A brief history of Werribee

The area of Werribee was first discovered by Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824, they had traveled overland from Sydney to explore the Port Philip area.

Hume advised the then Governor of NSW that the area would be good sheep grazing land, but the Governor was not interested in the area, despite petitions by entrepreneurs John Batman and J.T. Gellibrand.

In 1835 Batman sailed from Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and also explored the area between Geelong and Melbourne.  He started a treaty with the local Aborigines in the name of the Port Phillip Association.

This Treaty gave them access to 600000 acres of land between the Bellarine Peninsular and Geelong.

 In 1835 this land was cut up in lots and settlers began setting up farms in the area.

The governor of NSW was not to pleased with the trespassing settlers, but finally caved in and sent Captain Lonsdale to the area in 1836 to survey and plan a town.

Lonsdale’s recommendation was to set up small town between Melbourne and Geelong and by 1850 the first land sale of the area began.

Werribee, which means backbone, took it name from the aboriginal name of the area.

By 1857 the first rail line connecting Melbourne to Geelong passed through Werribee. By the 1890s Werribee had a population of around 500, its large flat expanses of land prompted several market gardeners to flock to the area to set up farms that can still be found around Werribee south today along with the Chirmshine family mansion built around 1870.