Ararat, Victoria
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Ararat () is a regional town in south-west Victoria, Australia. It is notable as the only town in Australia founded by Chinese immigrants. In 1836 Thomas Mitchell passed through the area.
In 1841 Horatio Wills on his way to selecting country further south wrote in his diary "like the Ark we rested" and named a nearbye hill Mt Aarat. It is from this entry and the nearby Mount that the town takes its name.
Ararat is the largest town in the local government area known as the Rural City of Ararat. The town is approximately 205 kilometres west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway. Ararat is in the federal Division of Wannon. It has a population of approximately 6890.
Primary industries in the region include wool, beef and wine. A regional campus of the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE is located in Ararat. The town has a regional airport YARA (ARY). It is the sister city to Taishan, China, and is home of Olympic cyclist Shane Kelly.
Ararat began as the result of a short-lived gold boom which began in 1857. Vines were planted in 1863 by French settlers.
Tourism
Tourist attractions include:- J Ward, a gaol for criminally insane closed in 1991 and now a museum
- The Gaol House Rock Festival
- The [Gum San Gold Museum]
- The Golden Gateway Festival
- Numerous local wineries
- Close to the Grampians National Park
External links
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Cities of Victoria
| Capital: |
Melbourne
| Cities: |
Ararat |
Ballarat |
Benalla |
Bendigo |
Geelong |
Latrobe City |
Mildura |
Portland |
Shepparton |
Swan Hill |
Wangaratta |
Warrnambool |
Wodonga
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