| Mansfield Victoria | |||||||||
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 Police memorial with the Mansfield Hotel in the background | |||||||||
  Mansfield Location inShire of Mansfield | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°03′0″S146°05′0″E / 37.05000°S 146.08333°E /-37.05000; 146.08333 | ||||||||
| Population | 5,541 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3722 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 316 m (1,037 ft) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mansfield | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Eildon | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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Mansfield is a town in the foothills of theVictorian Alps in theAustralian state ofVictoria. It is approximately 180 kilometres (110 mi) north-east ofMelbourne by road. The population of Mansfield was 5,541 at the2021 census.[1]
Mansfield is the seat of theMansfieldlocal government area. Mansfield was formerly heavily dependent on farming and logging but is now a tourist centre. It is the support town for the large Australia ski resortMount Buller. It is associated with the high-country tradition of alpine grazing, celebrated in the film made around Mansfield, near the now famous Craigs Hut, calledThe Man from Snowy River (based on apoem byBanjo Paterson).
Thetraditional owners of the Mansfield region are theYowengillum clan of theTaungurung people. They also inhabited Alexandra and the Upper Goulburn River.[2]
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 newsheep 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."[3][4]
Mansfield, originally known as Mount Battery, became a township that was surveyed in 1851 and named afterMansfield inNottinghamshire,England.[5] Settlement came after the discovery of gold nearby and the Post Office opened on 1 January 1858.[6]
On the 11 November 1863, a triple hanging occurred inMelbourne 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 firstRoman Catholic resident of the district, it is recorded that nearbyRochester was named after J. P. Rowe, as he owned land on theCampaspe River.[7] Rowe was a principal founder of theUniversity of Melbourne. He fired a shot at a 14-year-oldNed Kelly accompanied by bushrangerHarry Power in 1869.[8] Rowe stood for the Upper House seat of the Murray District in 1859 and was defeated.[9] 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 theKelly Gang legend was born.[10]
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).[11]
Therailway to Mansfield arrived in the town fromTallarook in 1891, being closed on 18 November 1978.[12] The last passenger service was on 28 May 1977.[13] The formerMansfield 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 amagnitude-5.9 earthquake centred atLicola, around 130km from Mansfield at a depth of 10km.[14]
The area round Mansfield named asBanbury was also the location of the novelThe Far Country byNevil Shute which featured logging onMount Buller and previous forest fires, which having swept throughHowqua obliterated almost all traces of a former settlement.
Mansfield is very close to two large lakes,Lake Eildon andLake Nillahcootie. During the summer these sites are popular waterskiing destinations.
The nearbyMount Buller andMount Stirling offer attractions all year round. During winter they are visited for skiing,lifted andback country respectively. In the summerhiking andmountain biking are popular. Ski lifts operate year-round at Mount Buller allowing bikers to easily get to the top ofdownhill 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" celebratedhot 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 theMansfield Eagles football club, anAustralian Rules team competing in theGoulburn Valley Football League.[15]
Mansfield has ahorse racing club, the Mansfield District Racing Club, which schedules two race meetings a year, including the Mansfield Cup meeting on 27 December).[16]
Golfers play at the Mansfield golf course on Kidston Parade.[17]
Mansfield is at one end of theGreat 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.[18]
Mansfield has anoceanic 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 frequentcold front activity.
| Climate data for Mansfield 2 (1883–1956); 315 m AMSL; 37.05° S, 146.08° E | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.4 (84.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 15.9 (60.6) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 20.9 (69.6) | 24.7 (76.5) | 27.9 (82.2) | 20.9 (69.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 9.8 (49.6) | 7.8 (46.0) | 4.6 (40.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | 0.2 (32.4) | 1.7 (35.1) | 2.9 (37.2) | 4.6 (40.3) | 6.4 (43.5) | 8.6 (47.5) | 5.1 (41.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 44.7 (1.76) | 39.1 (1.54) | 56.2 (2.21) | 50.8 (2.00) | 60.8 (2.39) | 75.7 (2.98) | 66.7 (2.63) | 73.7 (2.90) | 69.0 (2.72) | 75.9 (2.99) | 59.2 (2.33) | 47.3 (1.86) | 719.4 (28.32) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.6 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 7.7 | 11.1 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 15.2 | 12.8 | 11.3 | 8.5 | 6.6 | 119.6 |
| Source:Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Mansfield 2 | |||||||||||||
Media related toMansfield, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
Localities in theShire of Mansfield | ||
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^ -Territory divided with anotherLGA | ||