Bannockburn Precinct
High Street BANNOCKBURN, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE
Statement of Significance
What is it significant?
The township of Bannockburn is located on the Shelford-Bannockburn Road between the crossing of Bruce's Creek and the Geelong-Ballarat Railway line. The township stands on land originally held as the 'Wabdallah' pastoral run. It was occupied by George Russell on behalf of the Clyde Company from 1837 to 1840 and later by James Bruce from 1840 until 1850. The township was gazetted following the formation of the Bannockburn Road Board in 1862 and the opening of the Leigh Road (later Bannockburn) Railway Station on the Geelong to Ballarat line in the same year. The township was laid out in a conventional grid on either side of High Street, aligned north-east to south-west, with the Geelong-Ballarat Railway line providing the eastern boundary of the grid. Bannockburn became the civic administrative centre of the district after the proclamation of the Shire of Bannockburn on the 30th of June 1864. It was also a thriving commercial hub, servicing trade generated from the railway and the surrounding pastoral and agricultural settlements. The large number of surviving commercial and public buildings, including the former Post Office, the Shire Hall, the Public Hall and the Bannockburn State School erected in 1874, reflects Bannockburn's position as an important service centre. The first churches to be established were St John's Anglican Church and St John the Evangelist Catholic Church, representing the dominant denominations of the area. Other notable buildings include the Bannockburn Railway Station and the bluestone lock-up, which was relocated from Lethbridge to Bannockburn in 1869. These buildings serve as reminders of Bannockburn's association with two important colonial trade routes, connecting the Ballarat goldfields with the port of Geelong via rail and overland passage. At least five hotels operated within the township during the mid 19th century. The Railway Hotel situated opposite the Bannockburn Railway Station remains operational, while the Somerset Hotel and Leigh Road Hotel are now private residences. Bannockburn and District Soldiers' War memorial was erected adjacent to the Shire Hall in 1925 as a tribute to those members of the local community that served and fell during World War 1. While surrounding townships experienced a decline in population and services during the mid twentieth century, Bannockburn recorded slow, but steady growth. In 1930, the township's population exceeded 300 people, with an increase to 328 people by 1968. Some 20 years later, in the 1980s, the township's population had swelled to 850. Factors including the breaking up of large estates into smaller holdings at the end of the nineteenth century and the Soldier Settlement Schemes have influenced this growth. More recently, Bannockburn has undergone substantial residential and commercial development as a satellite of Geelong.
How is it significant?
The Bannockburn Heritage Precinct is of historic, architectural and social significance to the community of Bannockburn and the Golden Plains Shire.
Why is it significant?
The Bannockburn Heritage Precinct is of historic significance as a township dating from the 1860s and as an important commercial centre servicing trade generated from the railway and surrounding pastoral properties. It is of architectural significance for its range of commercial, residential and public buildings dating from the nineteenth century, the most important being the Bannockburn Shire Hall and the surviving shops and hotels located on either side of High Street. It is of social significance as the focus for community life, education and recreation, and as an administrative centre of the former Bannockburn Shire and the current Golden Plains Shire.
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BANNOCKBURN RAILWAY STATION
Victorian Heritage Register H1560 -
Lock-up,
Golden Plains Shire -
Bannockburn Rail Reserve Remnant Grassland
Golden Plains Shire
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