The settlement of Digby in south western Victoria was established at a river crossing on the Stokes River (Emu Creek), on the Emu Creek Pastoral Run. It was one of the early settlements on the wagon route north from Portland Bay to the rich pastoral lands of the interior soon after the first permanent settlement of Portland Bay by the Henty Brothers in 1834. The Hentys took up the pastoral runs of "Merino Downs", "Sandford" and "Muntham" to the north of Digby in 1837.

According to Les Blake's book : "Place Names of Victoria", Digby, Victoria was named after the village of Digby in Lincolnshire, England. You can visit the Village of Digby website in Lincolnshire at - www.digbyvillage.co.uk.

1834 - The Henty Brothers establish the first permanent Victorian settlement at Portland Bay.

1836 - In August, 1836 Major Thomas Mitchell passed a few miles to the west of present day Digby as he explored down the Glenelg River and then onto Portland Bay where he meets and tells the Henty Brothers about the rich grazing lands to the north.

1837 - The Hentys take up land, which they later call "Merino Downs" to the north of what is to become Emu Creek (Digby). They also settled the adjoining Pastoral Runs of "Sandford" and "Muntham" in the same year with sheep first arriving at "Muntham" on 3 August 1837.

1839 - Duncan McRAE visited Port Phillip in Dec., 1839 from Van Diemen's Land. Then, in partnership with Alexander ROSE of "Cora Lynn", near Launceston, he shipped 800 sheep and supplies to Portland Bay in 1840 and took up land in the Wannon country, adjoining that occupied by the Hentys. He paid his licence before the Hentys and thus thought to have become the first legal squatter in the area.

1841 - "Glenorchy" Pastoral Run occupied by Duncan McRAE.

1842 - Donald McKENZIE along with his hut keeper Frederick EDINGE, killed by Aborigines at his station on the Emu Creek near Digby, Vic. in March 1842.

1843 - According to Noel Learmonth in his 1934 book "The Portland Bay Settlement"

"On Emu Creek, Richard LEWIS opened the Woolpack inn on July 1, 1843; it was on the creek bank below modern Digby. LEWIS is famous as the importer of the great thoroughbred jumper, King Alfred." Richard LEWIS who later bought "Rifle Downs" had the "Woolpack" Inn built at Emu Creek and it was comprised of 14 rooms, a kitchen, dairy and outhouses, a brick stable with 20 stalls, a permanent well in the front yard, three acres of land and a garden plus an attached store of four rooms and a 40 foot loft above. This inn was burnt down in 1887 and Mrs SOUTHERN who held the licence was jailed for two years for deliberately burning it down, but she was later found to be innocent.

1844 - "Glenorchy" Pastoral Run occupied by Alexander ROSE from Van Diemen's Land and he held it until 1855.

1845 - "Glenlivet" Pastoral Run occupied by Duncan McRAE.

1845 - "Rifle Downs" Pastoral Run occupied by James CRAWFORD who died in August 1848.

1845 - "Pleasant Hills" Pastoral Run settled.

1846 - Ottey's Store the first store built in Digby at the foot of the hill on the main road close to Emu Creek.

1846 - Nathaniel BURGESS (Blacksmith) and family said to have moved from Portland and set up a Blacksmith business at Digby. Nathanial and wife Mary BARRATT had arrived at Melbourne from London in 1841.

1847 - Digby consisted of an Inn, a blacksmith and a cluster of huts along the creek supposedly for protection against the Aborigines. Water for drinking, etc was carried with the use of a wooden yoke placed across the shoulders to carry two buckets.

1848 - James Henty mentions in his diary of 2 Oct 1848 - "We started on the road to the Bay [Portland Bay], calling at Emu Creek [Digby] where there is a little village and a good Inn kept by Rd. LEWIS."

1848 - James HAMILTON recalled as a ten year old from Bringalbert Station north of Casterton taking a dray load of wool through Digby to Portland.

..... Next day we got to the Emu Creek, where Digby is situated, and camped there for the night. Digby at that time had a public house, store, blacksmith's shop, and a few huts. We had to ford the creek there too. The hotel was kept by Richard LEWIS, who prospered so well that he bought the Rifle Downs station. While on a visit to England, he bought the celbrated blood stallion, King Alfred, the sire of many a grand steeplechaser, and one of the best horses ever brought to Victoria. He also brought a very fine stamp of a draught stallion, "Agronomer". Both these horses stood at Rifle Downs for a number of years. From Digby we made the Smoky River next day.....

1849 - The first Church of England service held in the district was in 1849 at "Rifle Downs" then owned by Mr Richard LEWIS. It was conducted by Rev. Dr. F. T. Cusack Russell, who had just been appointed to the Wannon Valley as vicar, by Bishop PERRY, the first Bishop of Melbourne.

1852 - Digby was surveyed and gazetted a township by Mr Lindsay CLARKE, Government Surveyor.

1856 - A second Inn which was to become The Digby Hotel was built by William BUCKLE of "Rifle Ranges". It was a structure of some 13 rooms with a valuable spring at the front door, and a stock yard with a capacity of 600 head, used to hold travelling stock in safe keeping while the drovers and bullockies enjoyed the hospitality of the house at a price. This hotel was destroyed by fire in 1935 while owned by Mr WALSH with the licence held by Mr M. McDONALD. Mrs WALSH rebuilt the hotel on the present site and it was officially opened in 1936.

