Hamilton, Victoria
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Hamilton is a city in south-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 ...
, at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway. The Hamilton Highway connects it to
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
. Hamilton is in 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 ...
, and is in the Southern Grampians
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
. Hamilton claims to be the ''"Wool Capital of the World"'', based on its strong historical links to sheep grazing which continue today. The city uses the tagline "Greater Hamilton: one place, many possibilities".


History


Early history

Hamilton was built near the junction of three traditional indigenous tribal territories—the Gunditjmara land, stretching south to the coast; the Tjapwurong land, to the north east; and the Bunganditj territory, to the west. People who lived in these areas tended to be settled rather than nomadic. The region is fertile, with ample precipitation and an abundance of flora and fauna, lessening the need to travel far for food. Historical, physical items (such as the
weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
s and fish traps found in Lake Condah, south of Hamilton), as well as Aboriginal accounts of early white settlers, support the local oral histories of well-established, pre-European settlements in the area.


British colonisation

On 12 September 1836, the explorer Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to travel through the region. His reports of the fertility and abundance of ‘ Australia Felix’ (as he called this region of Western Victoria) encouraged pastoralists to move into the area and set up large sheep runs. In 1839,
squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...
Charles Wedge, with his brothers, arrived in the area and established ‘The Grange'
sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...
near the banks of the Grange Burn rivulet—where the town of Hamilton now stands. There soon followed significant conflict between Wedge's men and the local Aboriginal people. Wedge reported attacks on his shepherds, and the loss of hundreds of sheep and other livestock; in 1840, the killing of Patrick Codd—who had been employed on The Grange—led to at least three separate punitive expeditions by Wedge and co., resulting in the deaths of at least ten Aboriginal people. Wedge infamously had a
swivel gun A swivel gun (or simply swivel) is a small cannon mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rot ...
mounted outside of his homestead to ‘deter’ the local people from approaching the house. Regarding his extensive conflicts with the local tribes, Wedge claimed that the "depredations did not cease till many lives were sacrificed". The "frequent collisions" compelled the squatters of the area to go so far as to request protection from the government. In 1842, temporary protection came from troopers of the
Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...
, under Captain Henry Dana, and from the Border Police of New South Wales, under Captain Foster Fyans. The police magistrate from Portland, James Blair, and the new position of police magistrate to The Grange, Acheson French, were also appointed by Governor Charles Latrobe to "check the collision between the natives and the settlers".


Birth of the town

The proximity of The Grange to other properties and to important routes between Portland and New South Wales, led to the gradual emergence of a small town. This settlement featured an inn, a blacksmith, a small store and some random shanties and businesses nearby. The site was a local social centre and meeting point for the surrounding pastoral properties; horse races were held along the Grange Burn flat. A postal office opened on 1 July 1844 (Hamilton from 1 January 1854). The desire for a school prompted a town survey, which commenced in 1849. The township of Hamilton was formally declared in 1851. The town was named in the following way as quoted by the book "Dundas Shire Centenary 1863-1963", page 58. Quote: '' "In 1840, owing to police difficulties in controlling public houses on, or not on the imaginary boundary line, Henry Wade was sent from Sydney on a special mission to mark out the boundary. He completed the survey as far as Serviceton by the spring of 1847, and was then appointed District Surveyor and in 1850, laid out a township for the Grange, which he named Hamilton. It was then the prerogative of the surveyor to christen his lay-out. Wade and his family had made close friends of the Hamiltons and Gibsons of Bringalbert, there being intermarriages later."'' The railway reached the town in 1877 and, along with the local railway station, would become a hub of several branch lines until their eventual closures in 1977 and 1979. Hamilton was proclaimed as a city on 22 November 1949.


