The Henty brothers, who had arrived at Portland in 1834, were encouraged by Mitchell’s reports of good pasture and moved inland in 1837, marking the start of European settlement in the Western district. They took up 28 000 ha of land to the west of present-day Coleraine and an original homestead, 'Muntham', still stands between Coleraine and Casterton.
Many other settlers soon followed. The first hotel, The Glenelg Inn, was built in 1846, and a post office was opened the following year. Casterton was surveyed in 1840 and gazetted as a town in 1852, named after a settlement in the north of England. The word 'casteron' is said to derive from a Roman word meaning 'walled city'. Some believe this is an intentional reference to the way the town is 'protectively' surrounded by a series of hills. The telegraph arrived in the 1860s and the 1870s saw the establishment of local newspaper, the Casterton News. The railway arrived in 1884 and Casterton became the western terminus of the state's rail service. In 1941 a fleur-de-lis with a circumference of 91 metres was carved into the hill overlooking the town by the Scouts. It was originally illuminated by old rags soaked in kerosene and set alight. Electric lighting has since been installed to maintain the tradition.
Dame Mary Gilmore settled on a property at Strathdownie, to the south-west of Casterton, in 1902. She came to public attention when her life and work were featured in the Bulletin in 1903. She then moved to Casterton in 1907 where her son attended school. There she began a long-standing association with the Australian Worker for whom she regularly contributed a special page for women. She befriended and campaigned for radical poet and Labor member J.K. McDougall and wrote her own poetry. Her first volume of verse was published in 1910. Dame Mary left Casterton in 1912..
Warrock Homestead, north of Casterton, is the birthplace of the amazingly intelligent Kelpie breed of working Australian cattle and sheep dog. The original 'Kelpie' was born in 1871, her parents being a pair of black & tan Collies imported from Scotland by Warrock's owner George Robertson. Robertson would not sell females from the stock, but had given a pup to his nephew. Jack Gleeson, a drover working at nearby Dunrobin Homestead, wanted to buy a female pup, but could not obtain one from Robertson. Gleeson met with Robertson's nephew and asked to buy the pup. The nephew initially refused to sell but was eventually persuaded to swap the pup for a horse which he fancied. Gleeson named the pup 'Kelpie', meaning '...a malignant water sprite haunting the fords and streams in the shape of a horse'. Shortly after, Gleeson left the district and Kelpie was mated with working dogs in NSW. The progeny created the bloodlines of the Kelpie breed, with one of the original litter going on to come equal first in a trial in 1878.
As part of Casterton's 150th Anniversary celebrations in 1996, a statue of Kelpie was commissioned and placed outside the Casterton Town Hall in celebration of the Kelpie's history. More unique hand-crafted statues and sculptures depicting the Kelpie in many forms feature in the 'Kelpie Walking Trail'. The Australian Kelpie Muster, held each Queen's Birthday long weekend in June, is nationally and internationally renowned. Since its inception in 1997, the Muster & Festival has grown into a tremendously successful combination of family fun, entertainment and enterprise. The Festival is filled with fun activities, which celebrate and demonstrate the Kelpies' amazing skills. The Working Dog Auction provides a unique chance to observe superior working dogs demonstrate their skills before sale. The Auction is firmly placed on the calendar of working dog breeders and buyers, with breeders from all over Australia show-casing their bloodlines. Amazingly high prices are fetched for Kelpies at this auction, with figures in the thousands for a single dog.
While you are in the area, you could also check out:
Casterton Historical Society Museum, located in the old railway station at the corner of Jackson St and Clarke St, near the river.
Mickle Lookout, located on the northern side of town. Head off the highway along Robertson St and turn left into Moodie St.
Warrock Homestead Complex, where the original 'Kelpie' was born and recognised by the National Trust as the "most important pastoral station complex in Victoria". Head east of Casterton along the Glenelg Highway for 6 km and turn left onto the Chetwynd Rd. After 15 km take the signposted left into Warrock Rd and it is several kilometres to the complex. Alternatively, if you are travelling north of Casterton along the Apsley Rd, turn right into Warrock Rd 24 km north of Casterton.
Bilston's Tree. At 44m high, Bilston's tree is the largest River Red Gum in the world. See "Bilston's Big One", GCMPAK, by Beaker. There is a signposted turnoff about 10km further north along the Chetwynd Rd.
Location 1 – Jack Gleeson.
Q1 – The number of letters in the third word of line 4 on Jack’s sign = A
Now go to S37° 34.976 E141° 24.322
Location 2 - Australian Kelpie Muster.
Q2 – The number of Aborigines who would gather on the site, divided by 100, = B
Now go to S37° 34.864 E141° 23.891
Location 3 – Man’s Best Friend.
Q3 – How many kinds of water birds are pictured on the nearby sign? Second digit = C
Now go to S37° 35.181 E141° 24.117
Location 4 – On The Sheep’s Back.
Q4 – The number of lines in paragraph 2 of the second column = D
Q5 – The number of words in the two headings on line 4 = E
Now go to S37° 35.080 E141° 24.306
Location 5 – Kelpie.
Q6 – Find the last line on the sign featuring the word ‘Casterton’; the number of words in that line = F
You can find the cache at S37° 34.ABC E141° 24.DEF
The area near cache site can be busy with muggles. It can also be seen from nearby buildings. Please be discrete while accessing the cache so as not to compromise its location, and take careful note of the place where it is hidden. Also, please do not include any spoilers, even indirect ones, in your logs so that future cachers may enjoy the cache as intended. Before you leave, please replace the cache carefully in its niche, which has been selected to minimise its visibility to others.
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