Charlton is a town in western Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is a small agricultural community straddling the

Avoca River The Avoca River, an inland intermittent river of the northcentral catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The head ...

, located at the junction of the

Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway li ...

(A79) and Borung Highway (C239) and positioned in the last of the foothills of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

. Halfway between

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and

Mildura Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

, Charlton is a popular tourist stop. Charlton is host to the OK Motels Music festival held in February.

History

The

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 ...

of the region are the Jaara people, part of the Djadjawurrung language group of the

Kulin nation The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in the south of Australia - up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys - which shares Culture and Language. History Before British colonisation, the ...

. They called the area "Youanduk", meaning a basin in a rock, because there were a number of depressions in the local rocks providing a reliable water supply. The names of surrounding agricultural districts reflect the legacy of the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

inhabitants: Barrakee, Buckrabanyule, Woosang, Wooroonook and Yeungroon. After extensive travels throughout the region by Major Thomas Mitchell, settlement by Europeans commenced in 1848 when the

squatters 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 wer ...

Robert Cay and William Kaye established a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

and named the region after Charlton near

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, England. Unlike many other towns in the region, Charlton was not established as a result of gold mining, but for pastoral purposes and the proximity to a permanent water supply provided by the Avoca River. The town was originally named East Charlton due to its location on the eastern banks of the Avoca River, and because another Victoria town was already named Charlton (renamed Chute in 1879). The East Charlton Post Office opened on 21 December 1876 (renamed Charlton in 1879) replacing an earlier (1854) office nearby named Yowen Hill. The first bridge crossing the river was erected in 1867 by James Paterson, allowing expansion on both sides of the river. Throughout the history of Charlton, the Avoca River has been known for its regular flooding after heavy rain. Floods have often surrounded the town or, on rare occasions, flooded the town itself. Levee banks were constructed to their present levels in the 1950s, but parts of the town were

flooded A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civ ...

in September 2010. Minor flooding occurred again in December 2010, with the highest-ever recorded flood level inundating the town in January 2011, some homes within the town being inundated by water more than 1.6 metres above floor level. A prominent landmark is the former hotel, the "Vale of Avoca", built in 1879 by James and Elizabeth Egan, on the site of an early bark hut inn. Constructed on a reef of stone, Mrs Egan named the building as being in the "vale" or valley of the nearby Avoca River. Delicensed as a hotel in 1942, the building was restored in the 1990s and currently provides

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

. The first issue of the local newspaper, the ''Tribune'', was published on 20 May 1876, the founders being H. T. Henningsen and his step-son, R. M. Klunder. In 1925, the business was purchased by Messrs Hogan and Gardiner and then followed other proprietors, Herbert Davies and John S. Richardson, and then, after his death in 1954, his widow, Rena M. Richardson. For many years the ''Tribune'' was published twice weekly – Wednesdays and Saturdays – but, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a shortage of staff and paper necessitated the change to weekly publication. In February 1960, Rena Richardson married William Wood and, in 1961, she sold the ''Tribune'' to Ian and Coral Cameron. In 1981, the newspaper was sold by the Camerons to the ''St. Arnaud Mercury'', and the ''Mercury'' and ''Tribune'' were combined to become the ''North Central News''. Charlton Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1983.

Demographics

Charlton is the second largest town in the Shire of Buloke. At the , its "suburbs and localities" population, which includes some surrounding areas, was 1,095. Government department downsizing in addition to regional economic decline led to the largest percentage decline in population within Victoria between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s with an estimated 18.3% loss in population. Recent agricultural developments (such as the

AWB Limited AWB Limited was a major grain marketing organisation based in Australia. Founded in 1939 by the Government of Australia as the Australian Wheat Board, in 1999 it became a private company, owned by wheat growers. It was acquired by Agrium in 201 ...

facilities), a sharp increase in house prices within larger urban areas, in addition to economic recovery, have resulted in a shift towards stabilisation and a subsequent increase in population. However, more than 60% of all local businesses are for sale or remain closed.

Economy

The economic backbone of Charlton is agriculture and services. Several massive grain silos dominate the town skyline, evidence of the town's rich history in various grains including wheat, canola, oats and barley. Sheep and cattle farming are also prolific with the largest beef

feedlot A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called conc ...

in the state, situated in Yeungroon just south of the town. Recent additions to the region, including an olive farm and winery have diversified the town's agricultural applications. Major employers in the Charlton area are: *

(Grains) *

Boral Boral Limited is an Australian building and construction materials company. It is owned by Seven Group Holdings. History Boral was founded by David Craig on 4 March 1946 as Bitumen and Oil Refineries (Australia) Limited with Ampol, Caltex havi ...

