Omeo, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Omeo is a town in Victoria
, Australia
, located on the Great Alpine Road
, east of Mount Hotham
, in the Shire of East Gippsland. At the 2006 census
, Omeo had a population of 452. The name is derived from the Aboriginal
word for 'mountains' or 'hills'. It serves as the commercial hub for the Tambo and Omeo Valleys.
The Post Office near its present location opened on 1 January 1858. However, two earlier offices in different locations named Omeo were open in 1851 and 1856 to 1857.
Earthquakes in 1885 and 1892, and the Black Friday bushfires
of 1939, caused damage to Omeo, yet several old buildings remain including the historical Omeo Bank House.
, and an agricultural show in November.
The town formerly had an Australian rules football
team competing in the Omeo & District Football League
(ODFL), as well as an affiliated netball
team competing in the associated netball competition. They fielded senior and junior football teams, and senior, junior and midget netball teams, and had the club colours of maroon with white trim. With declines in populations, in 2007 the football and netball clubs merged with neighbouring town Benambra
, to form the Omeo-Benambra (Alpine Ranges) Club. The new club colours are blue, teal
and white, with the logo and jumpers showing teal snow-peaked mountains separated by a blue river under a blue sky.
Omeo has a horse racing club, the Omeo District Racing Club, whose one picnic
meeting a year is the Hinnomunjie Cup meeting held at nearby Hinnomunjie in March.
Golfers play at the course of the Omeo Golf Club on Stanley Drive.
Attractions include the Oriental Claims
, the Cuckoo Clock shop, and white water rafting
on the Mitta Mitta River
. The Cobungra River
, Bundara River, Big River
, and Mitta Mitta River around nearby Anglers Rest
, as well as the Tambo River
, all provide good trout
fishing
.
The "Vegemite Western" Red Hill
was filmed in and around 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...
, located on the Great Alpine Road
Great Alpine Road
The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, and passing through the Australian Alps...
, east of Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. It is home to Hotham Alpine Resort. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. Mt Hotham's summit rises to an altitude of above sea level...
, in the Shire of East Gippsland. 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,...
, Omeo had a population of 452. The name is derived from the Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word for 'mountains' or 'hills'. It serves as the commercial hub for the Tambo and Omeo Valleys.
History
The first reported sighting by Europeans of the wide plain that the Aborigines called 'Omeo' was by the naturalist John Lhotsky from the southern alps in 1834. The area was first visited by stockmen who drove stock through the region as early as 1835. In 1845 gold was found around Omeo, and in the 1860s the goldrush reached its peak.The Post Office near its present location opened on 1 January 1858. However, two earlier offices in different locations named Omeo were open in 1851 and 1856 to 1857.
Earthquakes in 1885 and 1892, and the Black Friday bushfires
Black Friday (1939)
The Black Friday fires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were considered one of the worst natural bushfires in the world, and certainly the single worst in Australian history as a measure of land affected...
of 1939, caused damage to Omeo, yet several old buildings remain including the historical Omeo Bank House.
The town today
The town hosts the Omeo Plains Mountain Festival in December and January each year, a market and rodeo and polo match at Cobungra around EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, and an agricultural show in November.
The town formerly had 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 competing in the Omeo & District Football League
Omeo & District Football League
The Omeo and District Football League is an Australian Rules Football League based out of the Tambo Valley region of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. The ODFL has existed in some form since 1893, and operates under the auspices of the Victorian Country Football League...
(ODFL), as well as an affiliated 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 ...
team competing in the associated netball competition. They fielded senior and junior football teams, and senior, junior and midget netball teams, and had the club colours of maroon with white trim. With declines in populations, in 2007 the football and netball clubs merged with neighbouring town Benambra
Benambra, Victoria
Benambra is a small town located 28 kilometres north-east of Omeo and 430 kilometres east of the state capital Melbourne, in the Australian Alps of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Other nearby towns include Swifts Creek, Ensay, and the major town of Bairnsdale...
, to form the Omeo-Benambra (Alpine Ranges) Club. The new club colours are blue, teal
Teal
Teal may mean:* Teal , a medium greenish-blue color* Various ducks:** Baikal Teal, Anas formosa** Black Teal, Aythya novaeseelandiae** Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors** Brown Teal, Anas aucklandica** Campbell Teal Anas nesiotis...
and white, with the logo and jumpers showing teal snow-peaked mountains separated by a blue river under a blue sky.
Omeo has a horse racing club, the Omeo District Racing Club, whose one picnic
Picnic horse racing
Picnic horse racing, or more usually picnic races or more colloquially "the picnics" refer to amateur Thoroughbred horse racing meetings, predominantly in Australia. The meetings are organized by amateur clubs, the jockeys are amateur riders, or sometimes former professional jockeys...
meeting a year is the Hinnomunjie Cup meeting held at nearby Hinnomunjie in March.
Golfers play at the course of the Omeo Golf Club on Stanley Drive.
Attractions include the Oriental Claims
Oriental Claims
The Oriental Claims are a former gold mining operation, or claim, located 2 km south of Omeo, Victoria, Australia. The Oriental Claims are named in reference to The Oriental Company which mined in the area from 1876 to 1904, and also in memory of the many Chinese miners that worked the area...
, the Cuckoo Clock shop, and white water rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
on the Mitta Mitta River
Mitta Mitta River
The Mitta Mitta River is a major tributary of the Murray River in Australia and the source of approximately 40% of the Murray's flow.The river's headwaters include Victoria's highest mountain, Mount Bogong, with the Mitta Mitta itself forming at the confluence of the Cobungra River and the Big...
. The Cobungra River
Cobungra River
The Cobungra River is a river of Gippsland in eastern Victoria, Australia.The Cobungra River rises below the slopes of the ski resort at Mount Hotham and Mount Loch...
, Bundara River, Big River
Big River (Victoria)
The Big River is a river of Gippsland in eastern Victoria, Australia. It flows from the northern slopes of Falls Creek in the Australian Alps, joining with the Cobungra River near Anglers Rest to form the Mitta Mitta River.-Course:...
, and Mitta Mitta River around nearby Anglers Rest
Anglers Rest, Victoria
Anglers Rest is a locality in Victoria, Australia. It is on the Omeo Highway, north of Omeo in the Shire of East Gippsland, almost totally surrounded by the Alpine National Park...
, as well as the Tambo River
Tambo River (Victoria)
The Tambo River is a river in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia with a total length in excess of 170 km. It is the longest river in the Tambo and Nicholson Basin, extending from the steep forested southern slopes of the Australian Alps through forest and farmland to the Gippsland...
, all provide good trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
The "Vegemite Western" Red Hill
Red Hill (film)
Red Hill is a 2010 Australian thriller film written and directed by Patrick Hughes. The film stars Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley and Tom E. Lewis.-Plot:...
was filmed in and around the town.