Waterloo is a locality in
Pyrenees Shire approximately north of the town of
Beaufort, Victoria and west north west of the state capital 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 ...
.
It was originally settled during the
Victorian gold rush as part of the Baxter lead alluvial Gold Mining Precinct. There were a number of company mines as well as individual miners with licenses. A school was built on top of the hill overlooking Waterloo Flats. There was also the Waterloo Post Office opening on 1 November 1860 and closing in 1965.
Following the gold rush, Waterloo became a settled defined township with stores, a primary school, hotels and a public hall. All have now closed/disappeared leaving behind a collection of houses and farms where a bigger town once stood. Today there are 110 people in the area living on farms that were once part of the Waterloo township. The community is supported by the Waterloo Community Group and the committee of management of the Waterloo Reserve and Hall Committee.
The locality is the birthplace of
Ernest Chinnery
Ernest William Pearson Chinnery (5 November 1887 – 17 December 1972) was an Australian anthropologist, ethnographer, and public servant. He worked as a senior colonial official and held many appointments throughout his career, such as Govern ...
(5 November 1887- 17 December 1972), an
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 ...
n anthropologist and public servant who worked extensively in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
and visited communities along the
Sepik river.
During World War I many men from Waterloo served in the 57th Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement of the Australian Army.
The Waterloo Community Cup is a series of equestrian endurance rides based at the Waterloo Recreation Grounds.
References
Towns in Victoria (state)
Mining towns in Victoria (state)
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