| Koroit |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT KOROIT, VICTORIA | |
| towns in victoria | |
| settlements established in 1857 | |
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Tower Hill, an Extinct Volcano , formed at least 30,000 years ago when a hot rising basaltic magma came into contact with the subterranean water table. The violent explosion that followed created the funnel-shaped crater (later filled by a lake) and the islands seen today. Artefacts found in the volcanic ash layers show that Aborigines were living in the area at the time of the eruption. The area was a rich source of foods for the Koroitgundidj people, whose descendants retain special links with the area. The first confirmed sighting of Tower Hill by Europeans was by French explorers sailing with Captain Nicolas Baudin aboard ''Le Géographe'' in 1802. The first European settler came to the Koroit area in 1837. Tower Hill was first declared an Acclimatization Zone in 1866. It was created a State Forest in 1872, and in 1892 was declared Victoria's First National Park . Since 1961, it has been a State Wildlife Reserve. The vegetation of Tower Hill was originally a diverse collection of manna gum, blackwood, black wattle, swamp gum and drooping sheoak. However, early settlers soon removed much of the vegetation. Since 1961, Tower Hill has been revegetated and is now home to koalas, kangaroos, emus and many bird species. A number of walks, picnic areas and public facilities are located within the Reserve. Within the town, the Koroit Botanic Gardens form part of a large, central recreational area, and were designed by notable Landscape Architect , William Guilfoyle . The gardens were established in 1862 with an area of approximately three hectares in High Street. Koroit's War Memorial is located on the edge of the Botanic Gardens. In addition to The Olde Courthouse Inn, Koroit hosts two hotels in the main street, Commercial Road, the Commercial Hotel and Mickey Bourke's Koroit Hotel. The Koroit and Tower Hill Butter and Cheese Factory Company Ltd was established in Koroit in the 1890s. An expanded facility continues today on the same site as part of the Murray Goulburn Co-operative Company Ltd. The former Tower Hill Lake National School in High Street near the Koroit Oval is the least altered of three surviving substantially intact examples of schools of the National School era existing in Victoria. Its design is unusual in that it is built to an H-shaped plan with the classrooms flanking the teacher's residence. It is significant to the Koroit community as its oldest building, having been constructed in the same year that the township was surveyed (1857), and was the venue for the first election and the early meetings of the Koroit Borough Council following a break away from the Belfast Shire in 1870. The author Henry Handel Richardson lived in the Koroit Post Office as a child. Remembering Koroit from her youth, the third volume in her "The Fortunes of Richard Mahony" trilogy is set in the town. The Koroit Agricultural Show takes place annually in November. The Koroit to Warrnambool Half Marathon takes place in August of each year. The Koroit Irish Festival is a celebration of Irish heritage via music. Live music is featured at the hotels whilst a hive of market activity and music emanates from over 100 stalls and six stages set up along the main street. The festival includes street performers, arts and crafts and a variety of children's activities and entertainment. The festival is held annually on the weekend prior to the first Thursday in May. Koroit is at the centre of a proposed recreational trail along a disused railway line that used to run between Warrnambool, Koroit and Port Fairy. The vision is for a 30 km recreational trail starting at Lake Pertobe in Warrnambool, passing through fertile farmland to Koroit (with a connection to Tower Hill) and finishing at the fishing village of Port Fairy. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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