Diggers Rest, Victoria
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| Diggers Rest Victoria |
|
| Population: | 1795 (2001 census) |
| Established: | 1874 |
| Postcode: | 3427 |
| Elevation: | 153 m |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Shire of Melton |
| State District: | Macedon |
| Federal Division: | Lalor |
Diggers Rest is a town northwest of Melbourne Airport near Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, Australia, along the Calder Freeway. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Melton.
Contents |
[edit] History
Diggers Rest began life as a stopping place on the road to the Bendigo goldfields, and Caroline Chisholm had a women's shelter in the area. The town grew in the 1870s and 1880s and became a postal village with a general store, post office, weighbridge, mechanics' institute and a chaff mill.
It is famed for being the location of the first controlled powered flight of an aeroplane undertaken in Australia. The flight was performed by Harry Houdini in 1910.[1]
[edit] Present day
Diggers Rest contains a general store, a primary school and a CFA fire station, along with three large recreation reserves.[2] Sporting groups in Diggers Rest include Diggers Rest Football Club who play in the Riddell District Football League.
Other facilities in the Diggers Rest area include the Holden Flora and Fauna Reserve, Animal Land Childrens Farm and SPSK Jadran, a Slovenian social club which services nearby St Albans and Keilor.
[edit] Transport
Diggers Rest is a railway station on the Sunbury line, connecting the town with Melbourne's CBD.
The 483 bus route operated by Sunbury Bus Service services the town, connecting with both suburban Melbourne and with nearby Sunbury, which contains a Victoria University campus.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Hargrave Pioneers: Harry Houdini
- ^ Map 351-352, Melway street directory (28th ed., 2001)
- ^ Sunbury Bus Service website, accessed 25 November 2006
[edit] External links
-
- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
- Diggers Rest (Australian Gazetteer)
| Suburbs of the Shire of Melton | |
|---|---|
|
Brookfield | Burnside | Caroline Springs | Diggers Rest | Exford | Hillside | Kurunjang | Melton | Melton South | Melton West | Mount Cottrell | Plumpton | Ravenhall | Rockbank | Taylors Hill | Toolern Vale | Truganina | |
