|
|
Korumburra, the name possibly comes from an Aboriginal word meaning 'blowfly', is 117 km south-east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway and 227 metres above sea level. It is situated in a region originally known to Europeans as 'The Wild Cattle Run' due to the livestock which roamed free after the Corinella settlement was disbanded in 1828.
Korumburra is a dairy town and regional cattle-selling centre which partly relies on the tourism attracted by the Coal Creek Historical Village, a recreated village which is a tribute to the town's history as a coalmining centre.
There are conflicting versions of the town's development. Some sources claim that the existence of coal in the area was recognised as early as 1843, with mining rights held from around 1863, though not worked until the 1890s when a good seam was discovered and demand was stimulated by the construction of the Victorian rail system and its arrival in the area in the late 1880s or early 1890s. Another account claims that coal was first discovered in 1872 by the horse of an early settler while scratching at the ground with its hoof. It is said that the village was founded in 1880 after mining commenced at Coal Creek, although other sources suggest that the mining did not begin until after the Coal Creek Syndicate was formed in 1883. A large diamond drill arrived after a five-week journey in 1889 and operations peaked in 1894 when there were around 2000 miners working the seams. However, competition from Newcastle, dangerous areas in the coal seams and strikes led to a decline and the community began to turn to dairying, with a butter and cheese factory opening in 1900. In the 1970s the dairy factory became a world pioneer in the production of edible casein, the major group of milk proteins.
|
|
|
|
|
