| Shelford Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 Former general store | |||||||||||||||
  Shelford | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°01′0″S 143°58′0″E / 38.01667°S 143.96667°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 253 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3329 | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Golden Plains Shire | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Polwarth | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||||
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Shelford is a rural locality in Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the Golden Plains Shire near the regional city of Geelong and 106 kilometres (66 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne.
Shelford is nestled in a valley divided by the Leigh River, Golf Hill Station was established in 1836 on the river banks. In 1839 George Russell bought land fromthe crown to move his HQ to there.[2] Most of the local squatters came from Scotland so the town had a strong Presbyterian feel and had two churches. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1847 with the town names The Leigh which was renamed Shelford in 1854. By 1865 the town had a court house, post office, a mechanics institute and two hotels. In 1874 the Shelford Bridge was constructed using iron imported from Liverpool.
In about 1890 Janet Biddlecombe started to manage the Golf Hill station taking over from her brother. She married in 1900 and new new husband became the manager. The two of them ran a stud for Hereford cows. The prize winning bulls were all sold in aid of charity in 1953. Janet, then a childless widow, died in 1954,[3]
The town was never large; in the 1930s the town had a population of 130 persons. After the Second World War some larger land holding were carved up for a soldier settlement scheme. Sixty-nine farms covering 45,000 acres were sold off to returning servicemen and their families.[citation needed]
In 1994 the Post Office became a Licensed Post Office, and has since closed; the date of closure is unknown.[4]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Shelford (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Brown, P. L., "George Russell (1812–1888)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 23 August 2024
- ^ Langmore, Diane, "Janet Biddlecombe (1866–1954)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 23 August 2024
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 31 March 2021
