Westgarthtown, Victoria: Difference between revisions

{{about|the heritage precinct in the Melbourne suburb of Thomastown|the locality in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote|Westgarth, Victoria}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

'''Westgarthtown''' is a located within the [[Melbourne]] suburbs of [[Thomastown, Victoria|Thomastown]] and [[Lalor, Victoria|Lalor]], in [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]], [[Australia]].<ref>

{{Citation

| last=Wuchatsch |first= Robert

| title=Westgarthtown, the German settlement at Thomastown

| date=1985

| publisher=R. N. Wuchatsch

| isbn=978-0-9589153-0-4}}

</ref><ref>

</ref><ref>

{{Citation

| title=Westgarthtown

http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au//Heritage-places-objects/Building-conservation-stories/Westgarthtown.aspx

| publisher = Heritage Council of Victoria

| date=2008-10-31

| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018060609/http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/Heritage-places-objects/Building-conservation-stories/Westgarthtown.aspx

|archivedate=2009-10-18}}

The town was originally known as '''Neu Mecklenburg''', and was established around 1850.<ref name=beginnings2>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189641378 |title=The Beginnings Of The Lutheran Church In Victoria |newspaper=[[Pinnaroo And Border Times]] |volume=25 |issue=1261 |location=South Australia |date=1 March 1935 |accessdate=11 May 2018 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}, ''...It might be mentioned that the settlement at Neu Mecklenburg was established by immigrants from Mecklenburg, Saxony, and Silesia, and the assertion is made that the choice ; of the name “Neu Mecklenburg” -- did not meet with unanimous hence some; named it “Westgarthtown,” after a Mr. : Westgarth, who had rendered considerable assistance to German immigrants, and 1848 had actually visited Germany in order to induce German prospective emigrants to settle in Victoria. Later, as already stated, the. place was called Thomastown...''</ref> The name was changed to Westgarthtown in honour of [[William Westgarth]], who sponsored German immigration.<ref name=beginnings2 /> The name was still in use up until the [[First World War]], when it became officially regarded as part of Thomastown.<ref>Allan, Lyle (1986), Review of R.N. Wuchatsch, ''Westgarthtown'', in ''Journal of Intercultural Studies'', Vol 7 No 1 62-63</ref>

In the 1970s, urban sprawl caught up with the village, and though it is now surrounded by suburban housing, the village is protected by the Victorian Heritage Act.

Significant remaining buildings include:

* The [[Lutheran]] Church (1856)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lutheran Church and Cemetery|url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/1152|last=|first=|date=|website=vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref>

* Westgarthtown Cemetery (1850)<ref>

{{Citation

|title=Westgarthtown

|last=Wuchatsch |first= Robert

|url=http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01610b.htm

|encyclopedia=eMelbourne &ndash; The Encyclopedia of Melbourne Online

|accessdate=2012-01-16}}

{{Cite VHD|| - |hr=|ho=}}

{{Cite VHD|66824|Westgarthtown Cemetery - Lalor}}

</ref>

*Ziebell's Farmhouse<ref name=":3">

*Graff's Farmhouse (1873)<ref name=":0" />

* Siebel's Farmhouse (1860)<ref name=":1" />

* Maltzahn's Farmhouse<ref>{{Cite web|title=Maltzahn's Farmhouse|url=https://www.westgarthtown.org.au/sites/|last=|first=|date=|website=www.westgarthtown.org.au|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref>

*Wuchatsch's Farmhouse<ref name=":2">

{{Cite VHD|643|Wuchatsch's Farm - Lalor|hr=0950|ho=10}}

</ref>

The four farmhouses<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0">

{{Cite VHD||'s - Thomastown|hr=|ho=}}

</ref><ref name=":1">

{{Cite VHD|4647| - Thomastown|hr=|ho=}}

are listed on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]].

In 2018, Friends of Westgarthtown successfully completed the Museum Accreditation Program. This is a gold-standard program which promotes best practice across all areas of museum management in line with the National Standards for Museums and Galleries. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-us/news-publications/latest-news/praise-for-friends-of-westgarthtown-as-historic-farm-gets-museum-accreditation/|title=City of Whittlesea|date=2 May 2018|access-date=14 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mavic.asn.au/awards/award-winners-2018|title=Museums Australia Victoria|date=14 November 2018}}</ref>

== Books on Westgarthtown ==

Jones, Michael ''Nature's Plenty: a history of the City of Whittlesea'', Sydney, N.S.W. Allen & Unwin, 1992 {{ISBN|1863730761}}

Wuchatsch, Robert ''Westgarthtown, the German settlement at Thomastown'', 1985 {{ISBN|978-0-958915304}}

==See also==

* [[Grovedale, Victoria|Germantown, Victoria]] - located near Geelong

* [[Australian place names changed from German names]]

{{melbourne-geo-stub}}