A Small
Town Called Hopetoun
Welcome to our
friendly community with many sporting facilities and other attractions..
Hopetoun is situated 400km
North West of Melbourne on the Henty Highway,
120km from Horsham, 130km from Swan Hill,195km from Mildura.
In 1846 Peter McGinnis, guided by a friendly aborigine followed the Yarriambiack
Creek from Horsham to Lake Corrong looking for unoccupied land for sheep
grazing.
He was the first European
pastoralist to settle in the Mallee
.
Hopetoun is named
after Lord Hopetoun, the first Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia
and Governor of Victoria who often visited Lake
Corrong Homestead as a guest of Mr.
Edward Harewood Lascelles .
“The Father of the Mallee” whose courage and enterprise was largely
responsible for opening up the Mallee. In
1891 the first sale of town and farm blocks took place.
Hopetoun and District
Historical Society Museum is situated in the old Limestone Primary School (now
called the Ed Centre)
A historical mural is a feature
on eastern wall of the Austin & Ford shop established
1892 now Kayes Kollection ‘A
backdrop to the memorial Park’.
Lake
Corrong Station Homestead built in 1846 / 1850.
Situated on the original site
(Lake Corrong Station) on foreshores of Lakes Corrong & Lascelles, East of
the township of Hopetoun in Evelyn Street.
Lake Corrong Station Shearing Shed
Lake
Corrong was built by Peter McGinnis in about the 1860’s on land now bounded by
Mandeville,
Dennys, Strachan and
Cummins Streets in Hopetoun. It was built with local pine mainly cut in the
district and the balance from Waithe sawmill block. Price of shearing in those
days was 13/d per hundred to the shearers and they had to pay a cook. They
worked a 10 hour a day. It was originally a blade shed with floor space for 24
hand blade shearers and shed space to hold about 1000 sheep. From
50 to 73,000 sheep and 20,000 lambs were shorn per year.
Hopetoun Coffee Palace
c.1914
The Hopetoun Coffee Palace was opened
last Monday. Mr. C.W Anderson has erected a large up
to date building at the corner of Lascelles and Dennys streets in Hopetoun. The
building is of wood, of which material it is lined throughout and contains two
dining rooms, two parlors, eleven bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, laundry etc.
There is a verandah at the front and right
along the north side. There were
electric lights installed in every room.
Messrs R. Tunbridge and sons very nicely furnish throughout the building.
(A well-known furniture arcade in Ballarat.)
The
yard is large and well drained and horses are provided for with loose boxes and
open stable, while the whole property is enclosed with substantial fence.
Mr.
Anderson intends to conduct the establishment in keeping with its appearance and
many wish him every success with his enterprise.
George
Giles brought the property from Mrs. Buckley in 1925 for 1800 pounds ($3600) and
it was run for nearly 30 years as a boarding house. The Coffee Palace was sold
in 1955 for 2500 pounds ($5000) and shortly after was demolished.
The
timber was found to be in very good order according to Mr. Jack Giles.
The Hopetoun Power Station
In October 1910 the Shire investigated
information on providing electricity for street lighting for Beulah and
Hopetoun. On
14th of April 1912 the Council obtained an electricity light loan for
5,000 pounds, with this money two power stations were constructed one for
Hopetoun and the other for Beulah with cables connected for about fifty users.
The Hopetoun Power Station was officially opened early September 1913, wood was
needed as fuel to drive the generators and the local contractors supplied it.
With water and electricity reticulation, Beulah and Hopetoun were accompanied by
good seasons growing prosperity and a general rise in property values. Township
fires were a major cause of property damage or loss. Until regular Brigades
established, volunteers with buckets fought these fires.
The Hopetoun Fire Brigade, an initiative of the Progress
society selected 15 men in August 1910; the
number was determined by the
Country Fire Association for towns of Hopetoun’s size.
The Hopetoun Foundry 1895
Mr.
Carter came to Hopetoun from Stawell and commenced business in a humble way. A
Foundry enterprise which includes the manufacture of ploughs, harrows, and
implements of all kinds besides wagons, carts, buggies, gigs, etc.
The business was conducted with energy and ability and after a time the
old premises proving to be too small, a move was made to the main street of the
town, near the railway station.
Our Policeman
Constable
Smelcher,
who was appointed to Hopetoun from Swan Hill in the middle of 1893, was the
first resident policeman, prior to this appointment the Beulah police supervised
the township. Not until 1933 was a second man appointed to the local station in
the town, but it has been thought expedient to pay house rent for some 41 years.
No court graces the township.
The
1st Hopetoun Show
Our first show
conducted by the A & P. Society was held on Friday, September 18th
1896.
Lord and Lady Brassey the Earl
of Shaftsbury and eight members of the State Houses were present on the occasion
when Baron Brassey opened this first show, in the presence of 2000 people. A
special train which arrived from Stawell at 11:25 am on the day of the show
carried about 600 passengers, including the Parliamentary representatives. The
ordinary train which arrived at 12 noon also brought a good number of visitors.
Banks
The
Commercial Bank of Australia was opened at Hopetoun on October 12th
1896 the first manager was Mr. George Buckley.
The Bank of Victoria, which
later amalgamated with the Commercial Banking Co, of Sydney opened on the
September 9th 1925 the first manager was Mr. H.G. Shilton.
The National Bank of Australia
opened in the same month as the above bank the first manager being Mr. A.L.
Haslem.
The State Savings Bank opened
in January 1926 when the first permanent manager was Mr. J.H. Smith.
The
Coordination. Building the grain stacks
The
man on the right on the top of the wagon, is holding a rope tied to the bag, to
hold it out so it doesn’t rub on the pole. (damage to the bag) The slack rope,
would allow the bag to swing and the wheat lumper would catch the heavy bag
across his shoulders, carry the bag and perfectly place it in position. Then be
ready to “catch” the next one. The horse in harness, was attached to the
loader, that the bag of wheat would sit on (like a cradle) the horse would walk
forward to pull the bag up to the wheat lumper. A well trained horse and patient
horse leader is needed. Shifting the wheat was a real work of art.
