Tuesday March 8, 2005

Coleraine

February 8, 2004

Coleraine
Typical rural service centre
Coleraine is a rural service centre of about 1000 people located 94 metres above sea-level in a picturesque valley at the foot of the tablelands. It is 359 km west of Melbourne via the Western and Glenelg Highways and 34 km west of Hamilton. The surrounding area is given over to pastoral and agricultural industries.

The Jardwadjali people are thought to have occupied this area prior to white settlement. The first Europeans were the party of surveyor Thomas Mitchell which passed through the area during the Australia Felix expedition of 1836. Mitchell then headed south and encountered the Henty brothers at Portland. His reports of good pasturage encouraged them to move inland in 1837, marking the start of European settlement in the Western district. They took up 28 000 ha of land to the west of present-day Coleraine and an original homestead, 'Muntham', still stands between Coleraine and Casterton.

The first white squatter on the land was James Bryan, a brother-in-law of the Hentys. He arrived in 1839 and built a home near the present showgrounds. In 1840 the Whyte brothers took over the run which was broken up into smaller estates in the 1840s.

As was the case throughout Australia, the indigenous people lost access to their lands as a result of white settlement and so occasionally fed upon the sheep which gradually displaced their traditional food sources. In retaliation for what whites saw as 'theft' a massacre of some 30 Aborigines occurred on one of these properties. They were allegedly shot with bolts, nails and gravel loaded into a cannon. Protector of Aborigines, George Robinson, remarked that the majority of stories about Aboriginal 'theft' in the area were "grossly fallacious or shamelessly exaggerated". A second massacre occurred about 10 km north of Coleraine where Konongwootong Reservoir is now located. By 1857 James Bonwick observed that "The tribe is nearly extinct" and he reflected upon the degree to which alcoholism had spread through the community as the traditional culture collapsed.

By 1856 the Whytes had sold up. James Whyte later became premier of Tasmania. However, by that time, the township of Coleraine had emerged on Bryans Creek. Initially known as Bryans Creek Crossing it was surveyed in 1853 by Lindsay Clarke who renamed it after a town in Northern Ireland.

Coleraine became famous as a venue for horseracing particularly as the home of the Great Western Steeplechase which was first run in 1857. This race followed a circuit through the town, over gardens and paddock fences. Noted poet Adam Lindsay Gordon was a regular and distinguished rider in the event prior to his suicide in 1870. Two of his poems are based around the steeplechase: 'The Fields of Coleraine' and 'Banker's Dream'.

Another distinguished visitor in the town's early days was Louis Buvelot whose painting 'Waterpool Near Coleraine' depicts a waterhole on Bryans Creek. It was purchased by the National Gallery in Melbourne in 1871 and is now owned by the National Gallery in Canberra.

The Land Acts of 1864 and 1865 enabled the break-up of the enormous estates of the Western District pastoralists for closer settlement, although the process was slow. The Coleraine State School was established in 1878 and the railway arrived in 1882.

Beautician Helena Rubinstein, who later founded a remarkable cosmetics empire, was a Polish immigrant who arrived in Australia at the age of 18 in the late 1880s. She initially lived with and worked for her uncle at his grocery shop in Coleraine. She moved on to Melbourne after three years where she opened her first beauty salon. The building in which she worked is still standing near the bridge in Whyte St.

A cheese factory opened at Coleraine in 1892 and the local dairying industry received a further boost with compulsory subdivision in 1910. More stations were subdivided in 1923 for British Army officers. Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser lived on one of these properties to the north of town for many years.

Coleraine has a good quality golf course and a picturesque and popular racecourse 3 km east of town.


Things to see:

Tourist Information
The Coleraine Tourism Exhibition Centre is located in the old railway station (1882) in Pilleau St. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily and sells a range of local arts and crafts, tel: (03) 5575 2733.

The Eucalypt Discovery Centre
The Eucalypt Discovery Centre is located in the former shire offices in the main street (Whyte St). It is an interpretive centre which operates as a companion to the Peter Francis Points Arboretum (see next entry). There are two Discovery Rooms. One focuses on the natural history of eucalypts in their ecosystems and the second on the economic uses to which eucalypts are put (timber, eucalyptus oil etc). There are interactive computer games, other interactive displays for children, videos, slide-viewers, a reference library and a good range of merchandise for sale. The centre is designed for casual visitors but also has an educational program for school groups. Entry is free and it is open daily, tel: (03) 5575 2222.

Peter Francis Points Arboretum
The excellent Peter Francis Points Arboretum (37 ha) is situated on a hill overlooking the town. It is signposted opposite the post office in Whyte St.

