Creswick, Victoria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Creswick
Victoria

Population:

2,449 (2001 census)

Postcode:

3363

Elevation:

430 m

Location:

129 km nw of Melbourne
18 km n of Ballarat

LGA:

Hepburn Shire

Federal Division:

Ballarat

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
17.8 °C ^{64 °F}	6.6 °C ^{44 °F}	742.7 mm ^{29.2 in}

Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Hepburn Shire. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2001 census, Creswick had a population of 2,449.^[1]

Creswick is a former gold-mining town, established during the Victorian gold rushes in the 1850s. The population reached a peak of 25,000 during the gold rush. Today, local industries include forestry, grazing and agriculture.

The area was inhabited by the Wemba-Wemba people before white settlement. The pioneer white settlers were Henry, Charles and John Creswick, three brothers who started a large sheep station in 1842.

Creswick is the birthplace of Australian artist and writer Norman Lindsay, Australia's Prime Minister during World War II, John Curtin, and a Victorian premier, Sir Alexander Peacock.

The original School of Forestry was established in 1910 by the Department of Forestry. It was the first institution set up in Victoria to train and accredit young foresters. Now the campus is part of The University of Melbourne. The campus is situated in Water Street and houses the School of Forest & Ecosystem Science, a highly regarded research and teaching institution.