Scotsburn is a locality in

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is approximately from

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

on the Midland Highway toward

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. Its

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

are the

Shire of Moorabool The Shire of Moorabool is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 34,158. It includes the towns of Ballan, Bacchus Marsh, Balliang, ...

and the

City of Ballarat The City of Ballarat is a local government area in the west of the state of Victoria, Australia. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 107,325. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is primarily urban with the v ...

History

Located at the foot of

Mount Buninyong Mount Buninyong is an extinct volcano in western Victoria, Australia rising to AHD. It lies within the Mount Buninyong Scenic Reserve, north of the town of Buninyong and south of Ballarat, on the regional city's rural-urban fringe. Snow fa ...

, it was named after the Scott family which settled in the area around 1840. Andrew and Celia Scott, who arrived in Australia in 1839, established a cattle farm of . The Scotts had received £2,070 9S 2D as compensation for emancipated slaves in

Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...

from the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

, "under the will of Thos. Bird". Thomas Bird appears to have been Celia Scott's grandfather, and his inheritance was split between her and her two sisters. After a period of growing potatoes in 1841-42 during poor financial times, in 1843 the Scott family began to run sheep. The Scott family also purchased property in the western district of Victoria and in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, with some members of the family moving to run sheep on the new stations. Over time various sections of the original farm were sold to new farmers in the district. In 1876 the first school was opened, known for a short time as Burnt Hill State School (State School number 2176). Four years later the school was renamed Scotts Marsh and in 1889 it was again renamed, this time to Scotsburn. The school is now an annexe of Buninyong Primary School. The

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

opened on 9 August 1880 as Scott's Marsh, was renamed Scotsburn in 1889 and closed in 1971. In 1884 the Scotsburn Union Church was formed, with an acre of land donated by Andrew Scott. The same church structure remains and still holds regular services. In 1891 the Scotsburn Hall was built, funded by donations and land donated by the Eason family. Since its establishment it has been utilised by the local primary school, the Scotsburn Tennis Club, and local residents for various functions.

Recent history

bushfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

with an extent of 4600 hectares burned through Scotsburn and surrounding areas on 19 and 20 December 2015, killing livestock and pets and destroying at least twelve houses. Relief centres were set up for all evacuated people.

References

Scotsburn, The Early Settlers, 1838 - 1988 Towns in Victoria (Australia) {{VictoriaAU-geo-stub