| Wickliffe Victoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Wickliffe | |
| Coordinates | 37°41′S142°43′E / 37.683°S 142.717°E |
| Population | 123 (2021 census) [1] |
| Postcode(s) | 3379 |
| LGA(s) | Rural City of Ararat |
| State electorate(s) | Lowan |
| Federal division(s) | Wannon |
Wickliffe is a small town in the Rural City of Ararat local government area in western Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Wickliffe and the surrounding area had a population of 123. [1]
In 1840 John Dickson Wyselaskie (1818-1883) took up the 'Narrapumelap' pastoral run in the Wickliffe district. In 1843 an Irishman named John Farrell established a public-house, the Hopkins Inn, at a crossing-place on the Hopkins River. The location was known by several names – Ford's Crossing, Hopkins Crossing and Farrell's Inn. [2] [3]
By 1850 the settlement on the Hopkins River had been named Wickliffe. [2] Town lots at Wickliffe were offered for sale in August 1853, with lots being purchased by the local land-holder Wyselaskie and inn-keeper Farrell. [4] [5]
The first Presbyterian minister, Rev. John McLachlan, was appointed to the district in 1851. McLachlan lived on 'Narrapumelap' station and ministered at Wickliffe, Hopkins Hill and Dunkeld until 1856. Services were initially conducted in the Hopkins Hotel at Wickliffe. [6]
In January 1854 a post-office briefly opened at Wickliffe, but closed later in the year. [7] In March 1856 the Wickliffe post-office was re-opened, serving the township and district residents until it closed in April 1988. [8] [7]
A public school was opened at Wickliffe in 1858. By the early 1860s Wyselaskie's property holdings in the district encompassed 105 square kilometres. [2]
The local Presbyterian congregation raised one thousand pounds and obtained a government grant to build a church. A substantial Gothic-style bluestone Presbyterian church was opened in May 1861, with Rev. Edward Blair as minister. A 70-foot high steeple and bell-tower was added to the building in 1878 with funds provided by the local landholder J. D. Wyselaskie. [6]
In April 1877 the Ararat to Hamilton railway branch line was opened as far as Dunkeld. The section of line included a station 10.5 miles (17 kilometres) north of Wickliffe, known as the Wickliffe Road station. [9]
From 1873 to 1878 J. D. Wyselaskie built the Narrapumelap homestead, a bluestone French Gothic-revival mansion, south-west of the township on his pastoral station. [10]
In August 1880 the body of a man was found in a paddock at Reedy Creek, about seven miles north-west of Wickliffe. The man, later identified as Michael Quinlivan, had been killed by a blow to the back of his head. Police investigations later revealed Quinlivan had been murdered by his companion, Robert Francis Burns, who was convicted of the crime in July 1883. [11] Before his execution in September 1883 Burns made a hasty confession to the hangman, indicating Quinlivan's murder was just one of eight murders he had committed. [12]
In September 1901 Wickliffe township had only one store and one hotel. The only church in the township was Presbyterian. [13]
A public hall was built at Wickliffe in 1912. [2]
After World War II a section of the 'Narrapumelap' estate was subdivided to form 22 soldier-settler farms. [2] [14]
The Wickliffe public school was closed in 1987. [2]
The restored Narrapumelap homestead, registered on the National and Victorian heritage registers, is a major tourist attraction nearby to Wickliffe, south-west of the township. The grand bluestone mansion was built between 1873 and 1878 by the pastoralist John Dickson Wyselaskie. The homestead, in the French Gothic-revival style, was designed by the architectural firm of Davidson and Henderson. It is a single-storied building, asymmetrically assembled with a central projecting gabled wing, turret and tower. [10] [2] Fifty stonemasons were employed to build the bluestone structure. The surrounding grounds and garden included a mile-long (1.6 km) tree-lined avenue. [15]
When Wyselaskie died in 1883 'Narrapumelap' station was purchased by the pastoralist, Gerald Neville Buckley. [16] In 1952 the McIntyre family acquired 'Narrapumelap'. Wyselaskie's bluestone homestead fell into disrepair during this period. By 1987 the homestead was derelict, but remained structurally sound. The Hamilton branch of the National Trust organised two open days at 'Narrapumelap' which inspired Kevin McIntyre to begin the restoration of Narrapumelap homestead and its garden. [16] The house and grounds were re-opened to the public in 1995. [10] In November 2017 a new roof was installed on the tower (in the style of the original design). [16]
Accommodation is available at the restored homestead, in an apartment located in the west wing of the mansion. [17]
The local football team, combined with players from nearby Lake Bolac, is known as the Magpies and plays in the Mininera & District Football League. [18]
Hillston is a township in western New South Wales, Australia, in Carrathool Shire, on the banks of the Lachlan River. It was founded in 1863 and at the 2021 census had a population of 1,547.
