Durham Ox is a locality in the

Shire of Loddon The Shire of Loddon is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the northern part of the state. It covers an area of and in 2021 had a population of 7,759. It includes ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

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 situated on the Serpentine Creek, a tributary of the

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

Population

At the , Durham Ox had a population of 74. At the 2021 census, Durham Ox had a population of 60.

History

Prior to European settlement, the area was known as Towan Gurr The

Dja Dja Wurrung The Djadjawurrung or Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Djaara or Jajowrong people and Loddon River tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people who are the traditional owners of lands including the water catchment areas of the Loddon and Avoca ...

people are the traditional owners of this area. Edward Argyle and Abraham Booth leased 115,000 acres of land in 1843 and established it as Duck Swamp Station. The original lease estimated the grazing capability of the area was for 2500 cattle and 8000 sheep. Specifically, Argyle and Booth would breed Shorthorn steer, inspired by the popular

Durham Ox The Durham Ox (March 1796 – 15 April 1807) was a Cattle#Terminology, steer who became famous in the early 19th century for his shape, size and weight. He was an early example of what became the Shorthorn breed of cattle and helped establish th ...

, a famous cow from England. In 1848, the Durham Ox Hotel was established in the area named after the steer. This pub became the focal point around which the settlement developed, effectively marking 1848 as the establishment year of the town. A silhouette replica of the Durham Ox stands along the Loddon Valley Highway, commemorating the towns origins. The Durham Ox store burnt down in 1996. The Durham Ox church burnt down in 2012. In 2011, the Serpentine Creek flooded several houses, the Durham Ox Memorial Hall, the Durham Ox Church, and the historic Durham Ox Inn. File:The Durham Ox Hotel, Victoria, 1907.jpg, A motor car and three men in front of the Durham Ox Hotel, 1907 File:Edward Blankley 's Drapery Store, Durham Ox, Victoria.jpg, Edward Blankley 's Drapery Store, Durham Ox, Victoria, c.1875 File:Durham Ox, Victoria, circa 1875.jpg, Durham Ox, Victoria, c.1875 File:Colonial Bank of Australasia, Durham Ox, Victoria, 1882.jpg, Colonial Bank of Australasia, Durham Ox, Victoria, 1882

References

External links

{{Mallee-geo-stub Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Loddon