Heritage listings

Hamilton contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 43 Gray Street: Hamilton Mechanics Institute * 57 Gray Street: Hamilton Post Office * Kennedy, Martin, French and Thompson Streets: Hamilton Botanic Gardens * 14 Tyers Street: Hamilton Tuberculosis Chalet * 2-16 Craig Street: Hamilton Gas Holder * 34 Thompson Street: Napier Club * 429 Henty Highway: Hamilton Racecourse Grandstand * 70 Rogers Road: Correagh * Kent Road and Macarthur Street: Myrniong


Industry and employment

Sheep grazing and agriculture are the primary industries in the surrounding shire, the area producing as much as 15% of Australia's total wool clip. Inside the city of Hamilton the majority of employment is provided by the retail industry (20%) and the Health and Community Services sector (14.5%).
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
is another large employer, with four Secondary Schools, two of which enrol both primary and secondary students, as well as a number of stand-alone primary schools. The unemployment rate at the 2001 Census was put at 6.1%, with a workforce participation rate of 58.9%.


Climate

Like most of south-western Victoria, Hamilton has a temperate mediterranean climate (''Csb'').
Cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface Trough (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...
s regularly sweep in from the
Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...
. Although daytime temperatures occasionally reach into the high 30s even 40s during summer, daytime temperatures in the mid teens will often linger into December and are not uncommon even during the high summer months. On average Hamilton has 105 days per year with more than 1 mm of rain with a marked minimum during Summer. The town has 56.3 clear days annually. It is significantly cloudier than Melbourne due to its elevation and topography, averaging 1,995 sun hours annually. Though snow is rare, it saw significant snowfalls on 26 July 1901, 21 July 1888 and 29 July 1882, where 'up to several inches accumulated in town'. Perhaps the most impressive was the late-season snowstorm on 11 October 1910, where as much as accumulated at no more than above sea level; and at nearby Mt Pierrepoint (275 m) 'an immense snow-man still almost intact at 2 pm'.


Media


Newspaper

Hamilton and the surrounding areas is serviced by ''The
Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. ...
'', a tri-weekly local newspaper published by the Spectator Observer newspaper group. Established in 1859 as the Hamilton Courier, it became the Hamilton Spectator and Grange District Advertiser in 1860, and later The Hamilton Spectator.


Television services

Local Television is transmitted from Mt Dundas Melville Forest in the VHF Band Channel 5 to 12. ABC TV, SBS TV, WIN (
Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
), Seven and
Southern Cross CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to ...
( Ten). UHF child sites exist in Coleraine ABC TV only on UHF from McKenrys Hill and Casterton from Seeleys Hill, All Services, which are on UHF. All services are DTV-B and require appropriate antenna to receive correctly. Unlike capital cities service runs on lower power and requires correct antenna. Caravan antenna for travellers might not work well. Neither will indoor aerials.


Radio

There are two radio stations based in Hamilton:
3HA

Mixx FM
Both are owned by the Ace Radio network, which operates radio stations in the Western District of Victoria. Many other radio stations broadcast into Hamilton, including national broadcasters the ABC transmitting from Mt Dundas Melville Forest over much of Western Victoria including outlets at
Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...
, Portland, and
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...
. Stations are
ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News (United States), ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five-minute newscasts on the hour ...
91.7, ABC Radio National 92.5, ABC Classic FM 93.3,
ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
94.1, and JJJ Youth Radio 94.9. ABC local radio is broadcast out of Studios in Warrnambool via Mt Clay Portland on 96.9 which is relayed to Mt Dundas. Local Programming is during breakfast times only and often is sourced from Horsham and Ballarat Studios. AM radio 3WL on 1602 is audible in Hamilton as is 3WV on 594 from Horsham. There are also low power narrowcast services on fm in Hamilton which change from time to time. KIX Country is currently transmitting sport and racing. Vision FM currently transmits in Hamilton and Casterton. There are plans to convert 3HA to FM and change the AM service possibly to sport. Recent demolition at Melville oval saw the old 3HA broadcast box used for football since the 1949s removed.


