{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox Australian place | type = town | name = Broadford | state = vic | image = StreetscapeBroadford.JPG | caption = Broadford | coordinates = {{coord|37|12|S|145|04|E|display=inline,title}} | pushpin_label_position = right | use_lga_map = yes | lga = Shire of Mitchell | postcode = 3658 | est = | pop = 4,076 | pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}} | pop_footnotes = <ref name="ABS" /> | elevation = 145.0 | elevation_footnotes = <ref name="climate">{{cite web |url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_088053_All.shtml |title = Seymour Shire Depot Climate Statistics (1880-2024) (nearest AWS) |publisher = [[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date = September 15, 2024}} </ref> | maxtemp = 21.1 | maxtemp_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | mintemp = 7.6 | mintemp_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | rainfall = 593.4 | rainfall_footnotes = <ref name="climate"/> | stategov = [[Electoral district of Euroa|Euroa]] | fedgov = [[Division of Nicholls|Nicholls]] | dist1 = 73 | dir1 = N | location1= [[Melbourne]] | dist2 = 27 | dir2 = S | location2= [[Seymour, Victoria|Seymour]] | dist3 = 15 | dir3 = NE | location3= [[Kilmore, Victoria|Kilmore]] | near-nw = [[Sugarloaf Creek, Victoria|Sugarloaf Creek]] | near-n = [[Tallarook, Victoria|Tallarook]] | near-ne = [[Strath Creek, Victoria|Strath Creek]] | near-w = [[Willowmavin, Victoria|Willowmavin]] | near-e = [[Strath Creek, Victoria|Strath Creek]] | near-sw = [[Kilmore, Victoria|Kilmore]] | near-s = [[Wandong, Victoria|Wandong]] | near-se = [[Clonbinane, Victoria|Clonbinane]] }} '''Broadford''' is a town in central [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]]. At the [[2021 Australian census|2021 census]], Broadford had a population of 4,076.<ref name="ABS">{{Census 2021 AUS |id=UCL215016|name=Broadford (Urban Centre/Locality) |accessdate=13 October 2022 |quick=on}}</ref> The town is the headquarters of the [[Shire of Mitchell]] [[Local government in Australia|local government area]] and is approximately {{convert|73|km|mi|-1}} north of the state capital, [[Melbourne]].
Broadford lies on the major transport routes between [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. The town is bypassed to the east by the [[Hume Freeway]] and the [[Albury-Wodonga railway line|railway line]] linking the two cities passes through [[Broadford railway station|Broadford]]. Broadford is located on the banks of Sunday Creek, a [[tributary]] of the [[Goulburn River (Victoria)|Goulburn River]] and is set amongst dramatic central Victorian scenery.
==History== The original inhabitants of Broadford are the [[Taungurung]] people, a part of the [[Kulin Nation|Kulin]] nation that inhabited a large portion of central Victoria including Port Phillip Bay and its surrounds.<ref>Clark, Ian D. Aboriginal languages and clans: an historical atlas of western and central Victoria, 1800-1900, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Melbourne, 1990, p363.</ref> A 1934 document recalling the 1870s notes the "Puckapunyal tribe, and there were about twenty in number. … I knew four of them fairly well, one of whom was called Billy Hamilton (and claimed to be the son of the Chief of the Puckapunyal tribe) his lubra, Mary, Gelibrand and Lankey."<ref>https://becker-zwar.com/john-william-walter-zwar-e4/ Family history site, open access</ref>
Hamilton Hume and Captain William Hilton Hovell were the first Europeans to set foot on the future township of Broadford during their pioneering journey into inland Victoria in 1824. Hovell recorded that on Sunday 12 December, the party reached the top of the Murchison Gap east of Broadford and took a compass bearing of the 'remarkable' Sugarloaf Hill that they could see. They named it Mount Piper and noted its dramatic triangular shape. The bearing was written as "W. b. S" which is the navigator's standard compass point of west by south or 258.75 degrees. It is nearly due west to the layman.<ref name="Williams21">Williams, Martin. Hamilton Hume Sketch Maps: Origins and Modern Treatment, Victorian Historical Journal, Vol. 92, No. 1, June 2021, p. 19</ref>
The party continued on that bearing, crossed Black Swamp Gully, and reached the confluence of Dry Creek (Sunday Creek tributary)|Dry Creek with Sunday Creek, now the township of Broadford, where they camped for the night. They named the larger creek as Sunday Creek.
