Amphitheatre (Amphitheatre)
Amphitheatre is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Pyrenees Highway in the Pyrenees Shire, south-west of Avoca. At the, Amphitheatre and the surrounding area had a population of 248.
The Avoca River rises near the town, at the foot of Mount Lonarch. Gold was discovered in the area in 1853, and a settlement was established at Amphitheatre as a result. By 1857, the Cobb and Co Telegraph Line of stage coaches passed through Amphitheatre on the Maryborough to Ararat line.
A post office opened on 22 June 1859.
The Avoca-Ararat railway, which opened in 1890, included a station at Amphitheatre. The station was closed, along with the line, in 1959. Although the line was eventually reopened, the station was not.
Amphitheatre has a primary school.
Amphitheatre Anzac Avenue. The Amphitheatre Anzac Avenue was planted on 7 June 1917. The girlfriend, fiancé or parent of each soldier who enlisted from Amphitheatre to fight in the Great War planted a tree in their honour. A brass plaque with each soldier's name and service number was later affixed to identify the trees. The avenue forms the northern approach to Amphitheatre and, as a mature avenue, provides a distinctive character to the town.
Amphitheatre Hotel. The town's most-prominent landmark is the Amphitheatre Hotel. Brothers Henry Edward Bird and John Bird, immigrants from Somerset, England, established the hotel under the title of 'The Amphitheatre Inn' to service the gold mining community in 1854–5. The original parts of the hotel are of timber construction, clad in weatherboards with Morewood and Rogers metal roof tiles. The tiles remain a rare example of metal roofing material used before the introduction of corrugated iron to Australia in the 1850s.
The Bird brothers erected a six-horse stable beside the hotel by 1857 as a staging post for the Cobb and Co line. This remains as part of the hotel complex. The hotel was robbed at gunpoint by a gang of highway robbers in 1857.
A road bridge erected to cross the nearby Amphitheatre Creek caused a change in the alignment of the highway in 1862. As a result, the hotel no longer faced the main road. The Bird brothers moved the building 50 metres to face the new road alignment by 1865 and remodelled it, calling it 'Amphitheatre Hotel'.
Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, the hotel supported local administration by hosting coronial inquests, land auctions, mining board elections, and recreation club meetings. The addition of a large meeting room in the 1870s contributed to this support to the community.
The Avoca River rises near the town, at the foot of Mount Lonarch. Gold was discovered in the area in 1853, and a settlement was established at Amphitheatre as a result. By 1857, the Cobb and Co Telegraph Line of stage coaches passed through Amphitheatre on the Maryborough to Ararat line.
A post office opened on 22 June 1859.
The Avoca-Ararat railway, which opened in 1890, included a station at Amphitheatre. The station was closed, along with the line, in 1959. Although the line was eventually reopened, the station was not.
Amphitheatre has a primary school.
Amphitheatre Anzac Avenue. The Amphitheatre Anzac Avenue was planted on 7 June 1917. The girlfriend, fiancé or parent of each soldier who enlisted from Amphitheatre to fight in the Great War planted a tree in their honour. A brass plaque with each soldier's name and service number was later affixed to identify the trees. The avenue forms the northern approach to Amphitheatre and, as a mature avenue, provides a distinctive character to the town.
Amphitheatre Hotel. The town's most-prominent landmark is the Amphitheatre Hotel. Brothers Henry Edward Bird and John Bird, immigrants from Somerset, England, established the hotel under the title of 'The Amphitheatre Inn' to service the gold mining community in 1854–5. The original parts of the hotel are of timber construction, clad in weatherboards with Morewood and Rogers metal roof tiles. The tiles remain a rare example of metal roofing material used before the introduction of corrugated iron to Australia in the 1850s.
The Bird brothers erected a six-horse stable beside the hotel by 1857 as a staging post for the Cobb and Co line. This remains as part of the hotel complex. The hotel was robbed at gunpoint by a gang of highway robbers in 1857.
A road bridge erected to cross the nearby Amphitheatre Creek caused a change in the alignment of the highway in 1862. As a result, the hotel no longer faced the main road. The Bird brothers moved the building 50 metres to face the new road alignment by 1865 and remodelled it, calling it 'Amphitheatre Hotel'.
Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, the hotel supported local administration by hosting coronial inquests, land auctions, mining board elections, and recreation club meetings. The addition of a large meeting room in the 1870s contributed to this support to the community.
Map - Amphitheatre (Amphitheatre)
Map
Country - Australia
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The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |