Franklinford, Victoria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids FranklinfordVictoria |
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Monument at Franklinford. It reads "Edward Stone Parker 1802 - 1865 Regional Pioneer Protector of Aboriginies established the Loddon Aboriginal Station, Homestead, Church and School near this site in 1841. His devoted service remains a challenge and inspiration. April 1966."
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 Franklinford
Location in Shire of Hepburn
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| Population | 66 (2016 census) |
| Postcode(s) | 3461 |
| Location | 100 km (62 mi) NW of Melbourne |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Hepburn |
Franklinford is a small town in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. It is part of the Shire of Hepburn.
This area was chosen by Edward Stone Parker in January 1841 to build the Loddon Aboriginal Protectorate station. This station was a very important place for the Dja Dja Wurrung people from 1841 until they were forced to move in 1864. Franklinford is located on the Midland Highway.
In 2016, only 66 people lived in Franklinford. There are no shops or hotels in the town anymore. The closest ones are in Newstead, Hepburn, or Daylesford.
History of Franklinford
The Loddon Aboriginal Protectorate Station
The land around Mount Franklin originally belonged to the Gunangara Gundidj clan of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. Old records and discoveries show that large special gatherings often happened in this area.
In January 1841, Edward Stone Parker chose a spot for the station. It was on the north side of Mount Franklin, near Jim Crow Creek, where there was always fresh spring water. The Dja Dja Wurrung people and a government official named Frederick Powlett supported this choice.
The site was approved in March 1841. In June, many Dja Dja Wurrung people went with Parker to set up the station. It was built on land that already had a small hut. This place became known as the Loddon Aboriginal Protectorate Station at Franklinford. The Dja Dja Wurrung people called this area Larne-ne-barramul, which means the habitat of the emu. Nearby Mount Franklin was known as Lalgambook.
At first, a homestead, a church, a school, and other small buildings were constructed. The first teacher at the school was Charles Judkins. Franklinford became a very important place for the Dja Dja Wurrung people in the 1840s. Here, they received some protection and food. However, they still tried to follow their traditional ways of life and move around as they always had. Sometimes, more than 200 Aboriginal people gathered at Franklinford.
The protectorate station closed on December 31, 1848. About 20 to 30 Dja Dja Wurrung people were living there at that time. Parker and his family continued to live in Franklinford. Six Dja Dja Wurrung men and their families settled there, but most of them died from accidents or lung diseases. Tommy Farmer was the last survivor of this group. He left the land in 1864 and moved to the Coranderrk reserve.
The Aboriginal Protectorate school at Franklinford closed in February 1864. The children and their families were then forced to move to the Coranderrk Reserve.
On May 26, 2004, Susan Rankin, an elder of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, peacefully returned to crown land at Franklinford. She called her camp the Going Home Camp. She asked the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment to show documents proving the government had the right to be on these lands. Local officials said they could not find such documents and doubted they existed.
Franklinford Common School
The Franklinford Common School was built in the mid-1860s. The Franklinford Hall, which was part of the school, is now listed as a heritage site in Victoria. It is one of the few schools of its kind that still exists in its original country setting. In December 2008, the hall received money from the Victorian State Government for important repairs.
The Franklinford Post Office opened on February 15, 1859, and closed in 1969.
