Kangaroo Flat, Victoria
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Kangaroo Flat is a suburb of
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
, located in Victoria, Australia. It is located 5 kilometres (3 miles) southwest of the Bendigo CBD. Kangaroo Flat is neighbours with
Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...
,
Big Hill The Big Hill on the Canadian Pacific Railway main line in British Columbia, Canada, was the most difficult piece of railway track on the CPR's route. It was in the rugged Canadian Rockies west of the Continental Divide of the Americas and Kick ...
, Lockwood,
Maiden Gully Maiden Gully is a suburb of the regional city of Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia, located west of the central business district along Calder Highway. At the 2016 census, Maiden Gully had a population of 4,992. Maiden Gully is surroun ...
and Mandurang.


Toponymy

The suburb was originally named Yankee Boot Flat, after the high boots the gold miners wore whilst mining in the area. The name of Kangaroo Flat was derived from one particular
eastern grey kangaroo The eastern grey kangaroo (''Macropus giganteus'': gigantic large-foot; also great grey kangaroo or forester kangaroo) is a marsupial found in the eastern third of Australia, with a population of several million. Although a large ''M. giganteus ...
, who was surrounded and captured by the gold miners.


History

Prior to the gold rush the Bendigo (called Sandhurst, in those days) district was part of a large
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 ...
known as "the Ravenswood Run". Discovery of gold deposits in the 1850s brought many miners to the region, looking to seek their fortune. People came from a number of overseas countries, such as England, Netherlands, Ireland, The United States of America, Germany and others. Large numbers came from mainland China. Chinese miners conducted searches of alluvial (surface level) and shallow mine-sites. Characteristically "round" Chinese digs are still able to be viewed in places such as Charcoal Gully, a bushland reserve located between Morrison and Thomas Streets to the southwest of Kangaroo Flat's town centre. This Chinese influence was at first resented by other diggers, many who came from European countries with little or no understanding of the Asian lifestyle. Concerted efforts by Chinese settlers to assist their adopted communities led to their being eventually embraced in the district. Bendigo and satellite towns, including Kangaroo Flat,
Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...
, Eaglehawk and White Hills, sprung up essentially as tent cities. These gave way to more permanent structures and the current street layout was established by the 1880s. The Post Office opened on 2 February 1857. The population of Kangaroo Flat itself decreased along with the rest of the "Sandhurst" region as the gold rush subsided, although the town has always maintained its own cultural heritage and identity. Kangaroo Flat is home to the Crusoe Reservoir, built during the gold rush to supply water to Bendigo's goldfields. Water for the reservoir came from a series of channels reaching as far south as
Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has ...
. Crusoe's filtration system included a lime/sand-based installation. The reservoir is open today as a recreation park and swimming beach. At November 2016, with the town's population approaching 12,000 residents, local facilities have been upgraded to keep pace with community needs. The Kangaroo Flat Fire Brigade was established in 1873 and initially operated out of a wooden station in Smith Street. The Brigade was established and equipped with funds donated from within the community. The Brigade moved to a new premise in Station Street in 1956 in part to facilitate a second fire fighting appliance (tanker). It has now relocated to a new site in Helm Street, adjacent to Charcoal Gully. The new fire station houses four firefighting appliances and facilities for its volunteer fire fighters. The Brigade will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2023. The Country Fire Authority's District 2 Headquarters have been relocated, from their former site atop Bendigo's Fire Station, to the site of the old Don Murray's Windermere Hotel, at the intersection of Lockwood Road and Helm Street. Kangaroo Flat itself has grown from its early beginnings. The 4-lane
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 ...
carries thousands of vehicles daily on a 90-minute trip to the nearby Victorian capital city of
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 suburbs. Three shopping precincts cater to the growing demographic, and a restored and upgraded railway station allows commuters access to the
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, ...
Fast Train system linking Bendigo to Melbourne and other urban districts.


