Koroit Hotel

Koroit
Attractive historic township with a National Trust listed main street.
Located 280 km west of Melbourne, Koroit is a tiny township which has developed into one of Australia's foremost potato producers.

It is a charming rural town of some 1500 people located amidst rolling green pastures on the northern slopes of Tower Hill, an extinct volcano. The settlement is situated just a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, 18 km north-west of Warrnambool and 278 km west of Melbourne. The tone of the town benefits much from its heritage buildings and its Botanic Gardens. Potatoes, onions and dairying form the backbone of local industry.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was inhabited by the Peel Whurrong Aborigines and the town's name is said to derive from an indigenous phrase although its meaning is unclear.

The first Europeans took up land in the district in 1837. The Bolden brothers leased a station here in 1840 and they overlanded their stock to the site in the company of novelist Rolf Boldrewood (nee Thomas Alexander Browne) who, it is argued, based 'Terrible Hollow' (from his most famous novel Robbery Under Arms) on nearby Tower Hill. They were soon followed by the Ryrie brothers and David McLaws who later built the Koroit Hotel.

Another early landholder of great importance to the district was Irishman William Rutledge who took up 5120 acres in the 1840s. He imported Irish labourers to work on his property at a time when the Irish potato famine was prompting his countrymen and women to look for opportunities abroad. Settlers from Scotland and Yorkshire also emigrated to the area at this time, although the Irish contingent dominated at Koroit and set the tone. Some of their old cottages still fleck the local hills. Most of their efforts were directed towards the potato which had failed them at home and Koroit soon became known as a major potato producer.

The townsite of Koroit was surveyed and the first town allotments were sold in 1857. The Koroit Hotel had been erected in 1853 and it is still standing today, along with some other early buildings, such as the Presbyterian Church (1859) and the former Tower Hill Lake National School (1857). The National School had been preceded by denominational schools in the area: the first being a Catholic school at Crossley, on the western side of the Tower Hill lake. Koroit was declared a borough in 1870.

Novelist Henry Handel Richardson (born in 1870 as Ethel Richardson) moved to Koroit with her family in 1878 at a time when her father's mental and physical health were declining. His condition had caused a deterioration in the family's finances, forcing his wife to take a position at Koroit as a postmistress. Apparently young Ethel was not impressed with the township, which she described as "mean and ugly" with "a few mingy shops", or the countryside, which she referred to as "flat and treeless". During that time, her father, a doctor, died at Koroit after a period of mental illness. It was his life that inspired her most famous work, The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney. It is thought that Koroit was the model for 'Gymgurra' in that trilogy. In Ultima Thule (1929) Gymgurra is described in the following manner: 'Two wide, ludicrously wide crossroads, at the corner of which clustered three or four shops, a Bank, an hotel, the post office, the lock-up; one and all built of an iron-grey stone that was almost as dark as the earth'.

The railway arrived in 1880, facilitating trade with the outside world. Dairying subsequently emerged and a butter factory was established in 1888.

In 1881 the population of the town was recorded as 1644. The fact that it is now slightly less reflects the fact that Koroit has not grown over the years. This stagnation was partly due to the development of modern transport which facilitated access to the growing commercial centre of Warrnambool. This has its upside for visitors who can enjoy the charm of what has remained a very pleasant rural centre with old-fashioned shop fronts and heritage buildings.

Novelist Frank Hardy was born in 1917 in the nearby hamlet of Southern Cross where he passed his first few years.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information and Tourist Drive
The nearest information centre is located at Warrnambool, tel: (03) 5564 7837, or free-call (1800) 637 725. A 12-km tourist drive starts at the Koroit sign on Lake View Road.

Heritage Walk - Civic Buildings
If you are interested in examining the town's architectural heritage, start at the State School in Commercial Rd, just east of the intersection with High St. The school was established in 1878. The present building dates from c.1890.

Head west, towards the High St intersection. To the left are the courthouse (1872) and the police station, built c.1885 as a police residence. At that time there was another building on its eastern side which served as the police station.

On the corner is the post office which carries a plaque recalling the early postmistress Marie Richardson, the mother of novelist Henry Handel Richardson. In Ultima Thule (1929) Richardson based the town of 'Gymgurra' upon Koroit. In it she refers to the post office 'built of an iron-grey stone that was almost as dark as the earth itself...with on its front the large round clock by which the township told the time'. The western and central sections were built in 1872 as a residence and telegraph office.

