St Andrews is a town 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, 52 km north-east of Melbourne's
Central Business District, located within the
Shire of Nillumbik
The Shire of Nillumbik ( ) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at th2021 census the Shire had ...
local government area. St Andrews recorded a population of 1,186 at the
2021 census.
St Andrews is well known for its alternative market, which is open every Saturday from 8am to 2pm it is closed on total fire ban days however. It also contains a hotel, primary school, bakery,
CFA, general store and the Wadambuk community centre where a mobile library managed by
Yarra Plenty Regional Library
Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) provides a public library service to the local government municipalities of the City of Banyule, Shire of Nillumbik and City of Whittlesea in the northeast of Melbourne Australia and located on the lands of ...
has a regular scheduled stop.
History
Originally called Queenstown, the area was surveyed in 1858 and a town proclaimed on 25 February 1861.
Located between Panton Hill and Kinglake, by 1865 it was also known as St Andrews, and the presence of large numbers of Scottish miners gave rise to the town being called both ‘Caledonia’ and ‘St Andrews’.
St Andrew Post Office had opened earlier on 1 January 1856 and was renamed St Andrews in 1923.
It experienced population growth during the
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capit ...
, when
prospectors mined the hills around the town. St Andrews was the earliest goldfield in the area and by1855 there were 3000 miners.
The first discovery of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
in Queenstown was recorded in
The Herald on 9 and 11 March 1855 and was attributed to a George Boston and two Scotsmen.
In April 2015, it was named Victoria's Wealthiest Town, as a result of ATO statistics. The town beat Toorak and Portsea, traditional leaders in this ranking.
St Andrews has a great community feel and is much loved by its residents and visitors alike.
Bushfires
On 7 February 2009 a
major bushfire destroyed houses on Ninks, Muller, Jacksons and Wild Dog Creek Roads, as well as Buttermans Track and Olives Lane.
Its progression toward the town centre was halted by a southerly wind change,
[ which saved the rest of the town, but drove the fire front further east, destroying the towns of Kinglake and Marysville.
]
Notable residents
*Ross Noble
Ross Markham Noble (born 5 June 1976) is an English stand-up comedian and actor. Noble rose to mainstream popularity through making appearances on British television, particularly interviews and on panel shows such as '' Have I Got News for You' ...
*Reg Evans
Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England.
Biography
Evans started drama while ...
See also
* Shire of Eltham
The Shire of Eltham was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1856 until 1994.
History
Eltham was first incorporated as a road distri ...
– St Andrews was previously within this former local government area.
References
External links
St Andrews Queenstown Historical Society
* ttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-29/st-andrews-highest-earning-postcode-in-victoria-tax-office-ato/6429932 St Andrews the highest earning postcode in Victoria, beating Toorak and Portseabr>St Andrews Community Market
Towns in Victoria (Australia)
Mining towns in Victoria (Australia)
Shire of Nillumbik
{{VictoriaAU-geo-stub