Horsham (Victoria)

Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300km north-west of the state capital Melbourne. In the 2016 Census, Horsham had an estimated population of 14,543. It is the most populous city in the Wimmera region, and it is the main administrative centre for the Rural City of Horsham local government area.Horsham was named by original settler James Monckton Darlot after the town of Horsham in his native England. It grew throughout the latter 19th and early 20th century as a centre of Western Victoria's wheat and wool industry. Horsham was declared a city in 1949 and was named Australia's Tidiest Town in 2001, 2015 and 2016.HistoryThe first inhabitants of the Horsham area were the Djura Balug indigenous Australian tribe who spoke the Jardwadjali language.Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to pass through the area, naming the Wimmera River on 18 July 1836.Squatter James Monckton Darlot was the first European settler, claiming 100,000 acres at Dooen on 10 August 1842. Charles Carter established his property "Brim Springs" nearby in 1845.The Post Office opened on 1 July 1848. An elaborate post office building and clock tower was erected in 1880.