Coleraine, Victoria

Coleraine is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Glenelg Highway, 350km west of the state capital, Melbourne and 35km north-west of Hamilton in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area. It was named after the town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. At the 2006 census, the urban area of Coleraine had a population of 991.HistoryThe area was first settled by Europeans in 1838 for pastoral grazing. The town was surveyed later on Bryan Creek, a tributary of the Wannon River. The Post Office opened on 16 November 1854. Today, Coleraine's primary industries are beef and wool. The town hosts an Autumn Festival in April and an art show in August.Notable past residents of Coleraine include cosmetics manufacturer Helena Rubenstein.SportColeraine has a football team playing in the South West District Football League.It has a horse racing club, the Coleraine Racing Club, which runs the Coleraine Cup meeting in September. The meeting features the steeplechase race commemorating the feats of district horsemen and renowned Australian poet Adam Lindsay Gordon.