Majorca, Victoria

{{Infobox Australian place

| type = town

| name = Majorca

| state = vic

| image = MajorcaGeneralStore.JPG

| caption = The old Majorca store, established in 1866 and later abandoned. Destroyed by fire in 2015.

| coordinates = {{coord|37|06|53|S|143|47|50|E|display=inline,title}}

| use_lga_map = yes

| pushpin_label_position =

| pop = 211

| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}}

| pop_footnotes=

| est =

| postcode = 3465

| elevation=

| dist1 = 171

| dir1 = NW

| location1= Melbourne

| dist2 = 75

| dir2 = SW

| location2= Bendigo

| dist3 = 11

| dir3 = S

| location3= Maryborough

| dist4 = 12

| dir4 = NW

| location4= Talbot

| lga = Shire of Central Goldfields

| stategov = Ripon

| fedgov = Mallee

| maxtemp =

| mintemp =

| rainfall =

}}Majorca is a locality in central Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Shire of Central Goldfields, {{convert|11|km|mi}} south of Maryborough and {{convert|171|km|mi}} north west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Majorca and the surrounding rural area had a population of 387.{{Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC26079|name=Majorca (State Suburb)|accessdate=15 May 2010|quick=on}} By the time of the 2016 census the population had declined to 211.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC21572|name=Majorca (State Suburb)|accessdate=30 July 2017|quick=on}}

History

Majorca was founded in 1863—towards the end of the Victorian gold rush—after two prospectors struck gold at nearby McCallum's Creek. Two months later, there were 250 stores and restaurants catering to a population of around three to four thousand, although many shops and residents soon returned to nearby Maryborough.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmcentralvictoria.com.au/region/index.php?town=majorca|title=Township tour – Majorca|work=Film Locations Victoria, Australia|publisher=Film Central Victoria|accessdate=15 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220063026/http://www.filmcentralvictoria.com.au/region/index.php?town=majorca|archive-date=20 December 2010|url-status=dead}} The town was sustained for over 50 years through gold mining, including the Kong Meng Mine. It is now a rural area consisting mainly of farmland and the Tullaroop Reservoir which helps provide water to Maryborough. The old Majorca store was destroyed by fire and subsequently demolished on May 27, 2015.{{Cite news|url=https://www.maryboroughadvertiser.com.au/2015/05/piece-of-history-gone/|title=Piece of history gone – The Maryborough District Advertiser|date=2015-05-29|work=The Maryborough District Advertiser|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en-US}}

Notable residents

William Blundell (1866–1946){{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/4369.html |title=William Blundell |accessdate=15 November 2015 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}
Charles Fredricksen (1873–1966){{Australian Dictionary of Biography

|last= Groom

|first= Keith

|year= 1996

|volume= 14

|id2=fredricksen-carl-theodore-charles-10248

|title= Fredricksen, Carl Theodore (Charles) (1873–1966)

|accessdate= 3 August 2015

}}

Lowe Kong Meng (1831–1888){{Australian Dictionary of Biography

|last= Ching

|first= Fatt Yong

|authorlink=

|year= 1974

|volume= 5

|id2=lowe-kong-meng-4043

|title= Lowe Kong Meng (1831–1888)

|accessdate= 3 August 2015

}}

George Nicholas (1831–1937){{Australian Dictionary of Biography

|last= Wall

|first= John

|year= 1988

|volume= 11

|id2=nicholas-alfred-michael-7836

|title= Nicholas, George Richard Rich (1884–1960)

|accessdate= 3 August 2015

}}

References

External links

Category:Towns in Victoria (state)

Category:Ghost towns in Victoria (state)