Creswick, Victoria

Creswick
Victoria

Town Hall & Museum

Creswick

Coordinates

37°26′0″S 143°54′0″E / 37.43333°S 143.90000°ECoordinates: 37°26′0″S 143°54′0″E / 37.43333°S 143.90000°E

Population

3,303 (2011 census)

Postcode(s)

3363

Elevation

430 m (1,411 ft)

Location

129 km (80 mi) NW of Melbourne
18 km (11 mi) N of Ballarat

Mean max temp	Mean min temp	Annual rainfall
17.8 °C ^{64 °F}	6.6 °C ^{44 °F}	742.7 mm ^{29.2 in}

Creswick /ˈkrɛzwɪk/ is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in the Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2011 census, Creswick had a population of 3,303. Creswick was named after the Creswick family, the pioneer settlers of the region.

The area was inhabited by the Dja Dja Wurrung people before white settlement. The pioneer white settlers were Henry, Charles and John Creswick, three brothers who started a large sheep station in 1842.

Creswick is a former gold-mining town, established during the Victorian gold rushes in the 1850s. The Post Office opened on 1 September 1854 but was named Creswick's Creek until around 1857. The population reached a peak of 25,000 during the gold rush. Today, local industries include forestry, grazing and agriculture.

Creswick was the site of the New Australasian Gold Mine disaster on 12 December 1882, Australia's worst mining disaster in which 22 men drowned.

The original School of Forestry was established in 1910 by the Department of Forestry. It was the first institution set up in Victoria to train and accredit young foresters. Now the campus is part of The University of Melbourne. The campus is situated in Water Street and houses the School of Forest & Ecosystem Science, a highly regarded research and teaching institution.

Creswick has three primary schools—two government and one Catholic: Creswick Primary School, Creswick North Primary School and St Augustines respectively.

The town also has an aged care facility. John Curtin Aged Care was formerly the township's health care hospital, but was converted to a nursing home in 1998.

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Wikipedia