1857 - Digby's first school, built on the site of the Church of England Sunday School, was a church school run by a Mr & Mrs MORRISON. It catered for the outlying districts and also took in a few borders. The school was well established in 1857.

1857 - Visit by James BONWICK on his Horseback ride through western Victoria in 1857.

DIGBY on the Emu Creek, or Stokes river of Mitchell, is ten miles north of Hotspur. This township is favoured with a monthly service, and a good Church of England School. There are a score of houses and two hotels. Many of the people are splitters in the adjoining Stringybark forest, and others are carriers of the shingles, palings, and post rails for many miles around the country to settlers. The soil about the place is hopelessly barren. There are no farms to relieve the landscape, no clearings in the forest. A vast amount of detritus covers the district, so that the rock is not seen. Further on, the country looks better from the character of its gentle undulations, especially when the dull and black Stringybark is succeeded by the more cheerful looking Gum, Cherry, &c., reminding one strongly of that charming suburb of Melbourne,- Boroondara.

1859 - The first sitting of the Court of Petty Sessions held in Digby. The police station was believed to have been in Jim MABBITT's Store (Bert Guthridge's).

1859 - in September, 1859 Joseph JOYCE applied for and was granted a publican's license for the Wool Pack Inn with surities being Hugh GLANCY of Rifle Ranges and Donald McCALLUM of Digby.

1860 - Digby was served by a post office, with mails to and from Portland by coach twice weekly, a court of petty sessions, in a new wooden building, a police station, two hotels, a Chrch of England School and a number of other dwellings. Digby had two police constables to control the rapidly growing population. With bullockies travelling through, the court house was never short of business, much of which was only of a minor nature. e.g. one gentleman was charged with insulting behaviour in a public (the inn) and he was fined 10 shillings with one pound 17/6 costs.

1861 - Rev. Dr. Cusack Russell laid the foundation stone for St John's Church of England in April of this year and by December the church was consecrated and opened for services.

1861 - Land sales in the Digby Courthouse netted the sum of 5000 pounds for the Crown

1861 - Court Perserverance No 3319, Ancient Order of Forresters (AOF) was formed in Digby as a benefit court, in which doctors were paid by the court and sick pay for a member was at the rate of one pound per week. Chemists charges were also covered and members received interment fees of 10 pounds on the death of a wife and 20 pounds on the death of a husband. The dispensation for this court was granted by executive council bearing the date 4 Oct 1861.

1862 - ELDRIDGE & RICE were operating a steam saw mill at Digby.

1864 - The Digby Common School No 191 opened with an enrolment of 46 pupils. By December the number had risen to 59 with most of the students aged between 6 and 10, but 8 of them were under 4. The teachers Mr & Mrs Eastwood were paid one shilling per pupil.

1867 - The first entry in the marriage register of St John's Church of England was for the wedding of William Harvey JACKSON and Jane CLIFFORD on 23 Sep 1867.

1868 - Mr Tom BURGESS and Mr HOWARTH set up a saw mill near Digby.

1868 - Digby Mechanics Institute and Library had land reserved for its construction by an order in council dated 10 Aug 1868. It was built soon after and has been operating continually ever since.

1869 - The first sitting of the Supreme Court to be held outside Melbourne was held at the Digby Court in 1869.

1870 - Due to a shift in population the Digby Court House Building which had been built in 1860 was moved to Merino at a cost of 155 pounds.

1871 - Benn's saw mill opened.

1871 - Joseph POVEY selected 97 acres at Teakettle Creek on the Digby - Dartmoor Road

1873 - The Ancient Order of Foresters (AOF) Hall was built in 1873 at the cost of 244 pounds. It was the only public building of any size so most community activities were held in it. The "Band of Hope" used it as a meeting place at the monthly rental of 10 shillings. Dances were held there periodically and a free library was also operated.. Private citizens were able to rent it for various functions.

1874 - Digby, with a population of 350, was served by a post office, two hotels, four stores One of which was combined with the post office), an insurance agent, one school, a Forester's Lodge, a Band of Hope, a butcher, baker, blacksmith, wheelwright, carpenter (who was the undertaker), shoemaker, a combined butcher-baker, Mechanics Institute, and a town herdsman.

1874 - The Church of England Sunday School opened this year with 28 boys and 26 girls and Nathaniel R BURGESS as Superintendant and six teachers assisting. It closed in 1935 through lack of pupils and teachers.

1875 - The Digby Wesleyan Church was established this year on the triangular corner of the Portland and Dartmoor Roads.

1878 - The new brick Digby State School No 2047 was constructed in 1878 on the site of the present school, the numbers continued to grow to a maximum of about 100 pupils. The school residence was built in 1890.

1880 - The vicarage of St John's Church of England was built in the 1880's as a residence for Rev MOODY.

1888 - Digby South School No 2876 was opened with the teacher being Mrs HIGHLAND. Children walked up to 5 miles to and from school. Other teachers were Miss RIDDLE and Miss DRUMMOND and this school closed in 1898 through a lack of pupils.

1889 - The police station was shifted to Merino with Constable BROWN being the last policeman.

1917 - Digby World War 1 Avenue of Honour Tree planting ceremony.

1919, 26 Feb - Digby Show postponed due to Spanish Flu.

1991, 27 Jan - Digby World War 1 Avenue of Honour restoration, during which new bronze name plaques were located under each of the 97 trees in the Avenue of Honour