Heritage Walk - The Olde Courthouse Inn
Over the road from the post office, at 100 Commercial Rd, is the Olde Courthouse Inn - a former hotel built in 1901 to carry on the licence granted to the Dunfermline Inn which was built on an adjacent site in 1857. The Courthouse Inn is now a bed-and-breakfast and curiosity shop. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and Sundays from 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5565 8346.

Heritage Walk - Carwicks House of Antiques
Opposite, at the north-western corner of Commercial Rd and High St, is Carwicks House of Antiques, which sells antique furniture, decorative pieces, early 20th-century prints, estate jewellery, collectables and bric-a-brac. It was built as a general store and adjoining residence c.1857, making it one of the first stores in town. Carwicks is open weekends and holiday periods from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5565 8548.

Heritage Walk - Former Railway Station
Head north along High St and turn left into Bourke Ave. At the corner with Station St you can see the former railway station which was built c.1880. The line to Koroit ceased operations in 1977.

Heritage Walk - Commercial Rd
Follow Station St to its southern end then turn left, back into Commercial Rd. As its name suggests, Commercial Rd was always the town's major business avenue. Note the verandahs fronting onto the kerb and the shop fronts.

At the corner of Station St and Commercial Rd is a store built c.1883. Head east towards the intersection with High St. To the left are a large double-fronted shop built c.1906 and the National Bank. This building was erected as a single-storey structure in 1868. The facade and upper storey were added in 1872.

Over the road is the State Bank of Victoria in a building constructed in 1876 as a doctor's residence. It became the Colonial Bank of Australasia and, in 1920, the State Bank.

On the south-western corner of Commercial Rd and High St is Bourke's Koroit Hotel, erected in 1853 (other sources suggest 1856). At that time it was a simple two-storey bluestone structure. The elaborate Art Nouveau facade was added in the early 1900s. The interior is furnished with antiques to create a period feel.

Heritage Walk - High St
Turn right, heading south along High St. To the left, just before the bend in the road, is the Guide Hall, built in the late 19th century as a fire station. On the same side of the road, slightly further along, is the civic centre and library. The north wing was built in 1870 to house the Koroit Borough Chambers. The south wing was added in 1970.

Further along High St, on the other side of the road (over King St) is the former Tower Hill Lake National School, built of sandstone in 1857. The school has an unusual design with the central section being used as the teacher's residence while the two wings were used as classrooms. It is one of the oldest national schools in the state.

Heritage Walk - Botanic Gardens
Proceed south along High St. To the right are the Botanic Gardens which were constructed on land set aside in 1862. These are no ordinary rural town gardens. They were designed in 1880 by William Guilfoyle who at the time was the curator of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. He designed the winding paths and sweeping lawns. Today only five conifers remain from the plantings that took place in the 1880s. However the gardens do have some genuine rarities. Six of the trees are registered with the National Trust and the Dragon's Blood Tree is on the World Rare and Endangered List. There are children's play facilities and electric barbecues.

Heritage Walk - Garden St
Return to High St and proceed a short distance southwards to the intersection of High St and Garden St. On the eastern side of the road are 'Old Hillcrest' (1910) and an early cottage built in 1860. It has been considerably altered over the years although the thatched roof remains under the galvanised iron. Over the road is the former Methodist Church (1865-67) which is now a scout hall.

Walk along Garden St to the Scots Presbyterian Church (1859). The manse dates from the 1860s.

Cross over Anzac Ave. Slightly further along, on the right-hand side of the road, is an antiquated horse trough. It was one of many placed in country Victoria by Annis and George Bills in the late 19th century.

Further west, on the other side of the road, are a couple of early settlers' cottages.

Heritage Walk - Catholic Precinct
Return along Garden St then turn right into Anzac Ave. To the right is the former Convent of the Good Samaritan, now an hostel. Opposite is St Patrick's School. The oldest of its buildings dates back to 1890.

Cross over Queen St. To the immediate left is the Catholic Church of the Infant Jesus. It was designed by William Wardell who was also the architect of St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne. The first section was completed in 1870 with additions made in 1915-16. The adjacent presbytery dates from the late 1880s.

Heritage Walk - Conclusion
Continue south along Anzac Ave then turn left into Anne St. At the corner of Anne St and Horne St is a fine home built in 1918 (note the shamrock in the stonework above the front left window).

