Tanjil and Tanjil South

Tanjil South is a rural locality in eastern Victoria, 7 km north of Moe. Tanjil, a former gold mining town, was further north in the direction of Mount Baw Baw and was part of the Russells Creek-Baw Baw diggings (1859). Both sites are on the Tanjil River, Tanjil near its headwaters and Tanjil South on river flats.

The name Tanjil was derived from the Tangel pastoral run (1844) and was derived from an Aboriginal word meaning frost or snow.

Tanjil gold field (1865) was relatively short-lived, petering out within about 20 years although there was a brief resurgence in the early 1900s. As the gold mining declined some agricultural land was taken up, and in 1880 the Victorian municipal directory recorded a school, two stores and a hotel in Tanjil. The school closed in 1898.

Tanjil was described in the 1903 Australian handbook:

Tanjil South was part of the pastoral run until farm selections were taken up in the 1870s. The selection process was completed by 1884 and a school was opened in 1887. There was a steady increase in the population of Tanjil South during 1900-61, when over 230 people were recorded at a census. Sporting clubs – cricket, football, tennis, rifle-shooting – were established during the early 1900s, and an Anglican church was opened in 1935.

The growth of industry and population in the Latrobe Valley led to the Blue Rock Dam being built on the Tanjil River, obliterating the site of old Tanjil in 1984. A commemorative plaque records the site’s history.

Tanjil South has maintained an active community, building a new district hall in 1986 and conducting a centenary celebration in 1987 which involved the publication of a voluminous history. In 2014 there were 32 pupils at the Tanjil South school.

Census populations have been:

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