Merino, Victoria

Merino Victoria
Merino
Population:	400(2006)[1]
Postcode:	3310
Coordinates:	Coordinates: 37°43′S 141°33′E / 37.717°S 141.55°E / -37.717; 141.55
Location:	342 km (213 mi) west of Melbourne 226 km (140 mi) west of Ballarat 48 km (30 mi) west of Hamilton 77 km (48 mi) north of Portland 23 km (14 mi) south west of Casterton
LGA:	Shire of Glenelg
State District:	Lowan
Federal Division:	Wannon

Merino is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Glenelg Local Government Area, 363 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Merino had a population of 400.

The first European settlement of the area was in 1837, when Francis Henty, brother of Edward Henty, established Merino Downs station. Henty established the station after a report on the high quality pasture from explorer Major Thomas Mitchell at the Henty property near Portland.^[2] A store and post office agency was established in 1854 and the first town lots were sold the next year. An official Post Office opened on June 1, 1858.^[3] The town continued to grow through the 1850s and 1860s with the construction of churches, hotels and schools. In 1870, the courthouse was moved from Digby to Merino. The Merino co-operative butter factory was established around 1885. After World War I, the area was opened up for soldier settlement. In 1955, Merino was finally connected to the electricity grid.^[4]

Golfers play at the course of the Merino Golf Club on Digby Road.^[5]

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Merino (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC26145&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2007-10-01. 
2. ^ "Settlement at Merino Downs, 1837". Ballarat Genealogy. http://www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/merino/m_downs.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-09. 
3. ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country=. Retrieved 2008-04-11 
4. ^ "Henty & Merino Historic Timeline". Ballarat Genealogy. http://www.ballaratgenealogy.org.au/merino/timeline.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-09. 
5. ^ Golf Select. "Merino". http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=1029. Retrieved 2009-05-11