Winchelsea, Victoria

Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong (37 km north-east).

History
The first Europeans to reside in the area were squatters who established grazing runs there c. 1837. Thomas Austin migrated from Tasmania and occupied the present day site of Winchelsea in 1837. The area was then called Austin's Ford. Austin built up his estate of Barwon Park to 29,000 acres, including a mansion which still stands today.

The town developed around the Barwon Inn, established in 1842 by Prosper Nicholas Trebeck and Charles Beal. The Post Office opened as Barwon on 1 July 1848 and was renamed Winchelsea in 1854. The railway though the town was opened in 1876, as part of the line to the south west of the state. The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line.

Places of interest

 * Barwon Park is a (National Trust) owned property open to the public. Designed by architects Davidson & Henderson and built 1869 - 1871 of bluestone for Thomas and Elizabeth Austin.
 * Barwon Hotel (1842) with a collection of historical artefacts.
 * Barwon River Bridge (1867) over the Barwon River is an impressive stone structure.
 * Old Shire Hall

Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Geelong & District Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Winchelsea Golf Club on Lorne Road.

Notable people

 * Thomas Austin (1815 – 1871) a pioneer settler at Winchelsea who is generally credited with the introduction of rabbits into Australia in 1859.
 * Albert Jacka, the first Australian to win a Victoria Cross in World War I was born at Winchelsea in 1893.
 * Marjorie Lawrence, soprano, noted as an interpreter of Richard Wagner's operas, was born at Deans Marsh, south of Winchelsea in 1907.