Caramut is a town in the Western District of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia on the

Hamilton Highway Hamilton Highway is a rural highway in western Victoria, Australia, linking Geelong and the town of Hamilton, through the localities of Inverleigh, Cressy, Lismore, Derrinallum, Darlington, Mortlake, and Penshurst. Glenelg Highway links Ha ...

. It is in the

Shire of Moyne The Shire of Moyne is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 16,887. It includes the towns of Po ...

local government area and the

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

Division of Wannon The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. History The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election. The division was nam ...

. The name "Caramut" is believed to be derived from the Aboriginal word ''cooramook'', thought to mean "plenty of possums". At the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, Caramut and the surrounding area had a population of 392. At the 2016 census, Caramut and the surrounding area had a population of 246.

History

There is evidence that

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

had established a village of domed huts near Caramut before white settlement. The

Protector of Aborigines The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...

George Augustus Robinson George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was a British-born colonial official and self-trained preacher in colonial Australia. In 1824, Robinson travelled to Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land, where he attempted to negotiate ...

, produced drawings of structures in the area circa 1840. In 1839 the Caramut area was first settled by John Muston as a pastoral run. In 1842, the Lubra Creek massacre of six

Dhauwurd wurrung The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Thei ...

people took place on the Caramut run, leased by Thomas Osbrey and Sidney Smith at the time. The Post Office opened on 1 March 1848 as Muston's Creek and was renamed Caramut in 1854.

Traditional ownership

The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Caramut sits are groups within the

Eastern Maar The Eastern Maar people are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples whose traditional lands are in the south-western part of state of Victoria, Australia. It is a name adopted by a number of Aboriginal Victorian groups who identify as Maar, incl ...

peoples, who are represented by the

Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation The Eastern Maar people are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples whose traditional lands are in the south-western part of state of Victoria, Australia. It is a name adopted by a number of Aboriginal Victorian groups who identify as Maar, inc ...

(EMAC).

Community

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the

Mininera & District Football League The Mininera & District Football League is based in South-western Victoria, with clubs located east of Hamilton, south of Ararat and west of Colac. The league absorbed several teams from the defunct Ararat & District Football Association in 20 ...

References

Towns in Victoria (Australia) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub