Kyabram, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district
in the Goulburn River Valley, 200 kilometres north of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. Kyabram, the second largest town in the Shire of Campaspe. is situated between the towns of Echuca
and Shepparton
and is close to the Murray River
. As of the 2006 census the town had a population of 7108 people and provides services to a district population of around 16,000.
The township started in the 1870s with town blocks sold in 1876. Kyabram Post Office opened on 23 September 1878. Sheridan Post Office opened on 1 December 1884. On 8 April 1886, in anticipation of the arrival of the railway at what was then Sheridan, Kyabram was renamed Kyabram East and Sheridan was renamed Kyabram.
The name of the town is thought to derive from an Aboriginal word Kiambram meaning "Thick Forest". The Bangerang people were the previous settlers in the Goulburn valley. The Kyabram Mechanics' Institute was built in 1891.
John Allan
, who lived in Kyabram from 1873, became Premier of Victoria in 1924 and Australia's first Country Party
premier. Allan was associated with the Kyabram Reform Movement at the start of the twentieth century, a political campaign which succeeded in reducing the number of state parliamentarians.
Kyabram was formally proclaimed a town on 4 July 1973.
The district is dependent on the primary industries of dairying and fruit orchard
s. Henry Jones IXL
, a subsidiary of SPC Ardmona
, operate a plant in the town, manufacturing IXL jams. The town provides engineering, financial advisors, solicitors and accounting services to the district. Nestlé
(Tongala), Heinz
(Girgarre
) and Bonlac (Stanhope) all have food processing plants nearby.
Medical and aged care services in the town include a 46 bed hospital, a 30 bed home for the aged, infant welfare centre, ambulance station, several doctors, dentists and other health practitioners. In education Kyabram has now combined three state schools (Kyabram Secondary College
, Dawes Rd and Haslem St Primary Schools) to one P-12 school containing three campuses (Dawes, Haslem and Fisher). Kyabram also has a Roman Catholic primary and secondary school (St Augustine's), two kindergartens and the Kyabram Community & Learning Centre providing community services and adult learning opportunities for the people of Kyabram and the surrounding region. The local newspaper is called the Kyabram Free Press, a part of the McPherson media group in the region, with a circulation of roughly 3300 copies (Victorian Country Press Association 2008).
Surrounding smaller towns include Merrigum
(pop. 490), Lancaster
, Undera, Cooma, Wyuna, Kyvalley, Girgarre, Stanhope
and Tongala
.
Attractions include the Kyabram Fauna Park
, a 55 hectare reserve housing five hundred species of wildlife. There are free-roaming kangaroo
s and emu
s and hides to observe a variety of water birds.
and cricket
. Jim Higgs
was a spin bowler from Kyabram who played for Australia during the late 1970s. The local football team is known as the Bombers who compete in the Goulburn Valley Football League
. Kyabram has produced a number of AFL
recruits such as Brett Deledio
and Kayne Pettifer
, both at Richmond. Other players include former Melbourne & Victorian Captain Gary Lyon.
Netball and Soccer are also Popular in Kyabram.
Golfers play at the course of the Kyabram Valley View Golf and Bowls Club on Curr Road, Mount Scobie, or at the Kyabram Parkland Golf Club, the home of the Victorian Par 3 Amateur Championships, on Racecourse Rd, Kyabram.
on his debut album Since Kyabram. O'Rourke picked up his first acoustic guitar while living in the town as a teenager.
Irrigation district
In the United States an irrigation district is a cooperative, self-governing public corporation set up as a subdivision of the State government, with definite geographic boundaries, organized, and having taxing power to obtain and distribute water for irrigation of lands within the district;...
in the Goulburn River Valley, 200 kilometres north of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
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...
. Kyabram, the second largest town in the Shire of Campaspe. is situated between the towns of Echuca
Echuca, Victoria
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...
and Shepparton
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
and is close to the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
. As of the 2006 census the town had a population of 7108 people and provides services to a district population of around 16,000.
The township started in the 1870s with town blocks sold in 1876. Kyabram Post Office opened on 23 September 1878. Sheridan Post Office opened on 1 December 1884. On 8 April 1886, in anticipation of the arrival of the railway at what was then Sheridan, Kyabram was renamed Kyabram East and Sheridan was renamed Kyabram.
The name of the town is thought to derive from an Aboriginal word Kiambram meaning "Thick Forest". The Bangerang people were the previous settlers in the Goulburn valley. The Kyabram Mechanics' Institute was built in 1891.
John Allan
John Allan (Australian politician)
John Allan , Australian politician, was the 29th Premier of Victoria. He was born near Lancefield, where his father was a farmer of Scottish origin, and educated at state schools. He took up wheat and dairy farming at Wyuna and was director of a butter factory at Kyabram...
, who lived in Kyabram from 1873, became Premier of Victoria in 1924 and Australia's first Country Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
premier. Allan was associated with the Kyabram Reform Movement at the start of the twentieth century, a political campaign which succeeded in reducing the number of state parliamentarians.
