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The Olde Courthouse Inn Bed & Breakfast is ideally located in South West Victoria and is the perfect holiday destination.

• Set on the rim of magical Tower Hill National Park with kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and emus
• 5 minute drive to fabulous Killarney Beach
• Midway between the City of Warrnambool and the historic fishing port of Port Fairy
• 45 minute drive to the Grampians National Park or The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road
• 30 minute drive to Mount Eccles National Park
• Package deals and off peak rates available

A little touch of Ireland closer to home
Koroit is nestled into the northern slopes of Tower Hill approximately 300 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with a population of 3000 and enjoys a mild climate and a leisurely rural lifestyle.

At the time of European settlement the areas we now know as Tower Hill would have looked very different. The land was thickly forested with drooping she oaks and manna gums, ferns and other plants thriving in the rich chocolate brown soil. The local men of the peek Whuurong tribe of which there was about 120 living in the area were described as being almost 6 feet tall and of stout build, and this is not surprising as their diet was rich and varied, with shellfish, kangaroo and native plants. It is this fertile volcanic soil that is still the very essence of Koroit.

The name koroit was given to the area around Tower Hill by Robert Hoddle, a surveyor in the area. The exact meaning is unsure. It is certainly from the Peek Whuurong but whether it means fire or is the word for Tower Hill itself is still a matter of debate.

Europeans were in the region from the late 1830's and by early 1840's, small pockets of land were under cultivation by farmers. In 1843 William Rutledge from County Caven obtained from the Crown 5120 acres at one pound per acre. He encouraged Irish immigrants to become tenant farmers on his lands. The discovery of gold in Victoria was also an attraction. Following the potato famine (mid 1840) this opportunity was grasped by many Irish families. By the late 1850's the Irish population in the area easily outnumbered the other settlers who were generally Scotts and English.

As well as the historical and architectural significance of the man made streetscape, Koroit is well know today as one of the most intensely Irish settlements in Australia.