Mt Arapiles
A pleasant small town on the shores of Lake Wallace, which is a popular watersports spot. Harrow, Victoria's oldest inland town, lies 32km to the east and the Naracoorte limestone caves are located in the National Park 50km west of Edenhope.
Location: on the Wimmera Highway 30 km from the South Australian border; 394 km north-west of Melbourne via Horsham (95 km north-east). Map
Origin of name: recalls the Hope brothers, who took up land in this border area of the Wimmera in 1847, and hailed from Eden in Scotland.
Brief history: in 1847, the Hope brothers were the first white settlers to take up land in this area bordering on the Wimmera. The town of Harrow, 32km south east of Edenhope, is Victoria's oldest inland town with the first business enterprise established there c.1840 on the boundary of three large properties. The Edenhope townsite was surveyed and gazetted in 1862. The first Australian cricketing team, an all-Aboriginal squad, trained here in 1868 prior to their departure. Their coach was T.W. Willis who founded Australian Rules football.
Natural features: Lake Wallace (bird sanctuary, water sports, trout and redfin fishing); Mt Arapiles
Built features: village of Harrow
Heritage features: Hermitage Hotel (1851); old log gaol (1862); Immanuel Lutheran Church; Aboriginal Canoe Tree (Harrow); a shoreline cairn in the grounds of the local high school marks the training ground used by the members of an Aboriginal cricket team to prepare for their gruelling tour of England in 1868.