Welcome to Mortlake
The community of Mortlake welcomes visitors and new arrivals, and we embrace business and industry ventures.
On the Hamilton Highway, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north-east of Warrnambool, Mortlake is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon. At the 2001 census, Mortlake had a population of 941, rising to 996 in 2006, and to 1,073 in 2011.
Mortlake is situated at the foot of Mount Shadwell, formed 25,000 years ago. It is believed that it last erupted about 5,000 years ago. The large ejected rocks are called volcanic bombs. They are often egg shaped because they cooled as they were being thrown through the air. These bombs can contain olivine, a green crystal also known as peridot, the birthstone for August. Self-proclaimed as the Olivine capital of Australia, it is also known for its bluestone buildings, with several fine examples dating back to the 1850s visible from the Hamilton Highway.
The Mortlake townsite began to develop as a point of trade for the surrounding properties. It was surveyed in 1853 and named after a village in Surrey, England. Mortlake benefited due to its position on the road between the port at Warrnambool and the goldfield at Ararat which opened up in 1854. This early prosperity is evident in some surviving bluestone buildings including the Mt Shadwell Hotel (1855) and the Mortlake Flour Mill built in 1856 to capitalise on the needs of the diggers.
A Presbyterian church was erected in 1857 and it operated a denominational school from the premises. A postal service was established in 1859 within the slab store of Jonathon Pagan. Mac's Hotel was erected that same year and a new Presbyterian church was built in 1862. When the Shire of Mortlake was declared in 1864 the original Presbyterian church served as the shire offices and a post office and courthouse were built. An Anglican church was constructed in 1865-65 and a Methodist Church in 1867.
The railway arrived in the 1890s and the district was opened up for soldier settlement after both World Wars
On the Hamilton Highway, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north-east of Warrnambool, Mortlake is in the Shire of Moyne local government area and the federal Division of Wannon. At the 2001 census, Mortlake had a population of 941, rising to 996 in 2006, and to 1,073 in 2011.
Mortlake is situated at the foot of Mount Shadwell, formed 25,000 years ago. It is believed that it last erupted about 5,000 years ago. The large ejected rocks are called volcanic bombs. They are often egg shaped because they cooled as they were being thrown through the air. These bombs can contain olivine, a green crystal also known as peridot, the birthstone for August. Self-proclaimed as the Olivine capital of Australia, it is also known for its bluestone buildings, with several fine examples dating back to the 1850s visible from the Hamilton Highway.
The Mortlake townsite began to develop as a point of trade for the surrounding properties. It was surveyed in 1853 and named after a village in Surrey, England. Mortlake benefited due to its position on the road between the port at Warrnambool and the goldfield at Ararat which opened up in 1854. This early prosperity is evident in some surviving bluestone buildings including the Mt Shadwell Hotel (1855) and the Mortlake Flour Mill built in 1856 to capitalise on the needs of the diggers.
A Presbyterian church was erected in 1857 and it operated a denominational school from the premises. A postal service was established in 1859 within the slab store of Jonathon Pagan. Mac's Hotel was erected that same year and a new Presbyterian church was built in 1862. When the Shire of Mortlake was declared in 1864 the original Presbyterian church served as the shire offices and a post office and courthouse were built. An Anglican church was constructed in 1865-65 and a Methodist Church in 1867.
The railway arrived in the 1890s and the district was opened up for soldier settlement after both World Wars
