Saint Paul's Laanecoorie

Quick links

Laanecoorie is a small town on the banks of the Loddon River, some 27 km from Maldon and 43 km form Bendigo. The first white settlers in the area were pastoralists who established a sheep run in 1840 named Janevale. At this time there were a large tribe of indigenous people living in the area who called it Languycoorie, meaning large water hole, hence the name laanacoorie.

In 1891 the weir on the Loddon was completed, but in 1909 a flood swept away part of the earthen embankment and destroyed the bridge alongside the township.

The replacement bridge, completed in 1911, was designed by John Monash, later knighted for his service as an army commander. The bridge remains today, and is on the Australian Institute of Engineers register of historic bridges, as one of the few surviving examples of it's type.

In the 1940s the town had a general store, post office, motor garage with Holden dealership, hall and two resident clergymen for the Methodist and Anglican Pariishes.

Today all that is left is the hall, some houses and the United and Anglican churches.

Saint Paul's was first built in 1908, services being held in the Mechanics Insitite prior to this.

Unfortunately the termites extracted their toll, requiring the church to be rebuilt and rededicated in 1953.