Merino is a town in the Western District of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seyche ...

, Australia. The town is located in the

Shire of Glenelg The Shire of Glenelg is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 19,665. It includes the towns of ...

local government area, 363 kilometres west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2021 census, Merino had a population of 249. The first European settlement of the area was in 1837, when

Francis Henty Francis Henty (30 November 1815 – 15 January 1889), was an early settler of Australia. Background Francis was brother of James Henty, William Henty and Edward Henty, the youngest son of Thomas Henty, was born at Field Place, Worthing, Susse ...

, brother of

Edward Henty Edward Henty (28 March 1810 – 14 August 1878), was a pioneer British colonist and is regarded as the first permanent settler in the Port Phillip district (later known as the colony of Victoria), Australia. Early life and family background E ...

, established Merino Downs station. Henty established the station after a report on the high quality pasture from explorer Major Thomas Mitchell at the Henty property near Portland. A store and post office agency was established in 1854 and the first town lots were sold the next year. An official Post Office opened on 1 June 1858. The town continued to grow through the 1850s and 1860s with the construction of churches, hotels and schools. In 1870, the courthouse was moved from Digby to Merino. The Merino co-operative butter factory was established around 1885. After World War I, the area was opened up for

soldier settlement Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlem ...

. In 1955 Merino was connected to the electricity grid. Merino has a heritage cinema which is housed in the Merino hotel. Golfers play at the course of the Merino Golf Club on Digby Road.

Traditional ownership

The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Merino sits are the

Gunditjmara The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. T ...

People who are represented by the

Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Thei ...

References

External links

Towns in Victoria (Australia) Western District (Victoria) {{BarwonSouthWest-geo-stub