mouth of the Mersey River on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Positioned 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Burnie and 98 kilometres (61 mi) north of Launceston, its harbour manages over half of Tasmania's imports and exports, standing as the busiest freight port on the island. Devonport also plays a central role in Tasmania's trade sector, supporting industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. The City of Devonport's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at $3.5b in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnie</span> Port city in Tasmania, Australia

Burnie is a port city located on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately 325 kilometres (202 mi) north-west of the state capital of Hobart, 147 kilometres (91 mi) north-west of Launceston, and 47 kilometres (29 mi) west of Devonport. Founded in 1827 as Emu Bay, the township was renamed in the early 1840s after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, and proclaimed a city by Queen Elizabeth II on 26 April 1988. As of the 2021 census, Burnie has a population of 19,918, with a municipality area spanning 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi), administered by the City of Burnie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Melbourne</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km (2 mi) south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip local government areas. Port Melbourne recorded a population of 17,633 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosebud, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Rosebud is a seaside suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 61 km (38 mi) south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Rosebud recorded a population of 14,381 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Rye is a seaside suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 94.5 km (58.7 mi) south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Rye recorded a population of 9,438 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indented Head</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip bay between the towns of Portarlington and St Leonards.

East Geelong is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. At the 2016 census, East Geelong had a population of 3,862.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toora, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Toora is a small farming town in Victoria, Australia whose main industry is dairy farming. It is located at the top of Corner Inlet opposite Wilsons Promontory National Park. In the 2016 census the population was 681.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geilston Bay, Tasmania</span> Suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Geilston Bay is a largely residential suburb of Hobart between Risdon Vale, Shag Bay, and Lindisfarne, in the City of Clarence located on the Eastern Shore of the Derwent River, taking its name from an inlet of that river of the same name. The inlet and locality were sometimes known by the alternative name "Limekiln Bay" on account of lime kilns which operated there between approximately the 1830s and the 1920s, the remains of which remained visible for some decades thereafter; another early name for the Bay was "James's Bay". The present suburb name derives from an early land holding "Geils Town" in the region purchased by Andrew Geils, Commandant of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for a brief period in 1812-1813, who subsequently left his Australian holdings behind when he moved back to Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Albert</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Port Albert is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Corner Inlet on the Yarram - Port Albert Road, 82 kilometres (51 mi) south-east of Morwell, 236 kilometres (147 mi) south-east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington. At the 2016 census, Port Albert had a population of 403.

Sandy Point is a township in south Gippsland, Victoria near Wilsons Promontory. At the 2016 census, Sandy Point had a population of 270, growing to several thousand during the holiday period. It is surrounded by areas of significant natural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waratah Bay, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Waratah Bay is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, on the shore of Waratah Bay. It is home to around 300 people, of whom 56 are permanent residents. 2016 Census

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wool Bay, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Wool Bay is a locality and a former government town in the Australian state of South Australia on the east coast of southern Yorke Peninsula. It is located between Stansbury and Coobowie on Yorke Peninsula, approximately 220 kilometres from Adelaide by road, but only just over 60 km due west across Gulf St Vincent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Coogee</span> Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

North Coogee is a coastal, western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn. The suburb is immediately to the north of Coogee, which takes its name from the lake, Lake Coogee, in the area, which translates to "Body of water" in the native Aboriginal Nyoongar language. Originally this lake was named Lake Munster after Prince William, the Earl of Munster, and later King William IV. The Aboriginal name Kou-gee was recorded in 1841 by Thomas Watson and has been variously spelt Koojee, Coojee and Coogee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Welshpool, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Port Welshpool is a town in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is located 191 km south-east of Melbourne, on Corner Inlet and in 2006 had a population of 191.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Island Waggonway</span> C19 industrial transport system in Northumberland, England

The Holy Island Waggonway was a network of waggonways across the island of Lindisfarne, Northumberland, England.

William Froggatt Walker, commonly referred to as (Hon.) W. Froggatt Walker, was a politician in colonial Victoria (Australia).

The National Portland Cement Limited tramway was a 2ft gauge rail line that served the cement works at Darlington on Maria Island in Tasmania from 1923 to July 1930.

The Tamar Hematite Iron Company (THIC) was an iron mining and smelting company that operated from April 1874 to December 1877, in the area close to the location of the modern-day township of Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Walkerville (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 August 2020. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Walkerville (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  3. "The Gunaikurnai People". Gunaikurnai Traditional Owner Land Management Board. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. "From Melbourne papers. VICTORIA". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 19 December 1892. p. 3.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  5. 1 2 "Walkerville Lime Kilns". Heritage Council Victoria. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Forgotten Walkerville". The Age. 11 May 1940. p. 12.
  7. Premier Postal History, Post Office List , retrieved 11 April 2008
  8. "Walkerville South beach access closure".
  9. "Limeburners Walk".
  10. "Magic Beach: Making Waves". Visit Victoria. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  11. "Riveresque Album by Weddings Parties Anything". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2024.