Warracknabeal

Warracknabeal
Victoria

Post office and war memorial
Warracknabeal
Coordinates 36°15′0″S 142°25′0″E / 36.25000°S 142.41667°E / -36.25000; 142.41667Coordinates: 36°15′0″S 142°25′0″E / 36.25000°S 142.41667°E / -36.25000; 142.41667
Population 2,745 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 3393
Elevation 113 m (371 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Yarriambiack
State electorate(s) Lowan
Federal Division(s) Mallee
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
22.2 °C
72 °F		 8.6 °C
47 °F		 397.4 mm
15.6 in

Warracknabeal (/ˈwɒrɪknəbiːl/ WORR-ik-nə-beel) is a wheatbelt town in the Australian state of Victoria.[2] Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km north-west of Melbourne, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee districts, and hosts local government offices of the Shire of Yarriambiack. At the 2011 census Warracknabeal district had a population of 2,745,[1] of which 2,340 lived in the urban town centre.[3]

History

The original inhabitants of the area around Warracknabeal were the Wotjobaluk tribe of Aboriginal people. The town's name is believed to derive from an aboriginal expression meaning "place of big gums shading the water hole". The earliest European settlers in the area included Andrew and Robert Scott, who established the first run of the name.[4]

The Post Office opened on 1 September 1861 and was known as Werracknebeal until 1885.[5]

Amongst the historical buildings are an 1872 prison cell built from red and yellow gum, a Tudor-style post office, several 19th century hotels and pubs, and a four storey water tower from 1886. There is also an agricultural machinery museum housing pieces from the history of farming in the Mallee and Wimmera districts.

Localities

The Warracknabeal bounded locality includes the rural neighbourhoods of Batchica 36°11′10″S 142°23′54″E / 36.1862°S 142.3982°E / -36.1862; 142.3982 (Batchica) (whose post office opened as Yellanghip South in 1908, was renamed Batchica in 1909 and closed in 1931), Challambra 36°14′46″S 142°31′53″E / 36.2460°S 142.5315°E / -36.2460; 142.5315 (Challambra) (whose post office opened as Challamba Dam (sic) around 1902, was renamed Challamba in 1905 and closed in 1918) and Mellis 36°17′47″S 142°28′57″E / 36.2963°S 142.4824°E / -36.2963; 142.4824 (Mellis) (whose post office opened around 1907 and closed in 1954).[5]

Healthcare

The town is serviced by four doctors and one pharmacy. Hospital services are provided by Rural Northwest Health.[6]

Schools

The town has four schools: Warracknabeal Secondary College, Warracknabeal Primary School, St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Warracknabeal Special Developmental School.

Sport

The town has an Australian rules football team (Warrack Eagles) competing in the Wimmera Football League.

Warrack Eagles Netball Club competes strongly in the Wimmera Netball Association.

The town also has a Yarriambiack Tennis Association. The town's teams consist of Bangerang, Buh, Cannum and Ailsa.

The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around six race meetings a year at Warracknabeal including the Warracknabeal Cup meeting in February.[7]

It also has the Sheep Hills Race Club, which schedules two race meetings a year, including the Sheep Hills Cup meeting in February.[8]

Golfers play at the course of the Warracknabeal Golf Club.[9]

Warracknabeal also has a Cricket team (St Marys Cricket Club) who have just recently won their 3rd consecutive Flag in the Wimmera Mallee Cricket Association.

Warracknabeal has 3 hockey teams, a senior men's team (Hoops) a women's team, and a mixed junior team (Revengers) who were winners of the 2011 premiership.

Warracknabeal also has a roller Derby team, Wheat City Derby Angels. They participate in tournaments around Victoria

Governance

Former Town Hall

Warracknabeal is the seat of government for the Shire of Yarriambiack. It is also the administrative centre. The council offices are located in Lyle Street.

The former town hall and theatre complex (built 1939-40), added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2009, is now used for civic purposes.

Easter Y-Fest

YFest incorporates an Easter Saturday Street Parade, a 3 Day Vintage Machinery Rally at Wheatlands Museum, 4 Day Golf Tournament, 3 day Art Show, Easter Saturday Race Meeting and Waterski Spectacular. The town of 2400 people swells with many visitors, friends and family and offers many family and rich community events every year.

The Easter Y-Fest is in its twenty-fifth year (2013) and continues to grow stronger as the individual events that make up Y-Fest, benefit from the joint marketing efforts of the Y-Fest Promotions Committee Inc. This Committee, made up of representatives from each of the individual event committees and Council, was formed as a marketing group to promote the Y-Fest concept and has been successful in boosting attendances at all venues.

Notable people

Arts and media

Military

Politics

Sport

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Warracknabeal (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Worthington, Brett (29 August 2014). "Victorian wheat belt desperate for rain". ABC Rural. Australia. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Warracknabeal (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Australian Places, 1993.
  5. 1 2 Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
  6. ↑ "Acute Care RNH". RNH Webpage. RNH. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  7. ↑ Country Racing Victoria, Wimmera Racing at Warracknabeal, retrieved 2009-05-07 Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Country Racing Victoria, Sheep Hills Race Club, retrieved 2009-05-07 Archived 23 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Golf Select, Warracknabeal, retrieved 2009-05-11

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