Gisborne | |||||||||||||
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 View down the main street from the south | |||||||||||||
  Gisborne | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:37°29′24″S144°35′20″E / 37.49000°S 144.58889°E /-37.49000; 144.58889 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||
| Established | 1851 | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 211 km2 (81 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 443 m (1,453 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 14,432 (2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 68.40/km2 (177.2/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 3437 | ||||||||||||
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Gisborne (/ˈɡɪzbərn/)[4] is a town in theMacedon Ranges, located about 54 kilometres (34 mi) north-west ofMelbourne,Victoria, Australia. It is the largest town in theMacedon Ranges Shire, with a population of 14,432 as of June 2021 in the Gisborne district region.[2]
Gisborne is known for its country homesteads, tree-lined streets, restaurants and cafes. The town has become a popular 'tree change' destination for Melbourne residents seeking large leafy blocks and a quiet lifestyle[5] within easy commuting distance from the city. As such, the town has grown substantially over the past 5–10 years, with an increase of almost 2,600[2] residents since 2011, although planning controls have been implemented to protect the character and "outstanding natural beauty" of the region.[6]
The Gisborne town site was first settled on the 24 March 1837 byGeorge Hamilton. The area further south of Gisborne had been settled earlier byJohn Aitken, whosquatted on the land, having shipped hismerino sheep fromTasmania.[7]
In 1840,Henry Fyshe Gisborne,Commissioner of Crown Lands for thePort Phillip District, set up an outpost for hisBorder Police troopers to assist colonialists with the suppression of Aboriginal resistance.
A hotel namedthe Bush Inn was built near the barracks in the same year. Gisborne Post Office opened on 22 March 1850, and the Bush Inn was renamed the Gisborne Hotel ten days later, in honour of Henry Fyshe Gisborne.[8]
In 1858 Edward Cherry established Cherry & Sons, a company who made timber butter churns. This was one of the oldest industries in country Victoria and at its height it exported butter churns to many countries in Africa and Asia. The company later diversified into other products such as post hole diggers and equipment for government schools. Its factory was destroyed by a fire in 1912 but was rebuilt and the company survived into the 1970s.[9]
Gisborne is the largest township in theMacedon Ranges and the closest to Melbourne's city centre, which can be accessed easily via a 45-minute drive along theCalder Freeway or a 50-minute train ride on theBendigo Line. The population in June 2018 was 13,963[2] having grown on average 2.93% year-on-year for the five years preceding 2018.[2]
The town centre has many cafes and wine bars, as well a theatre,[10] restaurants and galleries, monthly farmers' market,[11] an organic butcher and four supermarkets. Gisborne has a full-timepolice station in conjunction with theCFA station, State Emergency Service and medical-ambulance facilities.
Sporting facilities cater forAustralian rules football,cricket,soccer,tennis,netball,basketball,gymnastics, andlawn bowls, as well as a heated indoor pool. The popular golf course is located within the township and regularly features as one of the top 100 public access courses in Australia. The Gisborne Soccer Club president is ex-Socceroo and Melbourne Victory captainCarl Valeri.
A number of media reports[12][13] have made reference to the influx of young professionals, artists and 'hipsters' to the region,[14] drawn by the region's natural beauty, proximity to Melbourne and access to city-style cafes and restaurants.[15][16] The large numbers of new residents is making the local population growth rate among the fastest in regional Victoria.[17] Locals, worried about the environmental and cultural impacts of this growing popularity, successfully campaigned for new planning controls to protect the character of the region.[6]
In the2016 census, Gisborne had a population count of 9,822 people.[18] At the time, 82.1% of the town's residents were born in Australia, with the most common foreign countries of birth being England (4.0%) and New Zealand (1.3%). The most common responses for religion were "No Religion" (35.3%),Catholic (28.3%) andAnglican (13.0%).[18]
| Climate data for Gisborne (Rosslynne Reservoir) (2008–); 451m AMSL; 37.48° S, 144.57° E | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 59.5 (2.34) | 48.1 (1.89) | 59.3 (2.33) | 79.0 (3.11) | 66.0 (2.60) | 71.0 (2.80) | 63.5 (2.50) | 71.0 (2.80) | 63.5 (2.50) | 71.0 (2.80) | 80.4 (3.17) | 57.2 (2.25) | 748.3 (29.46) |
| Source:Monthly rainfall: Gisborne (Rosslynne Reservoir) | |||||||||||||
The town's railway station is on theBendigo Line, serviced byV/Line. Trains take 20 minutes between Gisborne andSunbury, where customers can connect directly toMetro services; otherwise, V/Line can take customers directly into Melbourne's CBD, terminating atSouthern Cross Station. When the railway line was being built, it was too difficult to get the trains down into Gisborne's township due to terrain, so instead theGisborne railway station was built just outside the township, forming the new suburb ofNew Gisborne.
The town has its own dedicated bus service operated byGisborne Transit which runs looped shuttle services around the township, as well as on-demand pick-up and drop-off services connecting townsfolk to the railway station, as part ofPTV.
The town receives all of Melbourne'smetropolitan digital television channels, includingChannel 31. The town also receives television from Mount Alexander but signals from Melbourne are much stronger. The town is largely serviced by major publication newspapers such asThe Age, but Gisborne also receives free weekly regional news from theMidland Express, as well as a monthly Gisborne-dedicated publication, theGREAT Gisborne Gazette.
Gisborne features as a backdrop for several films and television series, includingNightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. In 2022,Gisborne South was chosen as the filming location for the reality television seriesThe Block.
The town has three public and two Catholicprimary schools, as well as one publicsecondary school,Gisborne Secondary College. The Gisborne Montessori School and Candlebark (alternative school) provide additional options.
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