Horsham

horsham, vic., austr.

Horsham, city, west-central Victoria, Australia, on the Wimmera River. Proclaimed successively a borough (1882), a town (1932), and a city (1949), Horsham was named after the West Sussex hometown of James Darlot, its first settler (1841). Connected by rail to Melbourne, 180 miles (290 km) to the southeast, it lies at the intersection of the Western (Melbourne–Adelaide), Wimmera, and Henty (Mildura–Portland) highways. The city is an important stock-selling centre in an irrigated area of fruit, vegetable, and cereal farming. Its agriculturally based industries are augmented by textile mills, foundries, and plaster and brick works. Horsham is the site of Longerenong College (1889), which emphasizes agriculture research, the Victorian Wheat Research Institute (1968), Wimmera Base Hospital, the Horsham Regional Art Gallery, and the noted Horsham Botanic Gardens. Pop. (2001) urban centre, 12,591; (2011) local government area, 19,279.