Airports

Hamilton is serviced by an all weather airport located at Hensley Park approximately 11 km North of Hamilton. A long bitumen North South Runway can take up aircraft up to Dash 8 size as well as small jet aircraft. A gravel runway is aligned NW and SE. A CFA fire base and control centre is located at the Hamilton Airport as well as a modern terminal building and toilets. Hamilton Aero Club has its club rooms and hangar there and is open most Saturdays. AVGAS Key lock card fueling is available 24/7. Turbine fuel by arrangement. There is no airline service to Hamilton, only charter flights and as such the airport is not staffed. Pilot activated lights on:124.2 are available and an automatic weather service details on NAIPS. A non directional radio beacon on 203 kHz for instrument approaches, is one of very few NDBs remaining. For all details consult the Air Services ERSA.


Attractions and events

In 1881 William Guilfoyle, the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne was employed to design the Hamilton Botanic Gardens. Set in , the gardens are distinguished by rare botanic species, a superbly restored rotunda, a small zoo featuring rabbits, cockatiels and budgerigars and playground and the ornate Thomson Fountain. The garden at one point housed an
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
, however, it was illegally shot in 2012. The
National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
classified the gardens in 1990 with eight tree species listed on the Register of Significant Trees in Victoria. Hamilton Gallery Established in 1961, Hamilton Gallery's renowned collection features collection of gouache and watercolour pictures by English landscape painter
Paul Sandby Paul Sandby (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned Landscape art, landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas Sandby, Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 17 ...
(1731-1809). Sheepvention, a wool-related trade-show and exhibition is held in the Hamilton Show-grounds in the first Monday & Tuesday of August each year, and attracts up to 20,000 visitors. It has a similar feel to an
Agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...
but is focused on wool and sheep. The Hamilton Agricultural Show is normally held in November. The Big Wool Bales was an attraction (now demolished) it consisted of five linked structures designed to resemble five gigantic woolbales - a tribute to the importance of the local wool industry. Together they formed a building and a cafe containing wool-related displays such as historical memorabilia, including farming and shearing equipment, wool scales, old horse harnesses, wool presses and weaving looms, along with wool samples and rural clothing. The Keeping Place is a small museum and living history centre run by local indigenous people. The Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum celebrates the founding of Ansett Australia in Hamilton in 1935 and displays items from the early days of the Ansett Airlines' operation.


Sport

There are many sporting clubs and leagues in the Hamilton area. The city is served by one
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 ...
team; Hamilton Kangaroos . This team competes in the Hampden Football League. The city formerly had 2 teams, Hamilton Magpies and Hamilton Imperials, which played in the Western Border Football League. The teams agreed to merge at the end of the 2012 season in order to make the move to the Hampden Football League.
Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
,
field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

soccer
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
and
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
are other popular sports in the city. Hamilton opened a large Indoor Sports and Aquatic Centre in March 2006, which contains four basketball courts, a twenty-five-metre indoor
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
, 4 squash courts, a table tennis centre with 8 courts and a large
gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
. The city is also the home of the Hamilton Rowing Club (HRC) which competes in Rowing Victoria regattas during the summer. The Hamilton and Alexandra College Rowing Club (HACRC) sometimes compete in such events or attempt to train. Tucked behind the Historical Society in Gray Street, is the Hamilton 8-Ball and Snooker Club. Hamilton has a horse racing club, the Hamilton Racing Club, which schedules around nine race meetings a year including the Hamilton Cup meeting in April. As well as a harness racing club which has recently opened a new track, with state-of-the-art facilities. Golfers play at the Hamilton Golf Club or at the more minor course Parklands on Boundary and Hensley Park Roads.


Wildlife and parks

The
eastern barred bandicoot The eastern barred bandicoot (''Perameles gunnii'') is a nocturnal, rabbit-sized marsupial endemic to southeastern Australia, being native to the island of Tasmania and mainland Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It is one of three surviving bandi ...
is a
marsupial Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...
native to the area, and a reserve has been built to protect this and other
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
. In more recent decades (2007), the numbers of bandicoot (both within the reserve and outside of it) have declined significantly—to the point of nearing extinction—as a result of extended drought, and predation by introduced
red foxes The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plu ...
as well as feral cats. Competition for food with the introduced
rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...
is another major issue affecting the marsupials. Within the city, the public lands adjoining the river and Lake Hamilton have been subject to spasmodic tree-planting projects. Mount Napier—the highest point on the Western District Plains—is found south of Hamilton.


