Winchelsea, Victoria

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


caption = Former town hall, now Tea rooms
lga = Surf Coast Shire
postcode = 3241
est =
pop = 1,102
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Polwarth
fedgov = Corangamite
dist1 = 110
dir1 =
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 37
dir2 =
location2= Victoria
dist3 = 38
dir3 =
location3= Colac

Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia.It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong (37 km north-east).

The first Europeans to reside in the area were squatters who established grazing runs there c. 1837. The town developed around the Barwon Inn, established in 1842 by Prosper Nicholas Trebeck and Charles Beal [http://www.winchelsea.info/historystory.htm] . The Post Office opened as Barwon on 1 July 1848 and was renamed Winchelsea in 1854. 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 ] The railway though the town was opened in 1876,cite journal
year = 1990
month = March
title = Tracks Across the State
author = Sid Brown
journal = Newsrail
publisher = Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)
pages = pages 71–76 ] as part of the line to the south west of the state. The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line. At the 2001 census, Winchelsea had a population of 1,102.Census 2001 AUS|id=UCL257000|name=Winchelsea (Urban Centre/Locality)|accessdate=2007-06-30|quick=on]

Albert Jacka, the first Australian to win a Victoria Cross in World War I was born at Winchelsea in 1893.

Places of interest

* Barwon Hotel (1842) with a collection of historical artefacts.
* Barwon River Bridge (1867) over the Barwon River is an impressive stone structure.
* Barwon Park (National Trust) designed by architects Davidson & Henderson and built 1869 - 1871 of bluestone for Thomas and Elizabeth Austin.
* Old Shire Hall

port

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Geelong & District Football League.

ee also

* Winchelsea railway station, Victoria

References

ources

* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Victoria/Winchelsea/2005/02/17/1108500207635.html The Sydney Morning Herald; Winchelsea -- Things to see]
* [http://www.zades.com.au/nattrust/park.htm Susie Zada -- Barwon Park]