Armstrong

Armstrong, originally named Armstrongs, is a rural locality and former gold mining village on the Western Highway, 9 km north-west of Ararat and about twice as far south-east of Stawell.

The Armstrong area was first occupied by white settlement when the Allanvale pastoral run was taken up in 1844. The run was acquired by John Armstrong in 1854, who occupied it when gold was discovered there in 1855.

A school was opened in 1856. In 1865 two breweries were recorded in the village. In 1903 Armstrongs was described in the Australian handbook:

Armstrong was overshadowed by Ararat and by Great Western which is in the direction of Stawell. The school was the sole enduring social centre, being used for church services, local sporting activities and by the fire brigade. It closed in 1948.

During the height of the Depression a railways relief camp was established at Armstrong, working on the Melbourne to Adelaide railway line.

Armstrong’s census populations have been: