Steiglitz

History

The von Stieglitz family bought and settled the land on which Steiglitz now sits in 1835. They returned to Ireland in 1853, but retained ownership of the land, upon which gold was found the following year; it became the first auriferous quartz-mining site in Victoria. A settlement of gold-prospectors quickly developed, and took its (misspelled) name from the land's owners. The population reached 2000 by 1863, including roughly 220 Chinese immigrants. The former Steiglitz Court House, built in 1874, just as the town began to experience a significant decline in population, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. It is now a volunteer-run museum. A small wooden Catholic church, St Thomas' Catholic Church, was built in 1868–9. In 1951 the building was moved to Norlane where it served as a church hall, until it was returned to Steiglitz in 1982 as part of the restoration efforts; its churchyard continues to hold only a single grave. Similarly, St Paul's Anglican Church, which had been built in 1871, ceased functioning in 1962, but was restored in 1988 and 1994, having remained in Steiglitz for the whole period.

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,192
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  2,102
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,806
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  1,792
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,789
• Red Wattlebird

  Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  1,748
• Gray Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla harmonica (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,716
• Spotted Pardalote

  Pardalotus punctatus (Shaw, 1792) · Aves
  1,575

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-05-28
  5 km W of Mickleham, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2021-11-05
  4 km S of Rosebud, Australia
• M 3.1 — 2013-05-01
  7 km NW of Clifton Springs, Australia
• M 3 — 2010-03-30
  4 km NNE of Portarlington, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2003-02-02
  9 km N of Trentham, Australia
• M 2.7 — 2001-12-31
  10 km SW of Kilmore, Australia