Merriang
Merriang is a rural district 28 km north of Melbourne, about midway between Whittlesea and the Hume Highway. Its name is thought to be Aboriginal for a stone chopper. The area was occupied for grazing purposes in 1846. A village existed from about 1850 to 1920, and its hotel (1858) was a terminus for coaches from Melbourne until 1885.
In 1871 the Merriang shire was created, including the townships of Beveridge, Darraweit Guim, Donnybrook and Wallan. Its area was 314 sq km and the shire office was in Beveridge. The Merriang village was in the neighbouring Epping shire. In 1915 when the shire's population was a little over 1000 it was incorporated into Broadmeadows shire.
In 2014 the Merriang Special Developmental school had 107 pupils.
Merriang shire’s census populations were:
| census date | population |
|---|---|
| 1881 | 1253 |
| 1891 | 1086 |
| 1901 | 1019 |
| 1911 | 1026 |
Further Reading
J.W. Payne, The Plenty: a centenary history of the Whittlesea shire, Kilmore, 1975
