1836
| Major Thomas Mitchell and his party from Sydney crossed the Loddon River and camped near Kerang.
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1848
| The first settlers arrived at the time that cattle were being driven overland to the new tent city of Adelaide. An inn was built on the banks of the river where the drovers crossed.
The land was as it is today with gum and bow trees along the lakes. Plains with lush grass but no trees. Mallee scrub to the west of the Loddon River. A settlement grew over time.
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1850's
| Gold fever struck. Business was brisk as hundreds of travellers came from Adelaide, over the Great Overland route.
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1857
| Irishman Woodford Patchell wanted to buy land in town to start a business. But after a disagreement moved 5 km downstream and established a farm on land he purchased from the owner of Gannawarra station. It is claimed that he was the first practical irrigator in Victoria. Patchell grew experimental crops of barley, millet, oats and maize. Also cotton, beet, tobacco and sugar cane.
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1858
| Woodford Patchell built a store and a residence. He also built a Hotel with the same name as the modern day Kerang Hotel.
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1863
| A bridge was built across the Loddon River to draw traffic away from the inns upstream. Woodford Patchell was a little tricky in achieving his success hiring a man and dray to drive repeatedly over the bridge to make it look well worn, leading people to believe that was the true route they should take.
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1870
| Patchells first bridge was not very impressive but stood up against the great flood of this year. The recorded rainfall of this year was 27 inches, compared to the average of 14 inches. The great flood had a positive effect on the development of Patchell's Kerang. Buildings were moved from the site of old Kerang 5km upstream.
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1871
| Kerang was declared a shire. Kerang's population consisted of 109 people. Largely clustered around the Patchell store.
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1874
| Original land leases were thrown open for selection and with a building boom seemingly on the way, Patchell started a brick kiln on the north side of the cemertary. Shortly there was a second kiln built nearby. From these two enterprises came all the bricks for the town until the railway reached Kerang.
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1884
| Railway reached Kerang.
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1891
| The population had increased to over 1000, largely due to the arrival of the railway and the construction of the tramway to Koondrook in 1891.
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1910-12
| Buildings were being erected as fast as labour could be procured. Roads laid through all the main streets.
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1912
| Two streets that monopolise most of the business, lined with stores. Saturday being late shopping night. By this time the town included a post telegraph, money order office and savings bank in one building. State School, Public Hall, Shire Hall and offices, Fire Brigade Station, Orderly Room, Five Churches, branches of five Banks, Electric light and power house, Mechanics Institute, Flour Mill, Co-operative Butter Factory, two Newspaper Offices, an Iron and Brass Foundry, Carriage factories, Agencies for ten Insurance Companies, a new Courthouse and six hotels. Also Sale yards where stock sales were held two days a week.
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Today
| Kerang is a Thriving town of over 4000 people. The mainstay of the local economy continues to be a prosperous agricultural district supporting a strong and growing business sector. Irrigation remains integral to many local farming enterprises.
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To find out more check these pages-
Kerang Information Centre Walk/Drive of Historic Kerang
Self Guided Walk of Kerang Cemetery Kerang Museum |
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