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Captain John Hepburn Print Page 
The marble tablet commemorates Captain John Hepburn who is acknowledged as the founder of Smeaton. Hepburn was a landholder and pastoralist.
Hepburn had hoped to settle on the country he had passed through in 1836 but found it was all taken. From Mount Alexander, Hepburn sited Mount Kooroocheang, and the Major Mitchell`s Mammaloid Hills. The party moved on to establish the Smeaton Hill Run on 15 April 1838. William Coghill travelled further west, crossing Bullarook Creek and establishing Glendaruel and then Glendonald. Captain Hepburn named Smeaton Hill station after a small hamlet which lay near his birthplace. The homestead which he named Smeaton House, was constructed in 1849-50 and is occupied today. Hepburn founded the rural town of Smeaton and the town of Hepburn Springs is named after him.
Location
| Address: | Creswick - Newstead Road , Smeaton Presbyterian Church, Smeaton, 3364 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.318566 Long: 143.948065 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
This tablet was erected by the people of Smeaton as a tribute of respect to the memory & worth of John Hepburn Esq JP
He came to Smeaton April 15 1837 and died August 7, 1860
Aged 59 years.
