Little River, Victoria

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Little River
Victoria

Little River railway station
Population: 375 (2006)[1]
Established: 1840
Postcode: 3211
Elevation: 22 m (72 ft)
Location:
LGA:
State District: Lara
Federal Division: Corio
Localities around Little River:
Balliang Wyndham Vale Werribee
Lara Little River Cocoroc
Corio

Little River is a rural township north of Geelong and is 51 km west-southwest of Melbourne along the Princes Freeway. The area of town north of the river is part of the City of Wyndham while the area south of the river is part of the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2001 census, Little River had a population of 353.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

The Little River has headwaters in the nearby Brisbane Ranges. It was also known as the Cocoroc Rivulet, Cocoroc being a locality near the area. The road from Melbourne to Geelong once crossed the Little River and the Travellers Rest Inn was opened there in about 1839.[3]

It had been one of the Port Phillip Association's pastoral runs (the first occupier being James Simpson), and later a large part of the district was included in the Chirnside estate centred on Werribee. Early on small farmers had the benefit of an 80 km² common for grazing.

The railway though the town was opened in 1876,[4] as part of the line to Geelong. The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Geelong line.

[edit] Today

The township has a petrol station, a primary school, a kindergarten, a pub, a cricket ground and several churches. Visitors from Melbourne pass through the town on the way to the You Yangs Regional Park and the Little River Earth Sanctuary.

Australian rock band Little River Band is named after Little River after seeing it on a road sign on the way to a gig in Geelong.[5] Some scenes for the 2005 Australian television series We Can Be Heroes were filmed at Little River, although it was referred to as the fictional town of 'Dunt'.

[edit] Census populations

  • 1861 - 4
  • 1871 - 121
  • 1911 - 294
  • 1954 - 358
  • 1966 - 191
  • 2001 - 353
  • 2006 - 375

[edit] References

  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Little River (L) (Urban Centre/Locality). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
  2. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). Little River (L) (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
  3. ^ Little River Historical Society: A Brief History of Little River
  4. ^ Sid Brown (March 1990). "Tracks Across the State". Newsrail: pages 71-76. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). 
  5. ^ Little River Band

[edit] See also

[edit] External links