Beaufort, Victoria

Beaufort is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway midway between Ararat and Ballarat, in the Pyrenees Shire local government area. It is above sea level. At the 2021 census, Beaufort had a population of 1,712. The town takes its name either from Rear-Admiral Francis Beaufort or a Welsh village in Monmouthshire.

The area was once occupied by the Wadawurrung Indigenous Australians who called the area ''Peerick'' or ''Yarram-yarram''.

History

Thomas Mitchell passed through the district on his expedition of 1836. Early settlers in the area were Kenneth Kirkland his wife Katherine Kirkland and her two brothers in 1838. The station was taken over by Adolphus Goldsmith in 1841 and he developed the property into a rich grazing enterprise. Lake Goldsmith was named after him.

Gold was discovered in 1852, with another gold rush from 1854 at nearby Fiery Creek. The Fiery Creek diggings supported four townships, Beaufort, Yam Holes Creek, View Point and Southern Cross, during the 1850s. The population on the fields reportedly reached approximately 100,000 people at its height in the late 1850s and produced 450,000 ounces of gold over a two-year period, 1855–1856.

The town was surveyed in 1857 and town allotments were sold from 1858. By 1860, Beaufort had become a small but strong agricultural, pastoral and timber district. Beaufort's Court House was built in 1864 and the Post Office renamed as Beaufort the same year.

Climate

Beaufort has an elevation-influenced oceanic climate ( Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, relatively dry summers and cool, wetter winters. Average maxima vary from in January to in July, while average minima fluctuate between in February and in July. Mean average annual precipitation is moderately low , but is frequent, spread between 167.1 precipitation days. Consequently, the town is not sunny, experiencing 180.2 cloudy days and only 55.2 clear days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 7 February 2009 to on 21 July 1982. All climate data was sourced from Ballarat Airport, located southeast of Nhill at slightly higher elevation ().

Land development

In the mid-2010s, the town and Pyrenees Shire had realised that there was no viable answer for a land developer to create new housing in the area. Pyrenees decided to become its own developer, purchased land just west of the town, and undertook the planning processes of subdividing into around 100 blocks of 700 to 1,100 square metres, road alignments and utilities connection before selling the lots through a real estate agent.

In 2023, with Correa Park fully developed, Pyrenees is embarking on its second housing project, after purchasing another parcel of land on Burke Street on the north-west side of the town, around 10 minutes walking distance from the train station. There will be 20 to 30 lots of between 300 and 700 square metres.Housing shortage leads Pyrenees Shire Council to step in as developer to create Beaufort estates
Rochelle Kirkham, ABC News Online, 2023-11-27

Education

Beaufort has one Kinder - Year 12 State School, located at the original Beaufort Secondary School site. The original State Primary School site, currently, lies empty. On the site of the original Elizabeth Watkins Kindergarten, in Havelock Street, is the new Ambulance Station. (This is opposite the Beaufort Hospital, & next to the Wortherspoon Lane Playground. Also a new CFA Fire Station on the main Street at 2-6 Racecourse Road has just opened and boasts three drive-through engine bays as well as improved office space, workshops and meeting facilities.

There is also a six-bay external shed to house the fire trucks and a dedicated car park for volunteers.. Adult Education Programs are run from the Beaufort Community House & Learning Centre in Neill Street.

Transport

Beaufort is approximately west from the state capital Melbourne. The Western Highway runs through the town and is the main highway between Melbourne and Adelaide.

The town is serviced by railway at the Beaufort railway station on the Ararat railway line.

Sports and culture

The town has an Australian Rules football club competing in the Central Highlands Football League.

Beaufort is primarily known around the state for the five-day music and arts festival, the Rainbow Serpent Festival which has been held since 1998 during January on the outskirts of the town.

In 2024, the town received media attention when YouTubers ''Misfit Minds'' uploaded a prank video posing as representatives for an international Chinese development company called "Mindware Construction and Development" and proposed demolishing the heritage listed town Rotunda to build a 20-storey McDonald's complex. The prank climaxed with a town hall event, and they were eventually fined $1154 by the local council.

Notable people

* Bernard O'Dowd (poet), was born in Beaufort and spent his early years in the town.
* Brad Crouch grew up in Beaufort.
* Matt Crouch (footballer) grew up in Beaufort.

Twin town

* Beaufort, North Carolina

References

External links

Official visitor Guide for BeaufortProduced in BeaufortVisit Victoria Tourist InformationAnnual Rainbow Serpent Festival

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Mining towns in Victoria (state)
Towns in Victoria (state)
Western District (Victoria)