DIGBY
Digby is one of those very small in
Victoria that is remote and located at the cross roads of two
secondary roads. Should you be traveling from Portland to Coleraine,
or Casterton to Port Fairy, then you may pass through Digby.
The town is named after Digby Lincolnshire in England.
The Henty Brothers established the first European settlement in the
Digby area in 1837. In 1843, The Woolpack Inn was establishing near
modern Digby; it burnt down in 1887. By 1847 the town consisted of the
inn, a blacksmith and a series of huts. The town was officially
surveyed in 1852.
In 1857, a second inn—the Digby Hotel—was
established; the hotel still exists today, although rebuilt after fire
in 1935. Shortly afterwards, on 1 June 1858, Digby Post Office opened.
The first sitting of the Supreme Court of Victoria
outside Melbourne was in Digby in 1869.
By
1874 the town had a post office, two hotels, four shops and a school.
There is very little remaining of earlier enterprises,
but from a World War 1 perspective the town will be noted for its
amazing foresight. In this Memorial Avenue of trees each tree is
dedicated to an individual soldier.   
The Digby Hotel is now an all purpose business, but
uniqueness and quirkiness should determine a stopover for refreshment.
There are two remaining and active churches both over
100 years old. 
Should the traveler pass through Digby, be sure to
stop awhile and admire that Memorial Avenue.
Heritage diary
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