Henty

Henty is a rural locality in western Victoria, 15 km south-east of Casterton on the road to Portland.

European settlement in the area was the Merino Downs pastoral run, taken up by Francis Henty in 1837 who overlanded stock from Portland. Establishment of the Henty village – originally known as Gum Creek or Dwyers Creek – occurred in the 1870s when farm encroachments were made on pastoral runs in the Casterton area. The Gum Creek Anglican church was opened in 1877 and the Dwyers Creek school was opened in 1878. When the railway line between Branxholme and Casterton was opened in 1882 the station and the locality came to be known as Henty.

Closer settlement farms during 1900-10 and soldier settlement after both wars brought increased populations. Dairying was mixed with sheep and wool production. The school was closed in 1949, however, when a consolidated school was opened at Merino. The railway closed in 1977.

Henty has a public hall and a church. Its census populations have been: