Mansfield, Victoria

File:The Delatite Hotel Mansfield 2021.jpg

The traditional owners of the Mansfield region are the Yowengillum clan of the Taungurung people. They also inhabited Alexandra and the Upper Goulburn River.{{Citation|last= Taungurung |title=Taungurung | url=https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/downloads/Traditional_Owners/Taungurung_Brochure_About_Us.pdf |access-date=14 June 2020}}

British colonisers began to enter the region in 1839 when Andrew Ewing (sometimes referred to as Andrew Ewan), a stockman representing the Scottish livestock company Watson & Hunter, scouted the area for a new sheep station. Ewing encountered Yowengillum people along a waterway he named Devils River, as he considered these people to be "black devils". The best land was to be found east of this river, adjacent to Mount Battery (known as Bayerlite to the Yowengillum), and Ewing established the Mount Battery sheep station there in 1840. The overseer's hut was built near where the town of Mansfield now stands. Aboriginal encampments were also located near Mount Battery and were noted for their large stone ovens. Bitteruc, a Yowengillum elder at this time, stated that the land around Bayerlite was "good country, my country."{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223326772 |title=THE HISTORY OF MANSFIELD |newspaper=Weekly Times |issue=3284 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=6 September 1930 |access-date=18 August 2020 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Ian |title=The Travels of George Augustus Robinson Chief Protector |date=2014 |isbn=1499662076}}

Mansfield, originally known as Mount Battery, became a township that was surveyed in 1851 and named after Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England.{{cite web |work=Monash University Arts |title=gazetteer Mansfield |url=http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/mansfield.html |access-date=11 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040212115642/http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/mansfield.html | archive-date=12 February 2004 }} Settlement came after the discovery of gold nearby and the Post Office opened on 1 January 1858.{{Citation |last=Phoenix Auctions History |title=Post Office List |url=http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=*Mansfield* |access-date=18 January 2021 }}

On the 11 November 1863, a triple hanging occurred in Melbourne Gaol; Elizabeth Scott, along with Julian Cross and David Gedge, were executed for the murder of Elizabeth's husband in the Wappan district (near Mansfield).

Mansfield is famous as part of the Ned Kelly Trail. Significant memorials include the Memorial to Police erected in the centre of the town's roundabout. Mansfield Cemetery is the burial ground for police officers slain by Ned Kelly and his gang at Stringybark Creek.

Dr. John Pearson Rowe (1810–1878) was a physician and squatter who owned the 'Loyola Run' (also known as Mount Battery) near Mansfield. Reputed as the first Roman Catholic resident of the district, it is recorded that nearby Rochester was named after J. P. Rowe, as he owned land on the Campaspe River.{{cite book |author=Ebsworth, Walter |title=Pioneer Catholic Victoria |year=1973 |page=489}} Rowe was a principal founder of the University of Melbourne. He fired a shot at a 14-year-old Ned Kelly accompanied by bushranger Harry Power in 1869.{{cite book |author=Jones, Ian |title=Ned Kelly: A Short Life |year=1995 |page=34 }} Rowe stood for the Upper House seat of the Murray District in 1859 and was defeated.{{cite book |author=O'Brien, Antony |title=Shenanigans on the Ovens Goldfields: The 1859 Election |year=2005 |chapter=Chapters 4-5 }} In October 1878 Rowe supplied information to police Sergeant Kennedy on the whereabouts of Ned Kelly. Acting on Rowe's verified advice, Kennedy and his police party rode into the Wombat Ranges, where three of them were killed; and the Kelly Gang legend was born.{{cite book |author=McQuilton, John |title=The Kelly Outbreak: 1878-1880: The Geographical Dimension of Social Banditry |year=1979 |page=95 }}

By 1878, the town had half a dozen general stores, several butchers, and blacksmiths. Public buildings included the shire hall and library, a hospital, three churches, and Victoria Hall (where concerts were held).[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/143003264?searchTerm=“Wappan%20station” “A sketch of the Mansfield district,” Australasian, 7 December 1878, p.24]

The railway to Mansfield arrived in the town from Tallarook in 1891, being closed on 18 November 1978.{{Citation |date=March 1990 |title=Tracks Across the State |author=Brown, Sid |journal=Newsrail |publisher=Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division) |pages=71–76 }} The last passenger service was on 28 May 1977.{{Citation |date=March 1997 |title=Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960 |author=Banger, Chris |journal=Newsrail |publisher=Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division) |pages=77–82 }} The former Mansfield station building near High Street now serves tourists to the community as a visitor centre.

Around 9:15am on 22 September 2021, Geoscience Australia detected a magnitude-5.9 earthquake centred at Licola, around 130km from Mansfield at a depth of 10km.{{Cite web|date=2021-09-21|title=Reports of damage after magnitude-6 earthquake shakes Victoria, NSW, Canberra|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-22/earthquake-victoria-melbourne-nsw-sydney-canberra-act/100481732|access-date=2021-09-21|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}

The area round Mansfield named as Banbury was also the location of the novel The Far Country by Nevil Shute which featured logging on Mount Buller and previous forest fires, which having swept through Howqua obliterated almost all traces of a former settlement.

Mansfield is very close to two large lakes, Lake Eildon and Lake Nillahcootie. During the summer these sites are popular waterskiing destinations.

The nearby Mount Buller and Mount Stirling offer attractions all year round. During winter they are visited for skiing, lifted and back country respectively. In the summer hiking and mountain biking are popular. Ski lifts operate year-round at Mount Buller allowing bikers to easily get to the top of downhill mountain biking runs.

The bushland around Mansfield is used for horse riding, trail biking and four wheel driving on extensive tracks throughout the region.

In past years, the "Mansfield Balloon Festival" celebrated hot air balloons, and drew crowds and enthusiasts from across the state. The balloon Festival hasn't been to Mansfield for several years.

Mansfield is also the home to the Mansfield Eagles football club, an Australian Rules team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League.{{Citation|last=Full Points Footy |title=Mansfield |url=http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Mansfield.htm |access-date=25 July 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414214142/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/mansfield.htm |archive-date=14 April 2008 }}

Mansfield has a horse racing club, the Mansfield District Racing Club, which schedules two race meetings a year, including the Mansfield Cup meeting on 27 December).{{Citation |last=Country Racing Victoria |title=Mansfield District Racing Club | url=http://mansfield.countryracing.com.au/| access-date=29 March 2012 }}

Golfers play at the Mansfield golf course on Kidston Parade.{{Citation |author=Golf Select |title=Mansfield |url=http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=1020 |access-date=11 May 2009 }}

Mansfield is at one end of the Great Victorian Rail Trail, which officially opened in 2012. The rail trail is the second longest in Australia, and is used by push bike riders, horse riders, and walkers.{{Citation |last = Great Victorian Rail Trail |title= Great Victorian Rail Trail |url=https://www.greatvictorianrailtrail.com.au/ |access-date=14 June 2020 }}

Mansfield has an oceanic climate (Cfb), with warm and relatively dry summers and cool rainy winters. Diurnal range is extraordinary, due to the very cold mornings in summer brought about by frequent cold front activity.

{{Weather box

|location = Mansfield 2 (1883–1956); 315 m AMSL; 37.05° S, 146.08° E

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|precipitation colour = green

|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm

|Jan high C = 29.6

|Feb high C = 29.4

|Mar high C = 26.0

|Apr high C = 21.1

|May high C = 15.9

|Jun high C = 12.6

|Jul high C = 11.5

|Aug high C = 13.5

|Sep high C = 17.4

|Oct high C = 20.9

|Nov high C = 24.7

|Dec high C = 27.9

|year high C =

|Jan low C = 10.2

|Feb low C = 9.8

|Mar low C = 7.8

|Apr low C = 4.6

|May low C = 2.1

|Jun low C = 2.0

|Jul low C = 0.2

|Aug low C = 1.7

|Sep low C = 2.9

|Oct low C = 4.6

|Nov low C = 6.4

|Dec low C = 8.6

|year low C =

|Jan precipitation mm = 44.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 39.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 56.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 50.8

|May precipitation mm = 60.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 75.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 66.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 73.7

|Sep precipitation mm = 69.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 75.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 59.2

|Dec precipitation mm = 47.3

|year precipitation mm = 719.4

|Jan precipitation days = 5.6

|Feb precipitation days = 5.2

|Mar precipitation days = 6.0

|Apr precipitation days = 7.7

|May precipitation days = 11.1

|Jun precipitation days = 13.9

|Jul precipitation days = 15.7

|Aug precipitation days = 15.2

|Sep precipitation days = 12.8

|Oct precipitation days = 11.3

|Nov precipitation days = 8.5

|Dec precipitation days = 6.6

|source 1 = [http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_083020.shtml Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Mansfield 2]

}}

• Liam Bradley – Composer, musician, radiographer
• Elizabeth Vivienne Conabere – botanical artist, writer and conservationist
• James Cousins – current football player in the Australian Football League
• Josh Fraser – ex-Collingwood and Gold Coast Suns football player in the AFL
• Max Fricke – Motorcycle speedway rider. 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 Australian Under-21 Champion and 2016 World Under-21 Champion
• Simon Gerrans – road bicycle racer
• Jack Hutchins – ex-Gold Coast Suns football player in the Australian Football League
• Lex Lasry – lawyer and a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria
• David Mensch – former football player at the Geelong Football Club
• Victoria Mitchell – long-distance runner
• Catherine Skinner – shooter (women's trap)
• Cyril Henry Thomas Towers – rugby union player{{Cite book|title = Towers, Cyril Henry Thomas (1906–1985)|url = http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/towers-cyril-henry-thomas-15620|publisher = National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|location = Canberra|first = John G.|last = Mulford}}
• Alex "Chumpy" Pullin – 2011 and 2013 border cross (snowboard) world champion
• Hayley Wilson – skateboarder at the 2020 Summer Olympics

{{Reflist}}

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• [http://www.railtrails.org.au/trail?view=trail&id=90 Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail]

{{Towns in Mansfield Shire}}

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Category:Towns in Victoria (state)

Category:Shire of Mansfield

Category:Mining towns in Victoria (state)