Erica, Victoria

Erica is a town in Victoria, Australia, on Rawson Road, in the Shire of Baw Baw.

Erica Victoria
The township of Erica
Erica
Coordinates	37°59′0″S 146°22′0″E
Population	184 (SAL 2021)[1]
Postcode(s)	3825
Elevation	445 m (1,460 ft)
Location	170 km (106 mi) E of Melbourne 36 km (22 mi) N of Moe 23 km (14 mi) SW of Walhalla
LGA(s)	Shire of Baw Baw
State electorate(s)	Narracan
Federal division(s)	Monash
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 16.7 °C 62 °F 7.9 °C 46 °F 1,104.6 mm 43.5 in
Localities around Erica: McMahons Creek Woods Point Glenmaggie Tanjil Bren Erica Heyfield Moondarra Tyers Glengarry

The area was generally known as Upper Moondarra in the early 1900s, the township of Erica beginning to grow after construction of the railway line from Moe to Walhalla, which passed through the area. When the station opened in 1910 it was named Harris, but had been renamed Erica after a nearby mountain by 1914. As a consequence, the Post Office opened on 14 July 1910 as Upper Moondarra and was renamed Erica in 1914.^[2]

The township of Erica lived mainly from forestry and agriculture, and owing to Walhalla's decline by the 1920s was the largest town on the Moe-Walhalla railway. The section of line past Erica closed to traffic in 1944, save for occasional goods services to Platina station, and the line from Moe to Erica closed completely in 1954.

The Erica Court of Petty Sessions closed in 1968.^[3]

Erica still maintains agricultural and timber industry connections, as well as being a service town for local tourist destinations such as the Thomson Dam, the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, Mount Baw Baw and Mount St Gwinear.

The history of the town and surrounding area is the focus of the Erica and District Historical Society, located in the old Rawson Police Station.^[4]

At the 2011 census, Erica and the surrounding area had a population of 324. The newer town of Rawson is located a few kilometres away.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Erica (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 8 February 2021
3. "Special Report No. 4 - Court Closures in Victoria" (PDF). Auditor-General of Victoria. 1986. p. 20. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
4. "Erica and District Historical Society Inc". Retrieved 27 February 2018.