Education

Primary schools in Hamilton include Hamilton (Gray Street) Primary School, George Street Primary School, Hamilton North Primary School and Saint Mary's Primary School. Secondary schools include Hamilton and Alexandra College, Baimbridge College and Monivae College. There are two Primary to Year 12 schools: Hamilton and Alexandra College and Good Shepherd College. Hamilton Special School caters to primary school-age students who have special education needs, predominantly autistic spectrum disorders and communication difficulties. South West Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) has a campus in Hamilton, offering post-secondary and trade courses and qualifications.
RMIT The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...
maintains a training and research site 4 km from the centre of Hamilton,Hamilton
.
RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...
. Retrieved 9 December 2016
which is home to the Potter Rural Community Research Network. Vocational training at the site is delivered by South West TAFE while master's degrees and PhDs by research are facilitated by RMIT.


Prominent people

* Sir Reginald Ansett, founder of Ansett Airways, started his first air service in Hamilton in 1936. * Mark Day, born 1943, prominent journalist, publisher and editor-in-chief of ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
''. At Hamilton High School edited the school magazine - ''The Grange'' - in the late 1950s. * Pat Dodson, Australian Labor Party Senator for Western Australia, attended Monivae College. * Alfred Dunbavin Butcher, biologist, manager of natural resources and public servant, was born in Hamilton in 1915. *
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
, a former Prime Minister of Australia and the former member for Wannon, lived at "Nareen" a station near Hamilton. *
David Hawker David Peter Maxwell Hawker (born 1 May 1949) is a former Australian politician who served as a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from May 1983 to July 2010, representing the Division of Wannon, Victoria, previously re ...
, former speaker for the Australian Parliament and former member for Wannon 1983 - 2010. * Edward Kenna, the last living Australian Second World War recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
, born 1919 in Hamilton. * Tony Noske, a former Australian motor racing driver and transport company proprietor * Mark Orval, a former Australian rules footballer, also known as #angrydad. * Liam Picken, born August 1986 is an Australian Rules football player. Picken began playing for
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...
in 2009 and in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
he played in the Bulldogs' premiership team. * Xavier Samuel, actor, born 1983 in Hamilton. * Clive Shields, medical practitioner and politician, born 1879. * Jan Smithwick, Australian basketball player was born in Hamilton in 1952. * Melissa Tapper, born 1990, an Australian table tennis player, the first Australian athlete to qualify for the Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics. * Howard Taylor, artist * Sir Winton Turnbull, an auctioneer and a politician, born 1899. * Phil Walsh (Australian footballer), Phil Walsh, a VFL/AFL footballer and coach, was born and raised in Hamilton. * Emma Kearney (sportswoman), Emma Kearney, AFLW and Women's Big Bash League player * Georgia Clarke, AFLW Player


See also

* Hamilton Airport (Australia), Hamilton Airport


Notes


References

*Ian Clark, Scars in the Landscape: A Register of Massacre Sites in Western Victoria, 1803-1859 (Canberra: AIATSIS, 1995). *''"Dundas Shire Centenary 1863-1963"'' - Book compiled and published by the Hamilton Spectator for the Dundas Shire Council, 1963.


External links


Southern Grampians Shire Council (inc Hamilton)The Department for Victorian Communities - Southern GrampiansThe Department of Sustainability and the Environment - Hamilton Statistics
*[http://www.sheepvention.com/ Sheepvention]
The Sir Reginald Ansett Transport MuseumHamilton Warriors Baseball CLub Inc.
{{authority control Hamilton, Victoria, Towns in Victoria (state) Western District (Victoria) 1851 establishments in Australia