Bannockburn

Postcode: 3331

Bannockburn is a rural township near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 93 km southwest of Melbourne. It is located in Golden Plains Shire.

The township, founded in the early 1850s, is assumed to be named after the 14th century battle site in Scotland. It grew as a coaching stop during the 1850s and '60s when gold was shipped from the Ballarat goldfields to the port of Geelong. Later, Bannockburn became a railway stop on the Ballarat-Geelong line.

The township contains notable examples of Victorian colonial architecture, such as the former Somerset Hotel (1854), now a private home, and the Bannockburn railway station (1863).

The nearby Bannockburn Vineyards is a 25-hectare vineyard on the Midland Highway, established in 1974 by Stuart Hooper. Grapes grown include cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, malbec, merlot, pinot noir, riesling, sauvignon blanc and shiraz.

The town, presumably named after the famous battle site in Scotland, came into existence in the 1850s when gold was being brought by coach from the fields in Ballarat to the port at Geelong.

The town developed around the Somerset Hotel. By 1860 a lock up had been established in the town. This was used for the double purpose of a gaol and a overnight 'bank vault' for the gold.

The railway arrived in 1863 and the town was moved (away from the Somerset Hotel) to meet the needs of the railway workers and the added business it brought to the town.

Today it is a tiny settlement overwhelmed by the proximity of both Geelong and Ballarat.

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