This meant that Broadford was also the first future township in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] where Europeans camped overnight.<ref name="Williams21"/>
The next morning they were forced to travel for seven miles along Sunday Creek in a south by east direction (nearly due south), before they could find a crossing over its muddy banks at the now [[Waterford Park]]. They then proceeded on through the middle of [[Wandong]] and crossed the Dividing Range at [[Hume's Pass]].<ref name="Williams21"/>
The first European resident of the townsite of Broadford was Lt. Col. Henry White who was reported as being "of Mount Piper" in October 1838.<ref>Lieutenant Colonel White, of Mount Piper, Port Phillip Gazette, 27 October 1838, p. 3.</ref> Mount Piper, which today is known for its natural beauty and unique butterfly fauna is located within the boundary of Broadford. White was the first recorded land holder in the vicinity. The first survey map of the region in 1842 shows Colonel White's Station on Sunday Creek only 4 km downstream of its junction with Dry Creek.<ref>Nutt, Thomas, H. Plan of the Remainder of Kurkuruc Creek, Goulb18a1; Goulburn River; Nutt T.H.; Broadford Glenaroua, March 1842, VPRS 8168/P0002/2320, Public Record Office of Victoria, (PROV).</ref> That junction became the future townsite of Broadford.
This map also shows Gideon Stewart's sheep station exactly on the future Broadford townsite, 9 chains (181 metres) east of the junction of Dry Creek with Sunday Creek. Stewart arrived from Hobart and took out a licence for a sheep station from 1 July 1840.<ref>Persons Licensed to Depasture Stock, Port Phillip Gazette, 29 July 1840, p. 4.</ref>
Stewart was an associate of the well known Hobart publican Reay Clarke.<ref>Address to Alfred Stephen, Esq., Tasmanian, 3 May 1839, p.5.</ref> Clarke left Hobart and set up an inn at the location of Stewart's sheep station in 1843. The location was referred to as "Clarke's Ford" in October, 1843.<ref>Melbourne Times, 10 October 1843, p. 3</ref> Clarke was granted a General Licence for the "Broadfoot" Inn, Sunday Creek on 27 April 1844.<ref>Port Phillip Gazette, 27 April 1844, p. 2</ref> By April 1845 it was recorded as "Broadford" Inn.<ref>Port Phillip Gazette, 16 April 1845, p. 2</ref>
In 1842, the Sunday Creek Inn (beside the creek named by Hume and Hovell in 1824) and Stockyard Inn were built to cater for passing trade. Blacksmiths and small stores soon appeared and the town was gazetted in 1854 with original allotments selling at £2 a piece. The area between the two inns became the focal point of business and leisure activities. An area traditionally connected with Broadford has been [[Sugarloaf Creek, Victoria]]. The Sugarloaf Creek Station near Broadford was the first inland settlement in Victoria when it was set up by [[Charles Ebden]] and [[Charles Bonney]] on about 14 March 1837.<ref>Williams, Martin, Charles Bonney and the fertile Kilmore Plains, Victorian Historical Journal, Volume 90, No. 1, June 2019, p. 107</ref>
Gold was discovered in 1858 in the nearby Reedy Creek, and later at Strath Creek and Sunday Creek<ref>Fletcher, B. J., Broadford A Regional History, Lowden Publishing, Kilmore, 1975, p.53</ref> but was not long-lived.
