Sutton Grange, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Sutton Grange is a small country town located approximately 30 km south of Bendigo
in Victoria
, Australia
.
It has a very small population of approximately 150 people, most of which consist of old sheep farming families. In the 1930s Sutton Grange was a prosperous little town bigger than those surrounding it today, but due to a large bushfire all establishments and housing was burnt to the ground, and only the land remained.
Sutton Grange is now more widely known for its fine food and wine, boasting the Sutton Grange Organic Farm or Holy Goat Cheese, Colliers Fine Chocolates and several successful wineries and Broad's Dairy. Sutton Grange is also known for its horse racing
, hosting Sutton Grange Winery/Stud and its fine Merino
wool, which is some of the best in Australia.
The 1930s bushfire was a tragic disaster for Sutton Grange. A once prosperous little town, with pubs, a butter factory, school, church and post office was burnt to ashes, and that brought an end to its prosperity. Still widely known as one of the best wool growing areas in Victoria, it also is home to some of Australia's best shearer
s. Wool growing families that keep this reputation as good as it is, are the Bartys, the Collisons, the Davises, the Barkers and the Bickfords. The Bartys are famous in the wool trade as having some of the best fine Merino wool in Australia.
The old school in Sutton Grange is now privately owned and last taught children in 1990. The beautiful "A" lined building is built out of granite
from the Mount Alexander
granite quarries, and is now heritage listed, similar relics can also be found close by, such as an old bridge, used back in the 30s, butter wells, from the old factory, and the post office's steps on a lawn owned privately by Ania and Piotr Zimon until 2007.
Wineries in the district include Mount Alexander Winery,Sutton Grange Wineryand Langanook Wines, three quality producers of Australian wines. Broad's dairy has been producing cows milk for decades, and the newly established "Holy Goat Cheeses" is producing some of the finest quality French style cheeses in Australia.
Through Sutton Grange runs Myrtle Creek, which flows into the Coliban River
and both of them are infested with carp. Sutton Grange is also surrounded by mountains and hills, the highest of which is Mt Alexander. The terrain and soil around Sutton Grange has a high percentage of quartz and granite.
and Eucalypts are the most common large trees and are indigenous to the area. Common native animals seen in the area are Grey kangaroo
s, swamp wallabies
(or black wallabies), ring tail, and bush tail possum
s. Snake
s can be a concern in Sutton Grange, as Notechis
or (Tiger snakes) and Eastern Brown snakes (see Pseudonaja
) are often sighted on private property. Other native snakes sighted also include coppers head, and red-bellied black snakes. Other annoyances are Rabbits and redback spiders.
/cougar (large cat) roams the country side free as it is a descendant from several panthers that were brought through the district as British mascots (date unknown). Several sightings throughout the years consistently uphold this belief, and is fuelled by unsubstantiated evidence such as plaster casts of "paw" prints and maimed stock.
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...
in Victoria
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 has a very small population of approximately 150 people, most of which consist of old sheep farming families. In the 1930s Sutton Grange was a prosperous little town bigger than those surrounding it today, but due to a large bushfire all establishments and housing was burnt to the ground, and only the land remained.
Sutton Grange is now more widely known for its fine food and wine, boasting the Sutton Grange Organic Farm or Holy Goat Cheese, Colliers Fine Chocolates and several successful wineries and Broad's Dairy. Sutton Grange is also known for its horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, hosting Sutton Grange Winery/Stud and its fine Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
wool, which is some of the best in Australia.
History
Sutton Grange Post Office opened on 1 August 1865 and closed in 1970.The 1930s bushfire was a tragic disaster for Sutton Grange. A once prosperous little town, with pubs, a butter factory, school, church and post office was burnt to ashes, and that brought an end to its prosperity. Still widely known as one of the best wool growing areas in Victoria, it also is home to some of Australia's best shearer
Shearer
A shearer is someone who shears, such as a cloth shearer, or a sheep shearer.Additionally, Shearer is the surname of people:-In sports:*Alan Shearer , English footballer*Bobby Shearer , Scottish footballer...
s. Wool growing families that keep this reputation as good as it is, are the Bartys, the Collisons, the Davises, the Barkers and the Bickfords. The Bartys are famous in the wool trade as having some of the best fine Merino wool in Australia.
