Snake Valley is a town in central Western

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, o
Linton-Carngham Road
west of

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 ...

and west 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 ...

, in the

Shire of Pyrenees The Shire of Pyrenees is a local government area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 7,353. It includes the towns of Avoca, Beaufort, Lexton and ...

. A

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was opened on 1 March 1859. At the 2016 Census, Snake Valley had a population of 743, up from 329 in 2006.

History

The Indigenous Australians inhabited Snake Valley for tens of thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The Carringum balug people of the

Wathaurong The Wadawurrung nation, also called the Wathaurong, or Wathaurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong, and the Bellarine Peninsula in the state of Victoria. They are part of the Kulin alliance. The ...

nation are 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 land surrounding Snake Valley/Carngham district. The nearby town of

Carngham Carngham () is a locality in central Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Shire of Pyrenees local government area, west of the state capital, Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australia ...

therefore appears to be the name of the Aboriginal people that originally lived in the area. They called Snake Valley itself ''nimbuck'' or ''nimlock''. In 1857, a

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

occurred in the area of Snake Valley and Carngham. The town reputedly got its name when a miner found snakes in a sinking shaft. However, settlement preceded this as a primary school was established in 1854. The town was exclusively a gold mining area for at least ten years. In 1865, ''Bailliere’s Victorian gazetteer'' recorded Snake Valley as having five hotels, a mechanics' institute and a Court of Petty Sessions. In the 1880s, the ''Victorian municipal directory'' described Snake Valley as "a straggling mining township with outlying farming districts" and recorded five churches. In 2013, a grass fire in a farming region west of Ballarat destroyed four homes in Snake Valley. Over one hundred people took refuge in the community hall.

Religion

Snake Valley has churches of five Christian denominations, although not all of them are being used as places of worship. The Anglican Church of Holy Trinity is located on Linton-Carngham Rd and is a part of the Woady Yaloak Mission District, Anglican Diocese of Ballarat. The Catholic St Brigid's is located on the corner of Linton-Carngham Road and is a part of St Peter's Parish, Linton. The Carngham Uniting Church on the Linton-Carngham Road has hosted organ recitals as part of the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival.

Sport and recreation

Snake Valley has football, netball and cricket teams as well as an irregular 12 hole golf course.

Education

Woady Primary School was formed in 1994 as the amalgamation of Scarsdale,

Smythesdale Smythesdale is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Glenelg Highway. Most of the town is located in the Golden Plains Shire local government area. Smythesdale is west of Ballarat and west of the state capital, Melbourne. A ...

, Snake Valley and Ross Creek schools, providing multiple campuses. Secondary students must travel to other places such as Ballarat or Beaufort for education.

Community

For a small population, Snake Valley has a large number of active community groups and organisations: *Snake Valley & District Historical Society, * Snake Valley Astronomical Association (SVAA), *Snake Valley-Carngham Branch Friends of the RSL, *Snake Valley CFA Auxiliary & Community Fireguard, *Mag Dam Reserve Group, *Snake Valley CERT (Community Emergency Response), *Carngham Recreation Reserve, * Woady Yaloak Primary School Parents and Friends Group, *Snake Valley & District CFA, *Snake Valley Landcare, *Snake Valley Playgroup, *St. Brigid's Altar Society.

Economy

The local economy is agricultural in nature. It is dominated by broad acre farming, grazing, and timber industries. The township also contains a general store and a hotel.

Transport

Snake Valley is serviced by a twice-weekly bus service from

, which runs on Mondays and Fridays. The main means of transport is private vehicle.

Notable people

John "Jack" Worrall,

Australian rules footballer 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 ...

and cricketer was born at Chinaman's Flat in the locality in 1861.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Western District (Victoria)