Avoca, Victoria

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Victoria, Australia as they pertain to the Pyrenees Shire.

The Pyrenees Shire is located in the Central West of Victoria, about 130 kms north west of Melbourne. Major towns in the shire are Avoca and Beaufort

= Historical background =

The Aboriginal people of the area were the Dja Dja Wurrung.

Major Mitchell explored the area in 1836 and named the mountains nearby as they reminded him of the Pyrenees in Europe.Pastoralists settled the area from 1838.

The area became more closely settled in the 1850s after a succession of gold rushes; the first rush was in 1852.

Today the economy of the shire is mostly primary industry. Thirty percent of those employed work in agriculture. Local production includes wool, cereal, hay crops and meat. Grapes are grown and there is a local wine industry. There is still some mining of gold.

= Repositories and their holdings =


 * Avoca and District Historical Society
 * documents, photographs, maps, microfilm of local newspapers &amp; rate books, artifacts, etc., pertaining to the local area including comprehensive name indexes

On-line repositories

 * Lamplough name index
 * the name index was collated by Denis Strangman in the course of researching the gold rush to Lamplough, near Avoca, in Victoria, Australia, which took place during late 1859 and early 1860


 * Avoca &amp; District Men and Women Who Served in the Great War
 * compiled by Anne Young

= Records =

The shire is covered by Victorian birth, marriage and death records. These can be searched on-line for a small fee.

Record losses
Detailed census records do not survive for Avoca.

=Newspapers= Two major local newspapers are relevant for the Avoca area:
 * The Avoca Mail: 1876-1981 microfilm available for 1885 -1976
 * The Avoca free press and farmers' and miners' journal began in 1873, microform available for 1882 -1920

Also containing local news:
 * The Maryborough & Dunolly advertiser microform 1854 - 1929

The Avoca and District Historical Society has partially indexed local newspapers.

Major Victorian newspapers are The Age and The Argus. The National Library is digitising major Australian newspapers including The Argus and The Age and content can be searched on-line. There is also an on-line search of The Argus from 1870-1879.

= Published sources =


 * Avoca and District Historical Society. Postcards from Avoca / compiled and edited by Margaret Wills in association with the Avoca and District Historical Society Avoca and District Historical Society, [Avoca, Vic.] : 2004
 * Beavis, Margery. and Beavis, Betty. Avoca, the early years / Margery and Betty Beavis M. &amp; B. Beavis, Warrnambool, Vic. : 1986
 * Beavis, Margery. and Beavis, Betty. and Doherty, Monica. Pioneers of the Pyrenees / Margery and Betty Beavis ; illustrated by Monica Doherty M. &amp; B. Beavis, [Warrnambool] : 1984
 * Bell, Arthur, and St. John's Church (Avoca, Vic.) A history of St. John's Church, Avoca : souvenir of the diamond jubilee, 1871-1931 / Arthur Bell St. John's Church, Avoca (Vic.) : 1931
 * Mitchell, Annie. Back to Avoca 1921 : a brief history / by Annie Mitchell A. Mitchell, [Avoca, Vic.] : 1921
 * Western, Diane. and Dunn, Pamela. and Western, Tim. and Landsborough and District Historical Group. Lost schools of the Pyrenees / researched, compiled and written by Diane Western, Pamela Dunn and Tim Western The Landsborough and District Historical Group, Landsborough, Vic. : 2009


 * Victoria. Parliament. Collection of Victorian Parliamentary papers consisting of orders in council, local court regulations, returns to addresses, proclamations and petitions concerning Avoca and district. John Ferres, Govt. Printer, Melbourne : 1855

All sources held by [www.nla.gov.au the National Library of Australia]

= Maps =


 * Map of the localities within Pyrenees Shire published by the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria (pdf)