Western District 1370140 154512548 2007-08-30T02:18:29Z Mattinbgn 2106820 pipe link {{otheruses|Western District (disambiguation)}} {{unreferenced|date=March 2007}} <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Thewoolbales.jpg|thumb|250px|The "Big Wool Bales" at [[Hamilton, Victoria|Hamilton]].]] --> The '''Western District''' is a region of [[Australia]] located in the south-west corner of the state of [[Victoria (Australia)]], extending to [[Ballarat, Victoria|Ballarat]] in the east and as far north as [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]] where it borders the [[Wimmera]] region. To the south, the district extends to [[Bass Strait]] and the [[Southern Ocean]] and to the east it extends to the [[South Australia]]n border. The district is well-known for the production of [[wool]]. The principal centres of the district are: [[Warrnambool, Victoria|Warrnambool]], [[Hamilton, Victoria|Hamilton]], [[Colac, Victoria|Colac]], [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]], [[Casterton, Victoria|Casterton]], [[Port Fairy, Victoria|Port Fairy]], [[Camperdown, Victoria|Camperdown]], and [[Terang, Victoria|Terang]]. Other cities and towns in or on the edge of the district include: [[Coleraine, Victoria|Coleraine]], [[Merino, Victoria|Merino]], [[Heywood, Victoria|Heywood]], [[Dunkeld, Victoria|Dunkeld]], [[Penshurst, Victoria|Penshurst]], [[Macarthur, Victoria |Macarthur]], [[Koroit, Victoria|Koroit]], [[Allansford, Victoria|Allansford]], [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]], [[Willaura, Victoria|Willaura]], [[Beaufort, Victoria|Beaufort]], [[Learmonth, Victoria|Learmonth]], [[Ballarat, Victoria|Ballarat]], [[Snake Valley, Victoria|Snake Valley]], [[Skipton, Victoria|Skipton]], [[Moyston, Victoria|Moyston]], [[Linton, Victoria|Linton]], [[Derrinallum, Victoria|Derrinallum]], [[Lismore, Victoria|Lismore]], [[Mortlake, Victoria|Mortlake]], [[Noorat, Victoria|Noorat]], [[Cobden, Victoria|Cobden]], [[Timboon, Victoria|Timboon]], [[Beeac, Victoria|Beeac]], [[Cororooke, Victoria|Cororooke]], [[Birregurra, Victoria|Birregurra]], [[Apollo Bay, Victoria|Apollo Bay]], and [[Lorne, Victoria|Lorne]]. ==Geology== [[Image:Vicvolcanicsmap1.png|thumb|Map of the geologically volcanic area of western Victoria]] It consists of a nearly flat volcanic plain created by a number of quite recently active [[volcano]]es, the best known being [[Mount Eccles]], Mount Richmond and Mount Gambier. Whilst some of them (eg. Mount Richmond) have given rise to cemented pyroclastic rocks that do not produce fertile [[soil]]s, others have given rise to fertile [[Andisols]] that make the region the best grazing land in Australia, as well as highly suitable for the production of vegetable crops. Away from the volcanoes, soils are of moderate to low fertility and many are sandy, supporting heathland flora like the [[Grampians National Park|Grampians]]. Drainage is very poor and most rivers flow only after prolonged periods of steady rain, resulting in remarkably variable flow when the low variability of the climate is taken into account. The major mountain range is the [[Otway Ranges]], which are an ancient sedimentary range rising to over 600 metres. ==Climate== The climate is mild to warm and generally humid to sub-humid. Summer temperatures are warm, ranging from 13 to 22 °C (55 to 72 °F) at [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]] to 14 to 26 °C (57 to 79 °F) in the northern part of the plain. Rainfall in summer is not uncommon but is only rarely heavy; though in March 1946 astonishingly heavy rains of up to 300 millimetres (12 inches) in a week constitute easily the heaviest falls in the region. In winter, temperatures typically range from minima of around 5 °C (41 °F) to pleasant maxima of 14 to 15 °C (57 to 59 °F), and rainfall is very frequent and reliable, averaging from 55 millimetres (just over 2 inches) in the driest area around Lake Bolac to 110 millimetres (4.4 inches) near Portland and [[Port Campbell, Victoria|Port Campbell]]. In the Otway Ranges, summers are mild, averaging around 20 °C (68 °F), whilst winters are cold and very wet, with maxima averaging around 9 to 10 °C (48 to 50 °F) and rainfall averaging about 225 millimetres (9 inches) with extremes in June 1952 as high as 538 millimetres (21 inches) at Weeaproinah and a Victorian record 891 millimetres (35.1 inches) at nearby Tanybryn. ==History== [[Image:Victoria Apostles.jpg|thumb|250px|[[The Twelve Apostles (Victoria)|The Twelve Apostles]], a collection of natural limestone stacks standing just off shore near [[Port Campbell, Victoria|Port Campbell]]. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction.]] In the early 1800s, whalers operating along the coast occasionally grew crops for their own use. In 1834 the Henty brothers settled at Portland and in 1836 Captain Griffiths settled at [[Port Fairy, Victoria|Port Fairy]], combining whaling and farming. The district was explored by [[Thomas Mitchell]] in 1836 who identified the area's potential for grazing. [[Charles Tyers]] was the first to survey the area in [[1839]]. By 1840 [[squatter]]s occupied almost all the district. Sheep were first brought to the district in 1836 by Thomas Manifold at Port Henry, near [[Geelong, Victoria|Geelong]], and rapidly occupied the whole district. [[Wheat]] was grown in the drier northern part of the region for some time until more easily managed soils in the [[Wimmera]] were developed. Dairying was developed as a major industry in the wetter southern parts during this period, as was the cultivation of [[potato]]es and [[onion]]s on the best soils. In the Otway Ranges, forestry became the major industry, especially after the building of the [[Great Ocean Road]] which opened up these very wet regions. Because of the change in focus since the late 1960s to [[woodchipping]], many timber mills are now defunct as jobs have moved to Geelong. Tourism is the dominant industry in towns such as [[Lorne, Victoria|Lorne]] and [[Apollo Bay, Victoria|Apollo Bay]], which fill up during the summer as Melburnians are drawn by the stunning scenery and milder weather. In towns like [[Heywood, Victoria|Heywood]] and [[Nelson, Victoria|Nelson]], pine plantations have been the dominant industry since the 1950s but the industry, even as plantations mature, is under threat due to poor prices. [[Category:Regions of Victoria|Western District]] [[Category:Geography of Australia|Western District]]