Colbinabbin, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Colbinabbin is a small town in central Victoria
, Australia
. The name is derived from aboriginal meaning "the meeting of the black and red soils". At the 2006 census
, Colbinabbin and the surrounding area had a population of 111.
A township was established in the 1870s, the Post Office opening on 9 August 1872.
In the 1930s the area had significant change with the construction of the Waranga - Mallee channel, which bisects the town. Irrigation
altered land use to the north of the town and to this day has made it very productive farmland. Cereal cropping and livestock production have been important industries in the Colbinabbin area. Since the late 1960s tomatoes have been produced for processing into sauces and pastes. A local company also specialises in semi-dried tomatoes for the export market.
s have been established in the area, especially along the Mount Camel Range, known colloquially as 'The hill'. The red volcanic soil of the Mount Camel Range was formed in Cambrian
times and is ideal for grape production. The easterly aspect, irrigation water and warm climate have accelerated this development. Shiraz is the most common variety grown. This area forms part of the Heathcote Wine Region.
Colbinabbin has an active community fielding teams in several sports including an Australian rules football
team playing in the Heathcote District Football League
, netball
, tennis, lawn bowls and cricket sides. The Colbinabbin Football Club recently won the Senior Premiership in the Heathcote District Football League by defeating Heathcote by 22 points at the Grand Final held at Huntly.
Colbinabbin has featured prominently in regional media with the construction of a pipeline connecting the Waranga-Mallee channel to Lake Eppalock
and onto Ballarat
. This 'superpipe' will draw water from the main channel at a location just north of the town.
Local opposition to this development has been reported on ABC
news and a petition against further drawing of water from the Goulburn system has been initiated.
A protest on August 31 saw the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby
, unable to leave the pipeline compound for seventy five minutes.
This was reported widely in the media, including ABC news and The Herald Sun newspaper.
Water from the Goulburn River
is diverted at the Goulburn Weir
and sent via the Stuart Murray and Cattanach Canals to the Waranga Basin. Approximately 91% of the flow of the Goulburn River is diverted at this point. This provides much of the water that flows along the Waranga Mallee channel that bisects the town.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The name is derived from aboriginal meaning "the meeting of the black and red soils". At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Colbinabbin and the surrounding area had a population of 111.
History
Located on the banks of Cornella Creek, Colbinabbin was first settled in the 1850s.A township was established in the 1870s, the Post Office opening on 9 August 1872.
In the 1930s the area had significant change with the construction of the Waranga - Mallee channel, which bisects the town. Irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
altered land use to the north of the town and to this day has made it very productive farmland. Cereal cropping and livestock production have been important industries in the Colbinabbin area. Since the late 1960s tomatoes have been produced for processing into sauces and pastes. A local company also specialises in semi-dried tomatoes for the export market.
The town today
Colbinabbin in recent years has seen a boom in wine growing and a substantial number of vineyardVineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s have been established in the area, especially along the Mount Camel Range, known colloquially as 'The hill'. The red volcanic soil of the Mount Camel Range was formed in Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
times and is ideal for grape production. The easterly aspect, irrigation water and warm climate have accelerated this development. Shiraz is the most common variety grown. This area forms part of the Heathcote Wine Region.
Colbinabbin has an active community fielding teams in several sports including an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
team playing in the Heathcote District Football League
Heathcote District Football League
The Heathcote District Football League is based in Central Victoria. The league is a minor country league with teams drawn from smaller localities within part of the area of the major Bendigo Football League.-History:...
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, tennis, lawn bowls and cricket sides. The Colbinabbin Football Club recently won the Senior Premiership in the Heathcote District Football League by defeating Heathcote by 22 points at the Grand Final held at Huntly.
Colbinabbin has featured prominently in regional media with the construction of a pipeline connecting the Waranga-Mallee channel to Lake Eppalock
Lake Eppalock
Lake Eppalock is a man-made lake located in North Central Victoria, Australia. It's situated on the Campaspe River between the city of Bendigo and the town of Heathcote and serves as a major water storage facility for both places...
and onto Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
. This 'superpipe' will draw water from the main channel at a location just north of the town.
Local opposition to this development has been reported on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
news and a petition against further drawing of water from the Goulburn system has been initiated.
A protest on August 31 saw the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby , is an Australian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became Premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election...
, unable to leave the pipeline compound for seventy five minutes.
This was reported widely in the media, including ABC news and The Herald Sun newspaper.
Water from the Goulburn River
Goulburn River (Victoria)
The Goulburn River is a major inland river in Victoria, Australia.The headwaters of the Goulburn River rise in the western end of the Victoria Alps, near Mount Buller. The Eildon Dam creates Lake Eildon, a major storage of water for irrigation...
is diverted at the Goulburn Weir
Goulburn Weir
Goulburn Weir is a weir built between 1887 and early 1891 across the Goulburn River near Nagambie, Victoria, Australia. It was the first major diversion structure built for irrigation development in Australia. The weir also forms Lake Nagambie where rowing regattas and waterskiing tournaments are...
and sent via the Stuart Murray and Cattanach Canals to the Waranga Basin. Approximately 91% of the flow of the Goulburn River is diverted at this point. This provides much of the water that flows along the Waranga Mallee channel that bisects the town.