Serviceton (Serviceton)
Serviceton is a small town in rural western Victoria, Australia. It is near the Victorian–South Australian border, 437 km north-west of Melbourne. Named after James Service, who was Premier of Victoria in 1880 and from 1883 to 1886, it was established when the inter-colonial railway line between Adelaide and Melbourne was completed in 1887. The railway station served as the change-over point for train crews and locomotives of the Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways since neither could operate in the other colony.
The recorded a population in Serviceton and the surrounding area of 120; there were 77 dwellings.
The town is the subject of a Tom Waits song entitled "Town With No Cheer" from his album Swordfishtrombones.
Serviceton Post Office opened in 1886; from 1908 to 1911 it was known as Serviceton Railway Station post office. A Serviceton South office was open in 1926–1927, and Serviceton North office, on the Western Highway, operated from 1911 until 1954.
Golfers play at the course of the Serviceton Golf Club on the Western Highway.
The eastern border of South Australia was declared in 1834 to be the meridian of the 141st degree of east longitude. In 1847, however, owing to the limitations of technology used for the first survey, markers were placed in error. Subsequently, the border was understood by both colonies to be about 2.25 mi west of the meridian. Nevertheless, a border was not formalised and it was reported that "a number of bad characters resort to this neutral ground, knowing that the police cannot interfere with them until the question of jurisdiction is determined." Seventy-five years of legal dispute were only resolved in 1914, with the judgement of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that the erroneously surveyed line was to be the legal border. Serviceton was thus placed within Victoria. Modern technology shows the border to be 3.13 km west of the 141st meridian and Serviceton 1.04 km west of the meridian.
The recorded a population in Serviceton and the surrounding area of 120; there were 77 dwellings.
The town is the subject of a Tom Waits song entitled "Town With No Cheer" from his album Swordfishtrombones.
Serviceton Post Office opened in 1886; from 1908 to 1911 it was known as Serviceton Railway Station post office. A Serviceton South office was open in 1926–1927, and Serviceton North office, on the Western Highway, operated from 1911 until 1954.
Golfers play at the course of the Serviceton Golf Club on the Western Highway.
The eastern border of South Australia was declared in 1834 to be the meridian of the 141st degree of east longitude. In 1847, however, owing to the limitations of technology used for the first survey, markers were placed in error. Subsequently, the border was understood by both colonies to be about 2.25 mi west of the meridian. Nevertheless, a border was not formalised and it was reported that "a number of bad characters resort to this neutral ground, knowing that the police cannot interfere with them until the question of jurisdiction is determined." Seventy-five years of legal dispute were only resolved in 1914, with the judgement of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that the erroneously surveyed line was to be the legal border. Serviceton was thus placed within Victoria. Modern technology shows the border to be 3.13 km west of the 141st meridian and Serviceton 1.04 km west of the meridian.
Map - Serviceton (Serviceton)
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 |
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AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
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EN | English language |