History
Charlton's History
Charlton took its name from the early pastoral station on which it was established and is an English place name meaning "village of farmers".
At that time the area was inhabited by a small group of the Dja Wurong native tribe who roamed the land from Buckrabanyule hills across to Mount Wycheproof and Lake Buloke, travelling from one water supply to the next.
In 1863 Charlton's first commercial building was erected by John Flug - a slab and bark wine shanty. Initially he erected his tents on the high ground on the west side of the river but the leaseholders ordered him off. Consequently Flug built his shanty on the lower river bank and suffered three floods in the next ten years.
A bridge was built across the river in 1867 and the town slowly expanded until the Land Amendment Act was introduced in 1869 and the surrounding land was quickly taken up by selectors. By the time Charlton became a shire in 1895 the population of the district had grown to almost 3000.
