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DRIK DRIK VILLAGE PRECINCT

Location NELSON-WINNAP ROAD, DRIK DRIK, GLENELG SHIRE Level Recommended for Heritage Overlay

[1/3] 52666 drik drik precinct map [2/3] Fig Trees in Avenue of Honour, [3/3] Map 1 - Area to apply Heritage

Statement of Significance

What is Significant?
The small settlement at Drik Drik on the Nelson-Winnap Road, located approximately 8kms due south of Dartmoor and 35kms north-west of Heywood, was established in the mid-1860s as a result of the subdivision of the surrounding land for selection. The land had been part of the original Glenaulin squatting run which, in the late 1850s, split into Glenaulin No. 1 and Glenaulin No. 2, later called Grunewald. The Parish Plan indicates the original road from Portland followed the Glenaulin Creek, and then turned north, just where the town began. This road has since been superseded. Many of the earliest families have the same surnames as the pioneers in the Cape Bridgewater area and there are several direct links, such as through the Lightbody family. The early community appears to have been tight-knit and self-supporting with the predominantly Wesleyan Methodists and Presbyterians selectors sharing their places of worship, the former erecting the first building. No township was planned and such small allotments as there were appear to have been ignored. Rather there was spontaneous development in the form of the two churches, a cemetery, a school and teacher's residence, a post office and, at the turn of the century, a butter factory. The main civic improvement was the planting of a memorial avenue of Ficus macrophylla (Moreton Bay Figs). Graham Bucknall, a former pupil of State School 971 became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. J. L. Holmes, another former pupil of SS 971 became an Inspector of Schools. Perhaps because of the strong presence of Protestants, there appears to have been no pub. Few residences appear to have been built. The town has lost several important buildings which, although not large, represented important functions and sources of income. These losses and the decline of the town throughout the twentieth century are due to changed agricultural practices, redundant technologies, especially in butter manufacturing, and much improved transport and communication.

How is it Significant?
The Drik Drik precinct is of historical, social and architectural significance to the Glenelg Shire.

Why is it Significant?
The Drik Drik precinct is of historical significance as an example of the small settlements which emerged as a result of the major change in government land selection policy in the 1860s which declined with the changed circumstances in the following century. It is of social significance as a representation of self-reliance and community support, including the planting of a memorial avenue. It is of architectural significance for its collection of buildings, including the two churches and the State School.