Turn left, heading north along Horne St. To the right is St Paul's Anglican Church (1870). Slightly further north, where Horne St connects with High St (on the right-hand side of the road), is a fine Edwardian weatherboard home built in 1900.

Tower Hill Pottery Collectables
Tower Hill Pottery Collectables, at 145 Commercial Rd, is an art-and-craft gallery which sells folk art, paintings, pottery, glassware, tapestries and restored antique clocks. Most pieces are by local artists. They are open weekends from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5565 8888.

Rosebank
At the southern end of town, on Lake Rd (just west of the intersection with Anzac Ave), is 'Rosebank' which started its existence as a stone cottage erected in the 1850s. Substantial additions were made later in the 19th century. It is a Classical Revival stuccoed structure with a verandah and attractive cast-iron lacework which was built for David McLaws who moved into the area from Port Fairy. He was the original licensee of the Koroit Hotel (now Bourke's Koroit Hotel).

Tower Hill State Game Reserve
Tower Hill State Game Reserve (614 ha) is situated in the crater of an extinct volcano which formed thousands of years ago when a violent eruption created the funnel-shaped crater which was later filled by the lake with its various small islets. Aboriginal relics found in volcanic ash indicate Aboriginal occupation from the time when the volcano was still active. The first known Europeans to sight the hill were the party of Captain Baudin in 1802.

A detailed 1855 painting of Tower Hill by Viennese artist Eugene Von Guerard depicted a variety of flora and fauna which had virtually disappeared by the end of the 1860s due to the clearing practices of European settlers who used the local soils for agriculture and who grazed cattle on the islands. Remarkably, Von Guerard's painting (housed in the Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery) was used as the basis of a revegetation program entailing 300 000 plantings since 1961. This process encouraged the return of wildlife and the reserve now features kangaroos, many koalas, wombats, sugar gliders, possums, echidnae, numerous waterbirds (including Cape Barren geese, musk ducks, spoonbills and chestnut teals) and some very bold emus which enjoy the picnic area (feeding is strictly prohibited).

It is located just 3 km from Koroit. Proceed south along High St, which becomes Lakeside Drive, until you reach the intersection with the Princes Highway. Turn right, proceed past the Tower Hill cemetery (see next entry) then up the hill and there is a signposted turnoff on the right. It leads past a lookout area before it proceeds over a land bridge to the main body of land which is virtually surrounded by Tower Hill Lake. The road then continues on past a picnic area with toilets and barbecue facilities and the Natural History Centre which outlines the geology and history of Tower Hill. Rangers are occasionally available to help with enquiries. Guided tours (nocturnal and diurnal) can be booked. The centre is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., tel: (03) 5565 9202.

The picnic area is the starting point for the Lava Tongue Boardwalk -a 30-minute wetland walk which leads to a bird hide and a second boardwalk. It also connects with the Whurrong Loop Track (one hour) which focuses on Aboriginal foods. The picnic area is also the start of the Hat Island Habitat Loop Track (a revegetation walk of 45 minutes), the Journey to the Last Volcano (a geological walk of one hour) and the Peak Climb (for orientation and geological purposes). All are easy-going treks except the latter.

From the centre, the access road leads on by the inner lake shore, past another good birdwatching area then reaches a junction from whence there are good views. A right will take you back to the highway while a left leads onto a road that follows the rim of the volcano around the outer edge of the lake.

Tower Hill Cemetery
The grave of Walter Richardson, the father of novelist Henry Handel Richardson, is located in Tower Hill Cemetery. Walter, a doctor, came to Koroit in 1878 with his family when his mental and physical health were declining. He died the following year. 'Henry' was nine at the time of his death. The first burial in the cemetery dates back to 1856. It is located adjacent the Princes Highway, en route to Tower Hill Reserve.

	Hotels
	Bourkes Koroit Hotel Cnr Commercial Rd & High St Koroit VIC 3282 Telephone: (03) 5565 8201 Rating: *
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Olde Courthouse Inn Guesthouse 100 Commercial Rd Koroit VIC 3282 Telephone: (03) 5565 8346 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Koroit Caravan Park High St Koroit VIC 3282 Telephone: (03) 5562 2111 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Olde Courthouse Inn Guesthouse 100 Commercial Rd Koroit VIC 3282 Telephone: (03) 5565 8346