Murchison, Victoria
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Murchison Victoria |
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Main street
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 Murchison
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| Coordinates | 36°37′S 145°13′E / 36.617°S 145.217°ECoordinates: 36°37′S 145°13′E / 36.617°S 145.217°E |
| Population | 1,047 (2011 census) |
| Postcode(s) | 3610 |
| Elevation | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Greater Shepparton |
| State electorate(s) | Euroa |
| Federal Division(s) | Murray |
Murchison is a small riverside rural village located on the Goulburn River in Victoria, Australia. Murchison is located 167 kilometres from Melbourne and is just to the west of the Goulburn Valley Highway between Shepparton and Nagambie. The surrounding countryside contains orchards, vineyards and dairy farms and also HM Prison Dhurringile. At the 2011 census, Murchison had a population of 1,047.
The Ngooraialum tribe were the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. The first explorer to enter the Goulburn Valley was Thomas Mitchell who crossed the Goulburn River at Mitchellstown. The first Europeans to visit what would become the site where the drovers Joseph Hawdon and Charles Bonney who drove cattle between Mitchellstown and Adelaide.
Squatters started settling the area in 1840 with a school being established that year and a police station in 1841. The aboriginal protectorate was also transferred from Mitchellstown to Murchison in 1840 and closed in 1850.
French vigneron Ludovic Marie settled in Murchison in 1850 and established vineyards. He also set up a hotel and punt service over the Goulburn for gold miners travelling between Bendigo and Beechworth. A township was established in 1854 with the town being named after Captain John Murchison, an early settler.
The town grew rapidly, with a post office opening on 19 January 1855 (replacing an earlier office at Warranga), a flour mill in 1858 and a Presbyterian church and school in 1859. Small selectors started settling the area after 1870. A bridge was built over the Goulburn to replace the punt service in 1871, with a newspaper, courthouse and mechanics' institute being established in 1870.
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