Ballangeich, Victoria

Ballangeich Victoria
Ballangeich
Coordinates	38°13′08″S 142°39′28″E
Population	71 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	3279
Location	247 km (153 mi) W of Melbourne
LGA(s)	Shire of Moyne
State electorate(s)	South-West Coast
Federal division(s)	Wannon

Ballangeich is a locality in western Victoria, Australia on the Hopkins Highway. The locality is in the Shire of Moyne local government area, in what is commonly known as the Western District. It sits approximately 247 kilometres (153 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne.

History

Ballangeich was named by Captain John Eddington after the Pass of Ballangeich below Stirling Castle where he had played in his boyhood.[2] He established the Ballangeich Run in 1841.[3] He selected the property in 1840-41 and arrived there in 1842, establishing what is the Ballangeich Station of today. By 1872 he had acquired freehold to several allotments totalling over 2,000 acres and the north-west corner of Ballangeich following the 1869 Selection Act.[3]

The old station has a private cemetery in which many of the old pioneers have been laid to rest. At the time that Ballangeich was thrown open for selection, someone selected this piece of land known as "The Groves" on the bank of the Hopkins River. On hearing of this, Captain Eddington started off on horseback – at night – to lodge a petition that it be declared a cemetery. The letter signed by the superintendent Charles La Trobe, made the necessary grant dated 1848.[2]

On 16 February 1983, one of the Ash Wednesday fires started in Ballangeich, destroying many homes, farm buildings and livestock. The cause was believed to be poorly maintained power lines.[4]

Governance

In local government, Ballageich is covered by the Shire of Moyne.[5] It was previously located in the Shire of Mortlake 1864 to 1994.[6]

Traditional ownership

The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Ballangeich sits are the Eastern Maar People[7] who are represented by the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation.[8]

Post offices

Ballangeich post office opened on 1 November 1868 and closed on 30 September 1957. A Ballangeich North post office was also open from 1909 until 1957.[9]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Ballangeich (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. The Victorian Centenary Book page 293
3. First class colonizing material: the story of the Hendersons of Ellon, from their emigration in the 1850s to the present day / Jean McDonald, Chapter 6: John selects at Ballangeich 1871-1882
4. "About Ash Wednesday". Country Fire Authority Victoria, Australia. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (1 August 1995). Victorian local government amalgamations 1994-1995: Changes to the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 10. ISBN 0-642-23117-6. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
6. Victorian Municipal Directory. Brunswick: Arnall & Jackson. 1992. pp. 772–773. Accessed at State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Reading Room.
7. "Map of formally recognised traditional owners". Aboriginal Victoria. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
8. "Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation". Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
9. "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions History. Retrieved 9 July 2023.