Rochester, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Rochester is a small town in country Victoria
, Australia
. It is located 180 km north of Melbourne
with a mixture of rural and semi-rural communities on the northern Campaspe River
, between Bendigo
and the Murray River
port of Echuca
. At the 2006 census
, Rochester had a population of 1849.
Rochester (via Rowechester) was named after Dr John Pearson Rowe, who had a hotel here before the township was gazetted in 1855.
The Post Office opened on 11 May 1863 and the town was reached by the railway line from Bendigo
(connecting it to Melbourne) in 1864.
The town is famous as the birthplace in 1904 of Australian racing and endurance cyclist, Sir Hubert Opperman
, affectionately known as Oppy. There is a museum dedicated to Oppy in Moore street, and a statue of him winning the 24-hour Bol D'Or race
in Paris
in 1928. On his 90th birthday Oppy donated one of his trusty Malvern Star
bicycles to the museum.
It has a co-educational public Secondary College with 470 pupils in 2004.
Spare time in Rochester often revolves around sport, with tennis
, cricket
, hockey
, basketball
, Australian rules football
, netball
, lawn bowls, cycling
and swimming all well supported. The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League
known as the Tigers, and last won the GVFL premiership in 2008.
Golfers play at the Campaspe Golf Club on the Northern Highway, or at the course of the Rochester Golf Club on Black Culvert Road.
The town has its own railway station
.
in January 2011 . Around 80% of the town was inundated with water from the Campaspe River
. The Campaspe reached a peak of 9.17m (at the Rochester Syphon) during the late afternoon of the 15th. Recordings at the Rochester Township station ceased on the morning of the 15th after it too was swallowed by the rising river. Many of the town's residents were evacuated to the town of Echuca, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) to the north, with the military being called in to assist the evacuation of the Rochester hospital. The floods were the result of a large amount of rain falling into the Campaspe catchment at Lake Eppalock
throughout the course of the week prior to the flood. Large volumes of water coursed down Eppalock's spillways directly into the Campaspe, directly affecting towns downstream.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located 180 km north of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with a mixture of rural and semi-rural communities on the northern Campaspe River
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836 for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people of the Rochester area.-Course:...
, between Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
and the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
port of Echuca
Echuca, Victoria
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Rochester had a population of 1849.
History
The area around the Campaspe River was known as Yalooka, and for thousands of years was home to the Pinpandoor, the local tribe of Aboriginees.Rochester (via Rowechester) was named after Dr John Pearson Rowe, who had a hotel here before the township was gazetted in 1855.
The Post Office opened on 11 May 1863 and the town was reached by the railway line from Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
(connecting it to Melbourne) in 1864.
The town is famous as the birthplace in 1904 of Australian racing and endurance cyclist, Sir Hubert Opperman
Hubert Opperman
Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE , referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim....
, affectionately known as Oppy. There is a museum dedicated to Oppy in Moore street, and a statue of him winning the 24-hour Bol D'Or race
Bol d'Or cycle race
The Bol d'Or was a bicycle track race that ran in France between 1894 and 1950. It was a paced, 24 hour endurance event. It has been won by several notable cyclists including Constant Huret , the Australian Hubert Opperman and three time hour record breaker Oscar Egg...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1928. On his 90th birthday Oppy donated one of his trusty Malvern Star
Malvern Star
Malvern Star is a manufacturer of bicycles, located in Melbourne, Australia. It began in 1902, and went on to become a household name in Australia.-History:Malvern Star opened in a small shop at 58 Glenferrie Rd, in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern in 1902...
bicycles to the museum.
The town today
Agriculture plays an important part in the economy of Rochester. Primary agriculture includes dairy, tomatoes, cattle and sheep. There are also some grain and seed farms. The Devondale (dairy processing) factory is a large employer, and there are several other smaller industries.It has a co-educational public Secondary College with 470 pupils in 2004.
Spare time in Rochester often revolves around sport, with tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, lawn bowls, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and swimming all well supported. The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia...
known as the Tigers, and last won the GVFL premiership in 2008.
Golfers play at the Campaspe Golf Club on the Northern Highway, or at the course of the Rochester Golf Club on Black Culvert Road.
The town has its own railway station
Rochester railway station, Victoria
Rochester is a railway station on the Echuca railway line in Rochester, Victoria, Australia. It is 223km from Southern Cross station. A disused goods shed exists at this station...
.
2011 Floods
Rochester suffered the greatest flood in the town's history2011 Victorian floods
High intensity rainfall between 12–14 January 2011 caused major flooding across much of the western and central parts of the Australian state of Victoria...
in January 2011 . Around 80% of the town was inundated with water from the Campaspe River
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836 for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people of the Rochester area.-Course:...
. The Campaspe reached a peak of 9.17m (at the Rochester Syphon) during the late afternoon of the 15th. Recordings at the Rochester Township station ceased on the morning of the 15th after it too was swallowed by the rising river. Many of the town's residents were evacuated to the town of Echuca, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) to the north, with the military being called in to assist the evacuation of the Rochester hospital. The floods were the result of a large amount of rain falling into the Campaspe catchment at Lake Eppalock
Lake Eppalock
Lake Eppalock is a man-made lake located in North Central Victoria, Australia. It's situated on the Campaspe River between the city of Bendigo and the town of Heathcote and serves as a major water storage facility for both places...
throughout the course of the week prior to the flood. Large volumes of water coursed down Eppalock's spillways directly into the Campaspe, directly affecting towns downstream.