Moyston - Birthplace of Australian Football (Tom Wills Monument)
Moyston has a special place in Australian sporting history through its association with Thomas Wentworth "Tom" Wills, one of the key pioneers of Australian Rules Football.
Wills spent part of his childhood at Lexington Station near present-day Moyston. He later became one of Australia's leading early cricketers and played a central role in the development of Australian football.
In 1858 Wills publicly called for the creation of a football club and a code of laws to provide cricketers with a winter sport. The following year he was one of four men who wrote the first 10 rules that formed the basis of Australian Football.
Moyston promotes itself as the birthplace of Australian Rules Football and commemorates its connection with Wills through a monument and interpretive display opposite Moyston Recreation Reserve.
The site includes:
- The Tom Wills Monument
- A pavilion containing a six-sided history of Australian Rules Football
- Interpretive information about Tom Wills and his connection with Moyston
- Moyston Recreation Reserve and the local cricket ground, sometimes referred to as the "MCG of Moyston"
Tom Wills Monument
The monument was erected in 1998 as a tribute to Thomas Wentworth Wills and his role in the development of Australian football.
It was designed and constructed by Cray Bros of Stawell with financial support from Westpac Banking Corporation and was unveiled on 17 September 1998 by Australian Football League historian Colin N. Hutchinson.
The monument records Wills' connections with the Melbourne and Geelong football clubs and his childhood at Lexington Station near Moyston.
The monument also presents the local tradition that Wills played Aboriginal ball games with local Aboriginal children during his childhood and that this influenced the later development of Australian football. The extent to which Aboriginal games such as Marngrook directly influenced the codification of Australian Rules Football remains debated by historians.
Moyston Recreation Reserve
Directly opposite the monument is Moyston Recreation Reserve.
Visitors can walk across to the sports ground and kick a football on the local cricket ground, affectionately promoted as the "MCG of Moyston".
The combination of the monument, historical displays and sporting ground makes this an interesting roadside stop for football fans travelling between Ararat and Halls Gap.
Location:
Cnr Ararat-Halls Gap Road and Moyston-Great Western Road, Moyston. The monument is opposite the entrance to Moyston Recreation Reserve.
Location
Cnr Ararat-Halls Gap Road and Moyston-Great Western Road, Moyston 3377 View Map
Web Links
→ moystoncommunity.org/moyston-history
