The town was originally known as Neu Mecklenburg, and was established around 1850.[4] The name was changed to Westgarthtown in honour of William Westgarth, who sponsored German immigration.[4] The name was still in use up until the First World War, when it became officially regarded as part of Thomastown.[5]
In the 1970s, urban sprawl caught up with the village, and though it is now surrounded by suburban housing, the village is protected by the Victorian Heritage Act.
In 2018, Friends of Westgarthtown successfully completed the Museum Accreditation Program. This is a gold-standard program which promotes best practice across all areas of museum management in line with the National Standards for Museums and Galleries. [15][16]
^Westgarthtown, Heritage Council of Victoria, 31 October 2008, archived from the original on 18 October 2009
^ ab"The Beginnings Of The Lutheran Church In Victoria". Pinnaroo And Border Times. Vol. 25, no. 1261. South Australia. 1 March 1935. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia., ...It might be mentioned that the settlement at Neu Mecklenburg was established by immigrants from Mecklenburg, Saxony, and Silesia, and the assertion is made that the choice ; of the name “Neu Mecklenburg” -- did not meet with unanimous hence some; named it “Westgarthtown,” after a Mr. : Westgarth, who had rendered considerable assistance to German immigrants, and 1848 had actually visited Germany in order to induce German prospective emigrants to settle in Victoria. Later, as already stated, the. place was called Thomastown...
^Allan, Lyle (1986), Review of R.N. Wuchatsch, Westgarthtown, in Journal of Intercultural Studies, Vol 7 No 1 62-63