Heyfield, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Heyfield
state = vic


caption =
lga = Shire of Wellington
postcode = 3858
est =
pop = 1579 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC25765 | name = Heyfield (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | quick = on]
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Gippsland East
fedgov = Gippsland
dist1 = 206
dir1 = E
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 36
dir2 = NW
location2= Sale
dist3 = 21
dir3 = W
location3= Maffra

Heyfield is a town in Victoria, Australia, with a population of 2099. It is located convert|206|km|mi|0|lk=on east of Melbourne, in the Shire of Wellington local government area. Located on the Thomson River, Heyfield is a gateway to the Victorian High Country.

History

In 1841 an early settler, James McFarlane, described the district as resembling "a field of waving corn", and called it "Hayfield". By 1866, the spelling had changed to "Heyfield", but exactly when and why this happened is unclear. [ [http://www.gippslandinfo.com.au/accom_result1.asp?Code=20270] , [http://www.heyfield.net/] , [http://www.otp.com.au/heyfield.htm] , [http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.0009B49C-8B79-1DB8-917780C476A90000/] ] It may have been renamed to reflect the spelling of the nearby Heyfield Station [ [http://www.travelmate.com.au/Places/Places.asp?TownName=Heyfield_%5C_VIC Heyfield, Victoria - Travelmate ] ] .

In 1866, McFarlane's property was taken over by James Tyson, a former member of the Queensland Legislative Council, a pastoralist, and considered Australia's first self-made millionaire.

The town grew up as a stopping point for diggers on their way to the Gippsland goldfields, and the Post Office opened on 24 September 1870.Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ] It is today known for its agriculture and timber production. It is the principal source of hardwood in Victoria, and the largest timber mill in the Southern Hemisphere, ITC Timber Heyfield, is located there.

The district's irrigation water comes from Lake Glenmaggie.

During the Gippsland bushfires in December 2006 and January 2007, the town was used as a staging area by the networked fire agencies, being, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Country Fire Authority (CFA), Victoria Police, and the Victorian State Emergency Service (SES).

There was also a skatepark built in December 2005, which was a big achievement for Heyfield.

Heyfield and its surroundings were also victims of severe flash floods twice during winter and spring in 2007. The Thomson River burst its banks and rendered the road out of Heyfield impassible.

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the North Gippsland Football League.

Cultural notes

The author, Mary Grant Bruce started writing her "Billabong" series of books in 1910 whilst staying at James Tyson's former house.

The poet Shaw Neilson spent some time in the Heyfield area in the 1920s, where he wrote several poems and helped in the construction of the Lake Glenmaggie weir wall.

Notable people from Heyfield

*Wil Anderson - Australian stand-up comedian and TV and radio personality
*David Wojcinski - Geelong Football Player
*Leigh Brown - North Melbourne Football Player

References

External links

* [http://www.heyfield.net/ Heyfield]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Victoria/Heyfield/2005/02/17/1108500206536.html Sydney Morning Herald - Heyfield]
* [http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/ObjectID.0009B49C-8B79-1DB8-917780C476A90000/vvt.vhtml Visit Victoria - Heyfield]