Caramut is a town in the
Western District of
Victoria, Australia on the
Hamilton Highway. It is in the
Shire of Moyne
The Shire of Moyne is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and at the 2021 ...
local government area and the
federal Division of Wannon
Division may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
* Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...
.
The name "Caramut" is believed to be derived from an
Aboriginal word ''cooramook'', thought to mean "plenty of
possum
Possum may refer to:
Animals
* Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas
** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia
*** Common opossum, native to Central and South America
*** Virginia opossum ...
s".
At the
2006 census, 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 had established a village of domed huts near Caramut before white settlement. The
Protector of Aborigines
The Australian colonies in the nineteenth century created offices involved in managing the affairs of Indigenous people in their jurisdictions.
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role beca ...
,
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was an English born builder and self-trained preacher who was employed by the British colonial authorities to conciliate the Indigenous Australians of Van Diemen's Land and the Po ...
, produced drawings of structures in the area
circa
Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to:
* CIRCA (art platform), in London
* Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup
* Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company
* Circa (contempora ...
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 people of southwestern Victoria in Australia. They are the Traditional Owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. T ...
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
Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...
for the area in which Caramut sits are groups within the
Eastern Maar peoples,
who are represented by the
Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC).
Community
The town 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
football team competing in the
Mininera & District Football League.
References
Towns in Victoria (state)
{{VictoriaAU-geo-stub