Trentham, Victoria

Trentham
Victoria

Falls Road
Trentham
Coordinates 37°23′0″S 144°19′0″E / 37.38333°S 144.31667°E / -37.38333; 144.31667Coordinates: 37°23′0″S 144°19′0″E / 37.38333°S 144.31667°E / -37.38333; 144.31667
Population 1,411 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 3458
Elevation 700 m (2,297 ft)
Location
LGA(s)
State electorate(s) Macedon
Federal Division(s) Ballarat
Localities around Trentham:
Little Hampton Spring Hill Tylden
Tylden South
Lyonville Trentham Fern Hill
Trentham East
Newbury Blackwood North Blackwood

Trentham is a small town in the Shire of Hepburn and Shire of Moorabool local government area, Victoria, Australia. At the 2011 census, Trentham had a population of 1,411.[1] Located at an altitude of 700 metres (2,297 ft), the town is 97 kilometres (60 mi) north-west of Melbourne.

History

Although pastoral runs were taken up in the area as early as 1838, Trentham was first settled by gold prospectors in the 1850s, and later developed for its timber resources from the surrounding Wombat State Forest. The Post Office opened on 16 July 1862.[2]

A railway line arrived in 1880.[3] At its peak carried up to 21,000 tonnes of freight (mostly timber) annually. The station once had a timber tramway which transported timber to the Goods Platform. In the 1950s, however, the railway declined as better roads were built to connect the town with the major settlements of Victoria, and it was closed during the 1970s. The station is now the Trentham Agricultural and Railway Museum, with the restored station building, the mainly intact yard with some rolling stock, and a platform in good condition.

Potato growing (due to a fertile strip of red volcanic soil), grazing and tourism later became the mainstays of the town's economy.

Climate

Bath Street, Trentham during the summer 2011 floods.

The climate is cool and moist: the mean summer temperature is 21.9 °C, nights fall to around 9.8 °C in February (summer); whilst winters are distinctly cold with the mean daytime temperature 7.6 °C (July) and mean night temperature 2.1 °C. The coldest temperature recorded was –8 °C with many nights in winter reaching –5 °C. Snow falls are not uncommon in winter–msleet and snow can fall on up to 13 days per year.

Trentham has an average annual precipitation of 1,102.3 mm (43.4 in), the highest one day rainfall was 154.9 mm and the highest monthly rainfall was 317.5 mm. The region has a distinct winter rainfall maximum. Rainfall occurs through the summer but tends to be more erratic and unreliable, often occurring in heavy downpours associated with thunderstorms.

Events and attractions

Near Trentham is Trentham Falls on the Coliban River–the highest single-drop waterfall in Victoria.[4] There are also several mineral springs near the town.

The annual Great Trentham Spudfest has been running since 2008, celebrating Trentham's potato-growing heritage.[5]

The town has an Australian Rules football team, the Trentham Saints, competing in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League.[6]

The Trentham Golf Club is on Falls Road.[7]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trentham, Victoria.
  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Trentham (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
  3. ↑ Osborne, Murrell (1978), Timber, Spuds and Spa, Australian Railway Historical Society, ISBN 0-85849-023-4
  4. ↑ Gray, Darren (19 September 2016). "Victorians flock to see and hear thunderous waterfalls after heavy rainfall". The Age. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Great Trentham Spudfest". The annual Great Trentham Spudfest. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Trentham Saints". Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Golf Select, Trentham, retrieved 2009-05-11
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