Romsey is a town in the

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 ...

of the

Shire of Macedon Ranges The Shire of Macedon Ranges is a region in Central Victoria, Australia, best known for its native forests, geographical attraction Hanging Rock, and artisan food and wine industries. The region covers an area of . It is located in between the c ...

in the state of

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 ...

. The town is north 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 ...

. As of the 2021 Census, Romsey had a population of 4,934.

History

The original location for the settlement known as Five Mile Creek was approximately north of the present township. The restored Royal Mail Hotel still stands on this site although it is now a private residence. The Post Office opened on 16 January 1858, in the Royal Mail Hotel (then the Drovers and Carriers Arms), but was named Lancefield until 19 January 1860 and Five Mile Creek until March 1860. The Post Office was moved closer to the centre of the present township in 1864. The area was serviced by three local newspapersas well as the local community paper, The Romsey Rag, https://www.theromseyrag.com.au The Rag was first published in 1984 and produces a monthly edition from Feb to Dec each year. The former Romsey station was a significant stopping point on the now dismantled Clarkefield-Lancefield railway between 1881 and 1956. The Romsey Court of Petty Sessions closed on 1 January 1967, with the former courthouse subsequently sold to the

Country Fire Authority The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a Volunteer fire department, volunteer fire service responsible for fire suppression, rescues, and response to other accidents and hazards across most of the state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia ...

Today

Romsey has a skate park, one petrol station mpol banks, one IGA supermarket, a fresh food deli, a chemist, several medical centres, a dentist, two pubs (one closed) and a primary school. The local

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is se ...

Park is built around Five Mile Creek, a small creek running through the town. After extensive renovations were carried out in the historic

Shire of Romsey The Shire of Romsey was a local government area about north-north-west of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1862 until 1995. History Romsey was incorporated as a road distri ...

Council Chambers building and the old Romsey Post Office building, a public library operates in the former Council Chambers building, which opened in 2008, whilst the old post office building operates as part of the Romsey Service Centre for the local government. There is an all abilities park space. Four Christian churches serve Romsey: the

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 ...

Parish of Lancefield and Romsey; St Mary's

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 ...

Parish of Romsey and Lancefield; Encourage Church (A member of

Australian Christian Churches The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Finished Work Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomina ...

); and the Romsey

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 ...

. The four churches gather together in an annual

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

service in winter. During the Christmas season all of the trees down the main street are also decorated like Christmas trees. Local sporting groups are based within Romsey Park. They include

Romsey Football Club The Romsey Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Redbacks, is an Australian rules football club located 61 km north of Melbourne in the town of Romsey. It is affiliated with the Riddell District Football League. Football Premierships ;Seniors *Ro ...

competing in the

Riddell District Football League The Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball league in Victoria, Australia. The RDFNL covers towns in the Macedon Ranges and an area from Melton in the south to Kyneton and Lancefield in th ...

and Romsey Cricket Club competing on the Gisborne District Cricket Association. Romsey Golf Club, http://romseygolfclub.net has a 12 green, 18 hole course also situated within Romsey Park. The Golf Club and the Romsey Bowls Club share clubrooms on the western side of the Park. Image:Romsey.JPG, Image:Romsey-aerial-3.jpg, File:Romsey Airfield overview Vabre.jpg, Romsey Airfield

References

Books on the district

* * * {{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Macedon Ranges

History

Today

See also

References

Books on the district