Camperdown | Towns of the south-west - January 19, 2024 - The Standard - video Dailymotion

WATCH: How Camperdown put its name on the map.

Transcript

00:00 The town of Camperdown can be found nestled in the heart of the Carangamite Shire. Home to 3,000

00:05 residents, it's the largest settlement between Warrnambool and Colac. While its main street may

00:11 look similar to many other southwest towns at a glance, Camperdown is easily distinguished by its

00:16 architecture. The locality is renowned for the historic buildings that line its avenues,

00:22 premier among them being the manifold clock tower in the centre of town. Although the 31-metre tall

00:27 gothic structure was constructed as early as 1897, it's a recent build compared to some other sites

00:33 in Camperdown. The extravagant Theatre Royal has been on Bath Street since 1890, while the

00:39 Courthouse and Masonic Hall were both built around 1867. The preservation of Camperdown's historic

00:46 character helped turn it into a tourist hotspot by the end of the 20th century. The annual Robert

00:51 Burns Scottish Festival was created in 2012 to celebrate the town's connection with the eponymous

00:57 poet. While more than 60 statues of the man can be found around the world, the oldest belongs to

01:03 Camperdown, carved out of sandstone in 1830. Mount Lira is by far the largest natural wonder of the

01:09 region, the inactive volcano standing 313 metres tall at its peak. It offers an impressive view

01:16 of Camperdown and much of the surrounding area thanks to the region's flat landscape.

01:25 The mountain holds the prestigious honour of hosting the Australian Hill Climb Championship

01:29 on two occasions, in 1985 and 1997. A total of three schools operate in town.

01:36 Camperdown College has a primary and secondary campus, alongside St Patrick's Primary School.

01:42 The Camperdown Railway Station was the end of the line from Colac when it opened in 1883,

01:48 but this soon changed when in 1887 it was extended to Terrain. The station has served a variety of

01:54 purposes over the years, at one point being the junction to the now defunct Tim Boone line.

02:00 Now it's just another stop on the V line service from Warrnambool to Southern Cross.