(Quarry - Mostly for road aggregate) * Buloke Shire Council *Charlton Feedlot (Livestock) *Charlton P-12 College, Cluster Centre and Saint Joseph's Primary School (Education) *Graincorp (Grains) *Lake Marmal Vineyards (Grapes) *Timbercorp (Olives) Charlton location map in Victoria

Transport

Charlton has one public transport connection to

, a single

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...

coach service serving the town, once a day, five days per week which connects with a train service at Bendigo that goes to Melbourne. Charlton used to have its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

on the Kulwin line, although a bare platform remains and no passenger services operate on the line. The line only carries wheat trains.

Climate

Charlton enjoys a temperate Mediterranean style climate, with warm dry summers and cool cloudy winters. Deep blue skies are regular throughout much of the year as are crystal clear starry nights; though winter skies tend to feature low heavy cloud and fog, as evident from the afternoon humidity readings. Charlton's January average max/min temperatures are 30.4 °C (86.7 °F)/13.8 °C (56.8 °F) and July average max/min temperatures are 13.4 °C (56.1 °F)/3.4 °C (38.1 °F). Annual precipitation is 430.4 mm (16.94") (Source: Bureau of Meteorolog

. During the Black Saturday period in 2009, Charlton recorded a temperature of 47.2 °C, just short of the state temperature record of 48.8 °C.

Facilities

Charlton's central location to the North Central region has resulted in the town being the beneficiary of considerable services not typically associated with such small localities. *The Traveller's Rest is an iconic 'toilet block', held very proudly by the locals, situated in the heart of the town within easy walking of shops and restaurants. Containing picnic facilities, a wishing well, gazebo, views of the river, a footbridge across the river and overnight stop facilities, the Traveller's Rest is a regular stop for tourists, the

bus service and various other tour groups. *Sporting facilities are of a high standard, catering to a diversity of sports participated in by locals and visitors.

Australian rules football 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 ...

(Charlton has a team competing in the North Central Football League), hockey, netball, cricket, basketball,

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

and tennis dominate the Charlton sporting calendar. Additionally, the

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

track is a central feature of the town and region; meets run by the Charlton Harness Racing Club are televised and broadcast on radio nationally. *The Rex Theatre is a fully restored cinema and live theatre serving and operated by the community with various memorabilia and modern movies. *The town exhibits education facilities for residents from kindergarten to the end of high school. There is also a cluster centre that is now part of the P-12 Charlton College, providing additional education services for students and further education for adults. *A comprehensive "driver-training" facility is located within the town, assisting new drivers in learning the rules of the road. *East Wimmera Health Service has a Charlton campus which comprises a nursing home, an ambulance station, a hospital and the "Charlton Medical" doctors surgery. Charlton footbridge

Recreation and tourism

The river winds through the town with trees and parks lining the banks. Along the river is a 2 km walking track connecting High Street to Charlton Park, where sporting and recreational facilities exist. *The Charlton Golden Grains Museum has information about the town and its history. The museum is open by appointment. *2 km west of town is the Charlton golf course. Built in a clover leaf format, containing three arms of six holes each, the golf course is in the nearby Dooboobetic Hills. Kangaroos and other native flora and fauna are seen on the course. *5 km southeast of the town, views of the region are to be had from Barrakee Hill, or "Quarry Hill" to the locals. *14 km west of the town are the Wooroonook Lakes, providing facilities for water sports enthusiasts, duck shooting, picnickers and campers. *25 km east of the town is Wychetella Forest, containing many native animals, including the rare

malleefowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...

Events

*Annual Australia Day Tennis Tournament - Held over the Australia Day Long Weekend in January *Art Show - Held every October *Charlton A & P Society Annual Show, held the 3rd weekend in October *Charlton Fishing Competition - Held every November *Charlton Harness Racing Cup - Held every March *Redback Rally - Motorcycle rally, held the second weekend of February *Charlton Film Festival held at the Rex Theatre every February.
Buloke Shire Council official websiteCharlton weather

Gallery

File:Charlton Mechanics Institute.JPG, Charlton

Mechanics Institute Mechanics' institutes, also known as mechanics' institutions, sometimes simply known as institutes, and also called schools of arts (especially in the Australian colonies), were educational establishments originally formed to provide adult ed ...

File:Charlton Anglican Church.JPG, Anglican Church File:Charlton Avoca River Bridge.JPG, Charlton Avoca River Bridge File:Charlton Bank of Australasia.JPG, Charlton Bank of Australasia File:Charlton Benjamin Green Memorial Rotunda.JPG, Green Memorial Rotunda File:Charlton Boer War Memorial 001.JPG, Charlton Boer War Memorial File:Charlton Building 001.JPG, Building

References

External links

{{Authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Buloke