The old school in Sutton Grange is now privately owned and last taught children in 1990. The beautiful "A" lined building is built out of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
from the Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander
Mount Alexander is a mountain that is located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the small town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level...
granite quarries, and is now heritage listed, similar relics can also be found close by, such as an old bridge, used back in the 30s, butter wells, from the old factory, and the post office's steps on a lawn owned privately by Ania and Piotr Zimon until 2007.
Trade
The major commodities currently produced in Sutton Grange are wool, wine and dairy products. Countless sheep farms, wineries and two dairies (one cow and one goat), have this firmly established.Wineries in the district include Mount Alexander Winery,Sutton Grange Wineryand Langanook Wines, three quality producers of Australian wines. Broad's dairy has been producing cows milk for decades, and the newly established "Holy Goat Cheeses" is producing some of the finest quality French style cheeses in Australia.
Neighbouring Towns and Geographical Features
- RedesdaleRedesdale, VictoriaRedesdale is a town in central Victoria, Australia., north west of the state capital, Melbourne. It is located partly in the City of Greater Bendigo Local Government Area and partly in the Shire of Mount Alexander...
- ElphinstoneElphinstone, VictoriaElphinstone is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town sits at the junction of the former Calder Highway and the former Pyrenees Highway between Malmsbury and Castlemaine near Taradale and Chewton...
- FaradayFaraday, VictoriaFaraday is a locality situated on the Calder Highway, north west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.-History:The Post Office opened on 1 April 1867, but was closed in 1880, postal services being provided from nearby Harcourt....
- Sedgewick
- HarcourtHarcourt, VictoriaHarcourt is a small Central Highlands town located approximately 9 km northeast of Castlemaine, where the Midland Highway meets the Calder Highway. At the 2006 census, Harcourt had a population of 439.-History:...
Through Sutton Grange runs Myrtle Creek, which flows into the Coliban River
Coliban River
The Coliban River is a river in central Victoria, in Australia. It is a major water supply source for towns and cities in the region.-Course:...
and both of them are infested with carp. Sutton Grange is also surrounded by mountains and hills, the highest of which is Mt Alexander. The terrain and soil around Sutton Grange has a high percentage of quartz and granite.
Flora and fauna
WattlesAcacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
and Eucalypts are the most common large trees and are indigenous to the area. Common native animals seen in the area are Grey kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, swamp wallabies
Swamp Wallaby
The Swamp Wallaby is a small macropod marsupial of eastern Australia. This wallaby is also commonly known as the Black Wallaby, with other names including Black-tailed Wallaby, Fern Wallaby, Black Pademelon, Stinker , and Black Stinker...
(or black wallabies), ring tail, and bush tail possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s. Snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s can be a concern in Sutton Grange, as Notechis
Notechis
Tiger snakes are a type of venomous serpent found in southern regions of Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are highly variable in their colour, often banded like those on a tiger, and forms in their regional occurrences...
or (Tiger snakes) and Eastern Brown snakes (see Pseudonaja
Pseudonaja
Pseudonaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Members are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the country; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal envenomation to a human.- Species :* Dugite or Spotted...
) are often sighted on private property. Other native snakes sighted also include coppers head, and red-bellied black snakes. Other annoyances are Rabbits and redback spiders.
Myths and Legends
A local myth around Sutton Grange is that a black pantherBlack panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
/cougar (large cat) roams the country side free as it is a descendant from several panthers that were brought through the district as British mascots (date unknown). Several sightings throughout the years consistently uphold this belief, and is fuelled by unsubstantiated evidence such as plaster casts of "paw" prints and maimed stock.