Smythesdale
| Smythesdale Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Court House Hotel | |||||||||||||
  Smythesdale | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°39′0″S 143°41′0″E / 37.65000°S 143.68333°ECoordinates: 37°39′0″S 143°41′0″E / 37.65000°S 143.68333°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 849 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3351 | ||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Smythesdale is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Glenelg Highway. Most of the town is located in the Golden Plains Shire local government area; however, a small section lies in the Shire of Pyrenees. Smythesdale is 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Ballarat and 135 kilometres (84 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2011 census, Smythesdale and the surrounding area had a population of 849.[1]
The town was established during the Victorian Gold Rush, and the Post Office opened on 14 July 1854. The town was known as Smythe's Creek until 1864.[2]
Facilities in the town include the Court House Hotel, a bluestone police lock up, constructed in 1869 and the old Court House, now home to the local historical society.[3]
Smythesdale is the birthplace of Arthur Alfred Lynch, a polymath who was trained in engineering and medicine, wrote poetry, was a Member of the British Parliament and fought against the British in the Second Boer War.[4] It was also home to women's rights activist, Lillias Margaret Skene.[5]
Heritage listed sites
Smythesdale contains a number of heritage listed sites, including:
- Glenelg Highway, Glenelg Highway Stone Mileposts [6]
- 64 Brooke Street, Smythesdale Court House [7]
- Surface Hill Road, Surface Hill Hydraulic Gold Sluicing Pit [8]
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Smythesdale (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 2008-04-11.
- ↑ "Smythesdale". Travel Victoria. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ Serle, Geoffrey (1986). "Lynch, Arthur Alfred (1861 - 1934)". Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online edition. Australian National University. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ Smart, Judith (2002). "Skene, Lillias Margaret (1867 - 1957)". Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online edition. Australian National University. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ "Stone Mileposts (H1701)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ↑ "Smythesdale Court House (H1653)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ↑ "Surface Hill Hydraulic Gold Sluicing Pit (H1226)". Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smythesdale. |
- Walkabout travel site - accessed 2007-12-27.