page_title: Hamilton, Victoria
section_title: Attractions and events
hierarchical_section_title: Hamilton, Victoria / Attractions and events
caption_attribution_description: English: The gates to the Botanical Gardens at en:Hamilton, Victoria
context_page_description: Hamilton is a large town in south-western Victoria, Australia, at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway. The Hamilton Highway connects it to Geelong.
  Hamilton is in the federal Division of Wannon, and is in the Southern Grampians local government area.
  Hamilton claims to be the "Wool Capital of the World", based on its strong historical links to sheep grazing which continue today. The town uses the tagline "Greater Hamilton: one place, many possibilities".
context_section_description: In 1881 William Guilfoyle, the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne was employed to design the Hamilton Botanic Gardens. Set in 4 acres (1.6 ha), the gardens are distinguished by rare botanic species, a superbly restored rotunda, a small zoo featuring rabbits, cockatiels and budgerigars and playground and the ornate Thomson Fountain. The National Trust of Australia classified the gardens in 1990 with eight tree species listed on the Register of Significant Trees in Victoria.
  Hamilton Gallery Established in 1961, Hamilton Gallery's renowned collection features a decorative arts focus (well over half of its collection) of both Australian and International objects from the 17th century through to the present. Asian art and Australian paintings and prints are strongly represented but the Gallery is perhaps most well known for its rare collection of gouache and watercolour pictures by English landscape painter Paul Sandby (1731-1809).
  Sheepvention, a wool-related trade-show and exhibition is held in the Hamilton Show-grounds in the first Monday & Tuesday of August each year, and attracts up to 20,000 visitors.  It has a similar feel to an Agricultural show but is focused on wool and sheep.  The Hamilton Agricultural Show is normally held in November.
  The Big Wool Bales was an attraction (now closed) consisting of five linked structures designed to resemble five gigantic woolbales - a tribute to the importance of the local wool industry. Together they formed a building and a cafe containing wool-related displays such as historical memorabilia, including farming and shearing equipment, wool scales, old horse harnesses, wool presses and weaving looms, along with wool samples and rural clothing.
  The Keeping Place is a small museum and living history centre run by local indigenous people.
  The Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum celebrates the founding of Ansett Australia in Hamilton in 1935 and displays items from the early days of the Ansett Airlines' operation.
caption: The gates to the Hamilton Botanical Gardens
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