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Ebenezer Mission Station

Location Ebenezer Road, ANTWERP VIC 3414 - Property No B1422 File Number B1422 Level State

[1/2] B1422 Ebenezer Mission Antwerp [2/2] B1422 Ebenezer Mission

Statement of Significance

Ebenezer Mission is one of the most culturally significant Aboriginal post-contact places in Victoria.Prior to 1840, the area was an Aboriginal camping ground and a place for ceremonial gatherings. In 1858, 2 Moravian missionaries, Haegenauer and Spieseke, arrived in the Wimmera region looking for a suitable place to build a mission station., The site was chosen for its proximity to water, its isolation and the adjacent dune limestone which could be used in construction and its importance to the Aboriginal people. The mission was laid out in quadrangle formation with houses used by the people on the east,west and south sides of the quadrangle. The church, cemetery, missionaries house and out buildings were on the north side. A productive farm grew up and the mission became home to hundreds of Aboriginal people in its 45 year history. The mission was officially closed in 1904.The Moravian mission church of 1860 is of great interest as a relic of missionary activity amongst the Aborigines. The early date and remote location are reflected in the idiosyncratic and primitive design (in a version of the Norman style) but with keyed segmentally-headed openings, and a castellated tower.