Eaglehawk, Victoria

Updated on Nov 28, 2023

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Established 1852 Founded 1852 Local time Friday 7:38 AM		Postcode(s) 3556 Postal code 3556 Federal division Division of Bendigo

Location 156 km (97 mi) NW of Melbourne 6 km (4 mi) NW of Bendigo LGA(s) City of Greater Bendigo Weather 16°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 63% Humidity

Eaglehawk is a former gold-mining town in Victoria, Australia and a suburb within the City of Greater Bendigo.

Map of Eaglehawk VIC 3556, Australia

The town is situated to the north-west of Bendigo on the Loddon Valley Highway. The highway is known locally as High Street until the intersection with Sailors Gully Road (Bendigo - Pyramid Road) and as Peg Leg Road to the west. Located on this intersection is Brassey Square which is the location of the town hall. Next to the town hall is the former post office and the Mechanics' Institute. To the north of the intersection on Napier Street is Canterbury Park and Lake Neangar while the Swan Hill railway line and the local railway station are located to the south.

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the Neangar people. Following the discovery of gold at Sandhurst (Bendigo) in October 1851, Joseph Crook discovered a gold nugget while searching for stray horses. This event sparked a gold rush in the area leading to the establishment of the township in 1852, the population quickly building up to 40,000. The Post Office opened on 1 August 1857. In 1862, the Borough of Eaglehawk was established, which included the nearby township of California Gully. After the alluvial gold was exhausted in 1893, reef mines were established, with 300 tonnes of gold extracted. Most of the mines had closed by the 1890s and by 1947 the population had decreased substantially to 4,090. In 1994 the Borough of Eaglehawk was amalgamated by the Victorian Government with four other councils to become the city of Greater Bendigo.

Schools

The town has two government primary schools one at Eaglehawk and another at Eaglehawk North, a Catholic primary school (St. Liborius) and a government secondary college.

Sporting facilities

Canterbury Park has an oval as well as bowling and croquet facilities. The Eaglehawk Croquet Club Inc. was founded in 1909, in premises vacated by the Eaglehawk Bowling Club. Golf Croquet was introduced in 1975 and subscriptions for this style of croquet is rising. Association, Golf Croquet and Golf Croquet Pennant games are played. The Eaglehawk Croquet Club is a part of the Northern District Croquet Association (NDCA) and the club now hosts some major regional tournaments and competitions, the NDCA Pennant Competition and also teaches and coaches school and college children from all over Bendigo. The club hosts the Victorian Teachers Games (welcoming teachers and players from all over Victoria) and will host the Special Olympics. Eaglehawk Croquet Club also runs regular "Come & Try" days.

Canterbury Park is also home to the Bendigo Leisure Centre, operated by the Bendigo Regional YMCA. This facility includes a 50-metre indoor swimming pool, a health club, mini golf and squash courts. The Albert Roy Reserve has a baseball field,a badminton, a table tennis stadium and is home to the Roy Bateson Tennis Club. A soccer field is located at the nearby Truscott Reserve. The town has two golf courses, the Eaglehawk Golf Course and the Neangar Park Golf Course.

The suburb has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Bendigo Football League.

Other facilities

A community and day hospital, a 66-bed aged-care facility (St Laurence Court) is operated by Benetas. A police station and a fire station are also located in the town. Eaglehawk is also home to the Star Cinema, a non-profit community-owned cinema located in the old Eaglehawk Town Hall.