Shepherds Flat | |
|---|---|
 The Cricket Willow Cafe at Shepherds Flat | |
| Coordinates: 37°16′17″S 144°6′31″E / 37.27139°S 144.10861°E / -37.27139; 144.10861 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| LGA | |
| Location |
|
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Population | |
| • Total | 66 (2016 census)[2] |
| Postcode | 3461 |
Shepherds Flat is a locality in central Victoria, Australia. The locality is situated within the Shire of Hepburn, 122 kilometres (76 mi) north west of the state capital, Melbourne.
Shepherds Flat was first settled by Swiss Italian migrants in the 1850s during the Victorian Gold Rush.[3] Today, the main thoroughfare is the Hepburn-Newstead Road which, despite its name, runs between Hepburn and Franklinford.
Shepherds Flat holds historical significance as the home of one of Australia's first cricket-bat willow farms. The origin of this farm can be traced back to an exchange during a 1902 Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where umpire Robert Crockett lamented to England captain Archie MacLaren that Australia did not cultivate its own bat willow.[4]
MacLaren promptly sent Six Salix alba 'Caerulea' cuttings in a thermos, which arrived six months later. One cutting survived; planted in a plot adjacent to Bald Hill Creek.[5] The farm was run by Robert Crockett and his brother, James. Seven of Don Bradman's famously unbeaten 1948 Ashes team (dubbed "the Invincibles") used bats made from Crockett's willow. The farm was bought by Slazenger Dunlop in the 1960s,[4] and later acquisitioned by local Ian Tinetti, who established a museum named Cricket Willow adjacent to the Crockett farm.[6]
At the 2016 census, Shepherds Flat had a population of 66.[2]
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Shepherds Flat (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Shepherds Flat". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Kelly, Donna (13 March 2021). "The life and times of our Swiss Italian settlers". The Local. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ a b Walmsley, Stuart (26 November 2025). "Field of Dreams-like shrine to cricket built 'from bud to bat' – photo essay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Lost Magazine - It's Not Just Cricket". Lost Magazine. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ "Cricket Willow | Accommodation near Daylesford | Café & Catering | Tours". www.cricketwillow.com.au. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
External links
Media related to Shepherds Flat, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
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