The Post Office opened on 1 July 1852.<ref name = "a">{{Citation | last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 }}</ref> The [[North East railway line]] was built through the town in 1872.
The Broadford Courier printing office was opened in 1891, operating until 1978. It is maintained as a historical site by the Broadford Historical Society.<ref>https://cv.vic.gov.au/organisations/broadford-courier-printing-office-operated-by-broadford-historical-society/ Culture Victoria</ref>[[File:HistoricalBroadford.JPG|thumb|Broadford Courier printing office]]
The Broadford Magistrates' Court ceased operation in July 1980 and was formally closed in November 1981. The former courthouse was subsequently used by a local religious group.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.audit.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/19860901-Special-Report-4-Court-Closures-in-Victoria.pdf | title=Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria | publisher=Auditor-General of Victoria | date=1986 |pages=47 | accessdate=12 April 2020}}</ref>
On 7 February 2009, Broadford was a part of the [[Black Saturday bushfires]], with the Kilmore East Fire<ref>{{cite web | title=Bushfire - Black Saturday, Victoria, 2009 | Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub | url=https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/bushfire-black-saturday-victoria-2009/ }}</ref> which saw 119 deaths, 232 injured and 1,242 homes lost.
==The town today==
Industry in Broadford includes a [[paper mill]], the Broadford Mill. It opened in 1890, built by James McDougall. Now named the Australian Paper Mill and owned by National Paper Industries, it no longer produces paper but products for the packaging and allied industries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npi.com.au/#|title=National Paper Industries - NPI}}</ref> There is also a Nestlé factory. The town's substantial reserves of fine white kaolin clay are used both as a medical absorbent and for the manufacture of pottery. It has a primary school, a secondary college and a kindergarten.
Broadford is also home to the [[Broadford Track|Victorian State Motorcycle Complex]], which has both road and off-road tracks, and hosts National riding events, as well as amateur track days. In 2014 Calibre Sports Inc. leased some land on the complex and in 2015 the complex hosted the [[Tough Mudder|Tough Mudder Australia]] event.
Popular sports in Broadford include [[Australian rules football]] and the town has a team, the [[Broadford Football Club|Kangaroos]], competing in the [[Outer East Football Netball League|Outer East Football League]].<ref name="footy">{{Citation|last=RDFNL|title=Broadford to move to AFL Outer East for Season 2020|url=https://rdfnl.com.au/news-archive/135-broadford-move-to-afl-outer-east-for-season-2020|accessdate=2021-03-22}}</ref> The Broadford juniors play in the Seymour Junior Football Netball League.
Lawn bowls is played at the club located next door to the Lions Park on the old caravan park grounds.
Broadford cricket club has three seniors teams playing across A, B and C grade, the club also has several junior teams competing in the U11's and U13's age groups.
Golfers play at the Broadford Golf Club on Horwood Road.<ref name = "golf">{{Citation | author= Golf Select | title = Broadford | url = http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=939 | accessdate = 2009-05-11 }}</ref>
As Broadford is expected to grow substantially over coming years, and Mitchellshire Council has created an overarching strategic vision for the town.<ref> {{Citation | title = Broadford Structure Plan | url = https://engagingmitchellshire.com/34775/widgets/206250/documents/225891 | accessdate = 2024-01-19 }}</ref>
==RSL fire== On the night of 9 January 2008 firefighters were called to a blaze at the Broadford [[Returned and Services League of Australia|RSL]], but there was little crews could do to save the weatherboard hall. The [[Country Fire Authority]]'s Scott Hamilton says the blaze caused about $300,000 damage to the building and destroyed its contents.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} [[File:Broadford Presbyterian cropped.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Broadford [[Presbyterian Church of Australia|Presbyterian]] Church]]
== Climate == Broadford has an [[oceanic climate#marine west coast (Cfb)|oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen:]] Cfb), with hot, dry summers and cool winters. Average maxima vary from {{convert|29.5|C}} in January to {{convert|12.6|C}} in July, while average minima fluctuate between {{convert|12.9|C}} in February and {{convert|2.9|C}} in July. [[Precipitation]] is moderately low (averaging {{convert|593.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} per annum), and is spread across 94.0 precipitation days.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.farmonlineweather.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=88053 |title = Seymour Shire Depot Climate (1880-2024) (nearest AWS) |website = FarmOnline Weather |access-date = September 15, 2024}}</ref> All climate data was sourced from [[Seymour, Victoria|Seymour]], located {{convert|27|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Broadford.
