Mansfield, Victoria
| Mansfield Victoria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location of Mansfield in Victoria (red) | |||||||||
| Population | 4052 (2006)[1] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3722 | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mansfield | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Benalla | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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Mansfield (37°03′S 146°05′E / 37.050°S 146.083°E) is a small town in the foothills of the Victorian part of the Australian Alps. It is approximately 180 km north-east of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Mansfield had a population of 4052.
Mansfield is the centre of a large shire; it was amalgamated with the nearby town of Benalla (60 km) to form Delatite Shire but after community action became the first de-amalgamation in Victoria. 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 resort Mt Buller. It is associated with the High Country tradition of alpine grazing, celebrated in the film The Man from Snowy River, which was made around Mansfield (based on a poem by Banjo Paterson with the same name).
The area round Mansfield, disguised as 'Banbury' was also the location of the novel The Far Country (1952 novel) by Nevil Shute which featured logging on Mount Buller and previous forest fires, having swept through Howqua, obliterating almost all traces of a former settlement.
Recreation
Mansfield is very close to two large lakes, Lake Eildon and Lake Nilacootie. During the summer these sites are popular waterskiing destinations.
The nearby mountains Mount Buller and Mount Stirling offer attractions all year round. During winter they are visited for skiing, lifted and back country respectively. In the summer hiking and mountain biking are popular. Ski lifts operate year-round at Mount Buller allowing bikers to easily get to the top of downhill mountain biking runs.
The bushland around Mansfield is used for horse riding, trail biking and four wheel driving on extensive tracks throughout the region.
Once a year the "Mansfield Balloon Festival" celebrates hot air balloons, and draws crowds and enthusiasts from across the state.
Mansfield is the home to the Mansfield Eagles football club.
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Notable past/present residents
- Josh Fraser - Collingwood football player
- Victoria Mitchell - Athlete
- David Mensch - Previously an AFL player at the Geelong Football Club
- Simon Gerrans - Professional road bicycle racer
- Dr. John Pearson Rowe (1810-1878) a military surgeon and squatter who owned the 'Loyola Run' (also known as Mt Battery) near Mansfield. Reputed as the first catholic resident of the district, it is recorded that Rochester in Victoria, is named after J.P.Rowe as he owned land on the Campaspe river (Ebsworth p.489). Rowe was a principal founder of Melbourne University. He fired a shot at a 14 year old, Ned Kelly, accompanied by bushranger Harry Power (27 May 1869); (Jones, p.34). Rowe stood for the Upper House seat of the Murray District in 1859 and was defeated (O'Brien, Chs. 4-5) In October 1878, Rowe supplied information to police Sergeant Kennedy on the whereabouts of a wanted man, Ned Kelly. Acting on Rowe's verified advice, Kennedy and his police party rode into the Wombat ranges, where three were killed; and the Kelly Gang was born (McQuilton, p.95).
References
On J.P. Rowe
- Ebsworth, Walter. Pioneer Catholic Victoria, 1973.
- Jones, Ian. Ned Kelly: A Short Life,1995.
- McQuilton, John. The Kelly Outbreak: 1878-1880: The Geographical Dimension of Social Banditry, 1979.
- O'Brien, Antony. Shenanigans on the Ovens Goldfields: The 1859 Election, 2005.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Mansfield (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-10-01.