Demographics

At the , Kangaroo Flat had a population of 11,328. The median age of residents was 44 years, higher than the national median of 38 years. The population was composed of 47.2% males and 52.8% females. Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...
peoples made up 2.5% of the population, higher than the Victorian average of 1.0% but slightly below the national average of 3.2%. The median weekly household income in Kangaroo Flat was $1,144, with an average household size of 2.2 people. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300, while the median weekly rent was $285. Households in the area had an average of 1.7 motor vehicles. The majority of residents in Kangaroo Flat were Australian-born, accounting for 82.2% of the population. The most common countries of birth for those born overseas were
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
(1.7%),
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(1.2%),
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
(1.1%),
the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...
(1.1%), and
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
(0.6%). In terms of language, 84.5% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken included Karen (1.8%), Punjabi (0.7%),
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, (0.5%), Tagalog (0.3%), and Filipino (0.3%). The most common religious affiliation reported was "No Religion" (41.8%), followed by
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
(18.6%),
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
(9.4%) and
Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...
(5.5%).


Churches

A number of old churches, built in the mid-1800s, give testimony to a well-established community with strong British ties. St. Monica's Roman Catholic Church sits at the Northern end of Kangaroo Flat's busy "Main" business & shopping street, striking red brick & white masonry trim creating a unique landmark. Its newly modernised Catholic primary school is located directly opposite on the corner of Station Street. The Kangaroo Flat
Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is a united church in Australia. The church was founded on 22 June 1977 when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost a ...
, (formerly
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
) occupies a similar prominent spot on the Southern approach to the main street. Standing in an elevated position in Camp Street, it looks west towards Lockwood Road and the town's famous farming district. The Kangaroo Flat
Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...
is to be found in Church Street, just a short stroll from Camp Street. Formerly the Kangaroo Flat Presbyterian Church, it has a long & proud history in the local area. St. Mary's
Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
, is situated further along Melbourne Road from the Uniting Church. A part of Kangaroo Flat since gold rush times, the original church was destroyed by a horrific fire in December 2008. Constructed around 1862, the main building had housed stone & timber tablets paying tribute to community members. A Flight Sergeant killed over England during the Second World War, a much-loved resident Minister, & a young girl from the parish flock; these & others commemorated on St. Mary's walls reinforced the importance of community itself within the church. A large oil painting in modern style, completed in the 1950s by Anne Moller, a young local girl, depicted the birth, crucifixion & resurrection of Jesus Christ. It formed a thematic above the altar, but was lost in the fire along with nearly all of the Parish's history. The church and community rallied to raise funds, and in mid-2014 a new, modern facility was opened where the original building had stood. It features a modern church and facilities with which to serve the parish and community well into the future.


Economy

The suburb has one
shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
, Lansell Square, which is located on 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 ...
to the south of the Kangaroo Flat main CBD. It was opened in 1979 with a K-Mart
department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
, Coles and
Safeway Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...
(now known as Woolworths)
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
s, in addition to 55 specialty stores. The centre received a development upgrade between 2014 and 2015.


Sport


Australian rules football

A Kangaroo Flat football club was first formed in 1862, though it is unknown how long it lasted for. The present Kangaroo Flat Football Club was first formed in the 1890s, its most successful era being the 1920s. The club is the oldest established football club from the Golden City Football League to have been incorporated into the present
Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bendigo regio ...
in 1981. Their home ground is located at Dower Park. A junior league club for under 12s also exists. Dower Park, Kangaroo Flat's principal sporting complex and home to the local football, cricket, bowling and swimming clubs, has been remodelled. A sports club with restaurant and gaming facilities was completed in recent years, as was a new grandstand on the western side of the oval. An indoor aquatic centre has been constructed in Browning Street, while a new Ambulance Station operates in View Street.


Other clubs

The Kangaroo Flat Mens Bowls Club was founded in 1945. In 1947, a Ladies club was also established. A wooden clubhouse was opened in 1953, with extensions completed in 1962 and 1972, when the clubhouse was rebuilt in brick. The Kangaroo Flat Rifle Club was formed in 1861. 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 ...
, the club closed, until it reformed in 1948, although the Kangaroo Flat
rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...
was not reopened. The club currently operates as the South Bendigo Rifle Club in the locality of Wellsford. The clubhouse for the Kangaroo Flat Tennis Club was constructed in 1976.


Public services


Education

Kangaroo Flat is home to the Kangaroos Football and Netball team in the
Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bendigo regio ...
, and a number of educational institutions; Crusoe Secondary College, Kangaroo Flat Primary School, St. Monica's Primary School, the Bendigo campus of Glenvale Primary School and Bendigo Special Development School.


References


Citations


Works cited

* {{Authority control Suburbs of Bendigo