Merricks, Victoria

Merricks is a small town in Victoria, Australia in the southeastern Mornington Peninsula between Hastings and Flinders. Its local government area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.

This article is about the settlement of Merricks. For the beach 3 km to the southeast, see Merricks Beach, Victoria.

Merricks
Victoria
Merricks
Coordinates38.390°S 145.089°E / -38.390; 145.089
Population2,421 (with Balnarring)
Established1860s
Postcode(s)3916
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Mornington Peninsula
State electorate(s)Nepean
Federal Division(s)Flinders

History

Merricks was part of the Parish of Balnarring and is believed to be named after an early cattle station owner. It was first settled in 1865 by John Caldwell, who built "Koonoona", a wattle cottage. Unlike Balnarring and Hastings, Merricks's early settlers preferred running cattle and sheep to growing orchards. In 1902 a post office opened which was served by Cobb and Co from Crib Point; this closed in 1979.[1] In 1920, a co-operative cool store was built in nearby Red Hill, and from 1921 until 1953, a railway from Bittern to Red Hill travelled through Merricks, although it received little use after its initial decade of service. A small primary school was also opened in 1921, closing in 1951 along with several others in the region when Red Hill Consolidated School commenced.

The Victorian Municipal Directory in 1962 stated that Merricks contained "(only) a general store and post and telegraph office".[2]

Present day

Merricks is a tiny settlement along the Frankston-Flinders Road which has changed little over the years from its earlier rural functions, and many of the original settler houses still stand today. It features a newly restored General Store (built in 1927) incorporating a post office and newsagency, the Peninsula Quarter Horse Association's base and a chocolate factory. Also in Merricks are the Merricks Creek vineyard specialising in pinot noir production and Stoniers Winery (1978) producing chardonnay and pinot noir.

A 6.3 km mostly tree-lined horse riding trail, established by the former Shire of Hastings in the mid-1980s along a disused railway route, runs roughly east–west from Merricks Station Ground Reserve to Red Hill through mostly rural land between the Coolart and East Creeks.

Merricks is served by the 782 bus route operated by Ventura Bus Lines between Frankston and Flinders.[3]

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References
  1. Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  2. Graeme Butler & Associates. "Volume 2, Environmental History" (PDF). Hastings District Heritage Study Stage Two. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  3. "782 Frankston - Flinders via Coolart Road & Hastings". Public Transport Victoria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  • Balnarring and District Historical Society (2003). Balnarring Byways and Memories (4 volumes, 1995-2003).
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