Moyhu is a town in the Rural City of Wangaratta Local Government Area, Victoria, Australia. It is situated in the fertile King Valley, near the King River, which flows from the Victorian Alps and joins the Ovens River in Wangaratta.
East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 census.
Anakie is a town between Geelong and Bacchus Marsh, in Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Anakie and the surrounding area had a population of 734. The area is divided between the City of Greater Geelong and Golden Plains Shire local government areas.
Lethbridge is a town in Golden Plains Shire, Victoria, Australia. Bluestone from Lethbridge quarries was used to build several significant buildings in Melbourne, including the steps to the Parliament House. At the 2016 census, Lethbridge had a population of 1,014.
J Ward originally the Ararat County Gaol, was an Australian prison, of the latter a psychiatric facility to house the criminally insane, located in Ararat, Victoria, Australia.
Dunkeld is a town in Victoria, Australia, at the southern end of the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Southern Grampians. It is approx 283 km west of Melbourne on the Glenelg Highway. The town's population is holding steady but aging. At the 2016 census, Dunkeld had a population of 678.
The Scots' Church is a Presbyterian church in Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Services are held at 11 am (traditional) and 5pm (contemporary). It is a reformed protestant church. It was the first Presbyterian church to be built in the Port Phillip District, and serves as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Its building was described as "an icon for well over a hundred years".
Glenthompson is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It lies on the Glenelg Highway between Hamilton and Ballarat, close to the Grampian mountain range. At the 2016 census, Glenthompson and the surrounding area had a population of 234.
Mintaro is a historic town in the eastern Clare Valley, east of the Horrocks Highway, about 126 kilometres north of Adelaide, South Australia. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare, within the Clare Valley wine region. Established in 1849, Mintaro is situated on land which was bought originally by Joseph and Henry Gilbert, which they sub-divided into 80 allotments.
Rosedale is a pastoral and agricultural town 184 kilometres east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway. It is situated on the southern side of the LaTrobe River. Once a staging post on the Port Albert to Sale and Port Albert to Walhalla coach runs, it was the administrative centre of the Shire of Rosedale which extended to the east and included the Ninety Mile Beach. It is now part of the Wellington Shire centred in Sale. At the 2006 census, Rosedale had a population of 1,077. The town is in the area of Gippsland explored separately by the Scotsman, Angus McMillan, and the Polish aristocrat, Count Paul von Strzelecki, in 1840. A memorial to McMillan is located in Rosedale, and one to Strzelecki near Traralgon to the west. Strzelecki named the region Gippsland after Governor Gipps.
Thomas Austin was an English settler in Australia who is generally noted for the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859, even though rabbits had been brought previously to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788.
Wollert is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 26 km north of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Wollert recorded a population of 24,407 at the 2021 census.
Branxholme is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Henty Highway between Heywood and Hamilton. At the 2016 census, Branxholme and the surrounding area had a population of 351.
Macarthur originally known as Eumeralla, is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon. At the 2016 census, Macarthur and the surrounding area had a population of 522.
Willaura is a town in western Victoria, Australia in the Rural City of Ararat local government area, 231 kilometres (144 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2021 census, Willaura and surrounding area had a population of 439.
Mount Sabine is a rural locality in the Shire of Colac Otway, Victoria, Australia. The small locality is located deep in the Otway Ranges, and is mostly densely forested.
Robert Francis Burns was an Irish Australian murderer and probable serial killer. He was hanged at Ararat Gaol in September 1883, convicted of the murder of Michael Quinlivan near Wickliffe in western Victoria. After Burns's death the hangman made a sensational claim that the prisoner had stated to him, prior to the execution, that he had murdered eight people in total, five in Victoria and three in New South Wales. The revelation prompted speculation in the colonial press, attempting to identify other murder victims with whom Burns had been associated.
Evander McIver was an Australian architect, engineer and surveyor. McIver is best known for a number of Gothic Revival, mostly Presbyterian churches he designed in Melbourne, Australia, during the "boom" era of the 1880s.
Dhurringile is a heritage-listed mansion and former rural estate in northern Victoria, Australia. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for its architectural significance as "one of Victoria's grandest homesteads", for its associations with the Winter-Irving pastoral family, and for its later uses as an internment and prisoner of war camp, boys' training home and most recently, as part of HM Prison Dhurringile.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)Localities in the Rural City of Ararat | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town |  | |
| Locality |
| |
^ - Territory divided with another LGA | ||
 | This article about a location in Victoria, Australia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |