Mortlake
At the foot of Mt Shadwell, Mortlake is the centre of the rich agricultural and pastoral Western District of Victoria. There are many significant bluestone buildings in the town, reflecting an important phase in both Victoria’s and Mortlake’s development. The volcanic plains, stony rises and stone walls are unique, as are the scoria walls of Mt Shadwell and The Peak. The quarry at Mt Shadwell is one of the richest sources of olivine, a mineral known in its gem form as peridot, the birth stone for August.
History
.The Mortlake area was probably first surveyed by Major Thomas Livingston Mitchell when he passed through the area in 1836-37. The town is based at the foot of a mount, as are many towns across the volcanic plains. The mount, Mount Shadwell, was named after his friend Major Thomas Henry Shadwell Clerke, and the nearby Hopkins River was named after Major John Paul Hopkins.
The first white settlers to arrive in Mortlake were probably David Fisher and his party in 1839, who set up a station which was left under the charge of Thomas Anderson. Establishment of Mortlake as a settlement occurred in the 1850s and 1860s. The Post Office opened 2 February 1859.
Many of the original bluestone buildings include those in the Shaw Street Bluestone Precinct, such a the former Mortlake courthouse and the former shire offices. The historic Mill (now privately owned) is located in Mill Street.
In the late 1870s, an area of swamp was drained and established as the Mortlake Botanical Gardens, which at its height covered nearly 50 acres (200,000 m2). As a present to the township in 1988 (Australia's Bicentennial) a new lake was constructed by the State Government. This lake is now known as Tea Tree Lake.
A branch railway line connected Mortlake with Terang from 1890 until 1977..
The first white settlers to arrive in Mortlake were probably David Fisher and his party in 1839, who set up a station which was left under the charge of Thomas Anderson. Establishment of Mortlake as a settlement occurred in the 1850s and 1860s. The Post Office opened 2 February 1859.
Many of the original bluestone buildings include those in the Shaw Street Bluestone Precinct, such a the former Mortlake courthouse and the former shire offices. The historic Mill (now privately owned) is located in Mill Street.
In the late 1870s, an area of swamp was drained and established as the Mortlake Botanical Gardens, which at its height covered nearly 50 acres (200,000 m2). As a present to the township in 1988 (Australia's Bicentennial) a new lake was constructed by the State Government. This lake is now known as Tea Tree Lake.
A branch railway line connected Mortlake with Terang from 1890 until 1977..