Kyabram was formally proclaimed a town on 4 July 1973.
The district is dependent on the primary industries of dairying and fruit orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s. Henry Jones IXL
Henry Jones IXL
Henry Jones IXL is a company primarily known as a manufacturer of jams, conserves and sauces in Australia.-History:The company was first established by Henry Jones in Hobart in 1891 as H. Jones & Company. The company derived from Jones' employment with George Peacock's jam factory from 1874...
, a subsidiary of SPC Ardmona
SPC Ardmona
SPC Ardmona is an Australian-based company that specialises in large fruit packing and owns and operates a canning factory in Shepparton, Victoria. It has many workers and is one of the main sources of income for that area. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of the former Shepparton Preserving...
, operate a plant in the town, manufacturing IXL jams. The town provides engineering, financial advisors, solicitors and accounting services to the district. Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
(Tongala), Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
(Girgarre
Girgarre
Girgarre is a small town in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Campaspe Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Girgarre and surrounding area had a population of 633.-History:...
) and Bonlac (Stanhope) all have food processing plants nearby.
Medical and aged care services in the town include a 46 bed hospital, a 30 bed home for the aged, infant welfare centre, ambulance station, several doctors, dentists and other health practitioners. In education Kyabram has now combined three state schools (Kyabram Secondary College
Kyabram Secondary College
Kyabram Secondary College was a small high school in the country town of Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. The school had 819 students attending from a 20 km radius around Kyabram.The school was built in 1956...
, Dawes Rd and Haslem St Primary Schools) to one P-12 school containing three campuses (Dawes, Haslem and Fisher). Kyabram also has a Roman Catholic primary and secondary school (St Augustine's), two kindergartens and the Kyabram Community & Learning Centre providing community services and adult learning opportunities for the people of Kyabram and the surrounding region. The local newspaper is called the Kyabram Free Press, a part of the McPherson media group in the region, with a circulation of roughly 3300 copies (Victorian Country Press Association 2008).
Surrounding smaller towns include Merrigum
Merrigum, Victoria
Merrigum is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. The town is in the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Merrigum had a population of 451....
(pop. 490), Lancaster
Lancaster, Victoria
Lancaster is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Campaspe and the City of Greater Shepparton...
, Undera, Cooma, Wyuna, Kyvalley, Girgarre, Stanhope
Stanhope, Victoria
Stanhope is a small town in north central Victoria, Australia. Stanhope is from Shepparton. It lies north of the state capital Melbourne and south east of Canberra the capital city of Australia...
and Tongala
Tongala, Victoria
Tongala is a small town between Kyabram and Echuca in the Goulburn River valley in northern Victoria, Australia, part of the Shire of Campaspe. At the 2006 census, Tongala had a population of 1623.-History:...
.
Attractions include the Kyabram Fauna Park
Kyabram Fauna Park
The Kyabram Fauna Park is the premier Fauna Park in Country Victoria, based in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia.Launched as a non-profit venture in 1976, the Park is a sanctuary to over 400 species of animal in an area of 55ha, who can all be viewed and many interacted with. The Fauna Park offers a...
, a 55 hectare reserve housing five hundred species of wildlife. There are free-roaming kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s and emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s and hides to observe a variety of water birds.
Sport
Popular sports in Kyabram include Australian rules footballAustralian 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...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Jim Higgs
Jim Higgs
James Donald Higgs is a former Australian leg spinner who played in 22 Tests from 1978 to 1981.Higgs began his district cricket career at Melbourne University, where he studied civil engineering, before transferring to Richmond. He made his début for Victoria against Western Australia...
was a spin bowler from Kyabram who played for Australia during the late 1970s. The local football team is known as the Bombers who compete in the Goulburn Valley Football League
Goulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia...
. Kyabram has produced a number of AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
recruits such as Brett Deledio
Brett Deledio
Brett Deledio is an Australian rules football player currently playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Early life/career:...
and Kayne Pettifer
Kayne Pettifer
Kayne Pettifer was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Pettifer first attracted the talent scouts when he was awarded the Larke Medal for his outstanding performance during the Australian Vic Country's Under 18 team at the 2000 AFL National Under 18 Championships...
, both at Richmond. Other players include former Melbourne & Victorian Captain Gary Lyon.
Netball and Soccer are also Popular in Kyabram.
Golfers play at the course of the Kyabram Valley View Golf and Bowls Club on Curr Road, Mount Scobie, or at the Kyabram Parkland Golf Club, the home of the Victorian Par 3 Amateur Championships, on Racecourse Rd, Kyabram.
Notable residents
Kyabram is referenced by Irish singer-songwriter Declan O'RourkeDeclan O'Rourke
Declan O'Rourke is a 33 year old platinum record singer/songwriter from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:At the age of 13, when living in Australia with his family, O'Rourke was given his first guitar by a priest in Kyabram who recognised his potential and love for music, hence the title of his debut album...
on his debut album Since Kyabram. O'Rourke picked up his first acoustic guitar while living in the town as a teenager.