It contains over 12 000 native plants and has over 400 eucalypt species. The range of soil types, orientations and topography in the arboretum have enabled the growth of vegetation types from differing Australian habitats. There are spotted gum, mallee eucalypts, tall-forest eucalypts, snow gums, mallet eucalypts, brittle gums, yellow gums, ironbarks, lemon-scented gums, woolybutts, tallow woods, karri, acacias, grevilleas, banksias, hakeas, melaleucas, prosthantheras, correas, native pines, kurrajongs, calistemon, indigenous wildflowers, persoonias, dryland plants and a section devoted to small colourful natives.

As you enter the grounds a roadway veers off to the left to a parking area. Adjacent is the office and a picnic area. There is a barbecue shelter with coin-operated barbecues, a shelter shed, toilets, walkways and children's play facilities. If you ignore this turnoff the main vehicle track continues north to the lookout on the eastern side of the arboretum. It offers excellent views of the surrounding district, including the Grampians to the north-east.

Four walking tracks start from the shelter shed at the picnic area. If you follow the blue arrows they will take you west to the Shadehouse via the Aboriginal Plant Uses Walk (1 km) then back. The yellow arrows lead through the Grevillea Walk, on to the Shadehouse then steer you north-east via the lookout and back to the shelter shed (2.2 km). The orange arrows take you straight to the lookout and back (1 km). There is also a track with wheelchair access to the shadehouse via Lindner Track and return (1 km). A pamphlet which outlines the layout of the arboretum and the course of the walking tracks is available from the Eucalyptus Discovery Centre.

Glenelg Fine Confectionery
The Glenelg Chocolate Factory is a popular stopover for visitors and locals. It is open daily, located in Whyte St and sells gift boxes and packaged chocolates, tel: (03) 5575 2598.

Old Blacksmith's Shop
The old blacksmith's shop dates from 1888 when it was built by Matthew Cooke to replace a previous blacksmith's which was destroyed by a storm. It remained in the family until the 1980s and retains its original equipment. This timber workshop has a gabled roof and a skillion attached on the east side. The large doors of the skillion were for the access of horse-drawn vehicles and other equipment. The roof is corrugated iron with a ventilated ridge and the floor is earthen. It is located at 91 Whyte St and is open by appointment. The intact machinery can be fired up and demonstrated for coach groups, tel: (03) 5575 0233.

Museum
The local historical society have a museum display which is located in the old courthouse, adjacent the post office in Whyte St. It is open by appointment, tel: (03) 5575 2160 or (03) 5575 2634.

Churches
The town has three churches of historic interest: Holy Trinity Church of England (1865) at the corner of Church and Henty Sts, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1892) at the corner of Church and Winter Sts, and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church (1888) in Read St.

Adam Lindsay Gordon Monument
On the main road, at the eastern edge of town, is an obelisk which commemorates Adam Lindsay Gordon, a 19th-century poet who developed a reputation as a distinguished rider in the town's Great Western Steeplechase prior to his suicide in 1870. Two of his poems are based around the race: 'The Fields of Coleraine' and 'Banker's Dream'.

Glenview Yabby Farm
Glenview Yabby Farm is located 2 km west of town along the Glenelg Highway. They are usually open but are closed for remodelling until March or April 2000, tel: (03) 5575 2624.

Konongwootong Reservoir
Konongwootong Reservoir is the town's water supply, although a prolonged dry spell has seen the water level decline in recent years. It is a popular trout fishing spot with picnicking facilities and is located about 10 km north of town on the Harrow/Edenhope Road. A massacre of Aborigines is said to have occurred at this site in the 1840s.

Tahara Herb Farm
Tahara Herb Farm sells a large range of herbs and cottage plants and 20 varieties of lavender. There is a picnic area. It is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily and located on the Portland Road 13 km from Coleraine, tel: (03) 5575 4257.

Wannon Falls
About 15 km east of Coleraine, via the Glenelg Highway, is a signposted turnoff to Wannon Falls, located just off the highway. They can be very impressive, particularly in winter (the flow may become a trickle in mid-summer). There is a koala reserve, a sports area, a playground and picnic-barbecue area. Kangaroos abound and both swimming and fishing can be enjoyed. Several viewing platforms have been carved out of the cliff face.

The Red Gum Craft and Training Centre
The Red Gum Craft and Training Centre is about to be established in the town's original shire offices (1874) in Whyte St (these are earlier offices than those now used by the Eucalypt Discovery Centre). There will be furniture restoration, displays of local wood-craft products, demonstrations of woodturning and training in such arts. It is due to open in March 2000.


Hotels

Coleraine Hotel
Whyte St
Coleraine VIC 3315
Telephone: (03) 5575 2042

National Hotel
70 Whyte St
Coleraine VIC 3315
Telephone: (03) 5575 2064
Rating: *


Restaurants

National Hotel
70 Whyte St
Coleraine VIC 3315
Telephone: (03) 5575 2064




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