{{Weather box |location = Broadford (sourced from [[Seymour, Victoria|Seymour]]) ({{coord|37.03|S|145.15|E|}}, 145 m AMSL) (1880-2024 normals & extremes) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan high C = 29.5 |Feb high C = 29.3 |Mar high C = 26.1 |Apr high C = 21.1 |May high C = 16.7 |Jun high C = 13.3 |Jul high C = 12.6 |Aug high C = 14.3 |Sep high C = 17.3 |Oct high C = 20.6 |Nov high C = 24.3 |Dec high C = 27.6 |Jan low C = 12.7 |Feb low C = 12.9 |Mar low C = 10.8 |Apr low C = 7.7 |May low C = 5.2 |Jun low C = 3.4 |Jul low C = 2.9 |Aug low C = 3.4 |Sep low C = 5.2 |Oct low C = 6.9 |Nov low C = 9.1 |Dec low C = 11.4 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 35.9 |Feb precipitation mm = 34.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 40.0 |Apr precipitation mm = 44.3 |May precipitation mm = 54.8 |Jun precipitation mm = 64.7 |Jul precipitation mm = 59.7 |Aug precipitation mm = 62.5 |Sep precipitation mm = 56.5 |Oct precipitation mm = 54.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 46.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 39.0 |year precipitation mm = 593.4 |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days = 4.4 |Feb precipitation days = 4.0 |Mar precipitation days = 4.8 |Apr precipitation days = 6.1 |May precipitation days = 9.2 |Jun precipitation days = 11.1 |Jul precipitation days = 12.4 |Aug precipitation days = 11.8 |Sep precipitation days = 9.9 |Oct precipitation days = 8.6 |Nov precipitation days = 6.5 |Dec precipitation days = 5.2 |source 1 = [[Bureau of Meteorology]] (1880-2024 normals & extremes)<ref name=climate/> }}
==Notable residents== Notable people from Broadford include * [[Barry Hall]], Australian rules footballer * [[Alan Ezard]], Australian rules footballer * [[Richard Douglas (footballer)|Richard Douglas]], Australian rules footballer * Thomas George Wittingslow,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Page 1 in AUS, WWII, Service Records |url=https://uk.forceswarrecords.com/document/502529378/wittingslow-thomas-george-page-1-aus-wwii-service-records |access-date=2025-08-08 |website=Forces War Records |language=en-GB}}</ref> founder of [[Wittingslow Amusements]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commons}} *Davern, R. 2015. ''When Broadford was young and so was I: my memories of its buildings and people''. Broadford, Vic.: TB Books. *Fletcher, B.J. (ed.). 1975. ''Broadford: a regional history'' Kilmore, Vic.: Lowden Publishing. *Fletcher, B.J. (ed.). 2023. ''Broadford: a regional history - with additional notes'' Donvale, Vic.: Lowden Publishing. *McDonald, E.H. 2010. ''Country life: a history of Broadford and district 1891-1981''. Broadford, Vic.: Broadford and District Historical Society. *[https://map.chronicle.rip/broadford-cemetery Broadford Cemetery deceased records and online map] at Chronicle Cemetery Map {{Towns in Mitchell Shire}}
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[[Category:Towns in Victoria (state)]] [[Category:Shire of Mitchell]] [[Category:Hume Highway]]