Hawkesdale 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 ...

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on the

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Road. 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

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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 named ...

. At the 2016 census, Hawkesdale and the surrounding area had a population of 322.

History

British colonisation of the vicinity began in May 1841 when Robert Whitehead, an English

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

, established a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

which he named Spring Creek. Whitehead's overseer reported that there were a large number of Aboriginal huts on the banks of the creek when they first arrived and that they had driven the Aborigines away with gunfire. Conflict over the occupation of the land continued for the next couple of years with flocks of sheep being taken, shepherds speared and Aboriginal people shot. In 1842, Whitehead with two of his employees and several other settlers, shot dead four Aboriginal woman and a child in a gully in what became known as the Lubra Creek massacre. Whitehead temporarily fled the colony to escape punishment but he soon returned and continued to hold the Spring Creek property (which he renamed Goodwood) until his death in 1879. The Goodwood property of 24,000 acres was subdivided to allow for closer settlement, which included the creation of the towns of Woolsthorpe and Hawkesdale. The first town allotments in Hawkesdale were offered for sale in 1861. Hawkesdale Post Office opened 11 April 1866. The Hawkesdale Hotel was established in 1860.

Community

The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Macarthur has an

Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

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 ...

. There is an outdoor swimming pool open in the summer months. Golfers play at the Hawkesdale Golf course.

References

External links

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