Harrow on the Glenelg River. Harrow School was set up by royal charter in 1572. It is popular with the aristocracy including Prime Minister Churchill, barons, earls, lords, royal courtiers and members of the Queen’s household and non-British royals. Seven British PMs, and numerous bishops, military generals and cricketers have attended Harrow School. Explorer Major Thomas Mitchell and his party crossed the Glenelg River at the site of this town on 31st July 1836. The town has two memorials to him – a small pathetic one in the town and an impressive stone one about 3 kms outside of the town. The town emerged at a good crossing point on the Glenelg River and the district was originally known as Upper Glenelg. The pastoral lease estates were generally taken up in the early to mid-1840s and a bush inn was established here in the 1840s.The oldest pastoral lease property was Koot Norien taken out in 1840. Mail could be sent to residents there by 1849 but the town itself was not surveyed until 1852 one year after Apsley near Naracoorte had been surveyed. So Harrow is the second old town in the Western Districts of Victoria. The town was named after Harrow in England and a police outpost was established here in 1853. The town grew very slowly but the prosperous large pastoral estates were well established including heritage listed structures on properties:- such as the Clunie woolshed, Pine Hills homestead 1858, Kout Norien homestead 1855 and Kout Norien woolshed 1848. Mullagh Station was established in 1844 by Patrick Riley and Thomas Barrett and as was usual for the times Aboriginal workers on the station adopted the name Mullagh including one who served in the famous all Aboriginal cricket team that went to England to play the English in 1868 – Johnny Mullagh. There is a memorial to him in the town and the town museum focusses on him and that amazing first overseas Australian sporting event some 14 years before the first white Ashes matches in England. It is the Harrow Discovery Centre and the Johnny Mullagh Interpretive Centre.

Much of the history of Harrow can be seen in its buildings. On the way into the town is Gardner Park with remains of a thick stone stable wall built in the 1850s for Cobb and Co coaches. Above it is the charming wooden Kalang Cottage built much later in 1876 and only relocated to Gardner Park in recent years. Next to the wall is a rare surviving example of a 14 log high lockup or jail erected in the town around 1859. The first police presence in Harrow began in 1853. The lockup used locally available materials. Next to the park is the former Presbyterian Church built in red bricks in 1869. It is now the Uniting Church. It replaced an earlier 1860 built church on this spot then. Further along is the quite modern Anglican Church built up the hill and away from possible flooding. It was built in 1933 and is just 87 years old. At the foot of the church a disused street has been used to display the local sense of humour with Harrow Bone Yard. It is not a real cemetery despite the headstones! In amongst the historic cottages in the main street is the Hermitage Hotel on the right and the former Commercial Banking Company of Sydney on the left. It was built around 1880. The old pub on the right was built either in 1848 or 1854. It was renovated in the 1890s! Opposite it is the modern Discovery and Interpretive Centre. Right next door to that is the former Road Construction Authority Offices built in fine local stone in 1868. It later became the Kowree Shire Council Offices building (1872 to 1887) and is now the home of the local historical society. Further along the street on the left is the old wooden Post Office built in 1885. Next to it on the left is the old wooden Courthouse built in 1877. It is now the RSL Club rooms. Thus you can see that despite being surveyed in 1852 most development of Harrow occurred after 1868.