Ouyen, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Ouyen is a town in Victoria, Australia
, located in the Rural City of Mildura
at the junction of the Calder Highway
and Mallee Highway
, 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) south of Mildura
and 441 km (274 mi) north-west of Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
the town had a population of 1,061.
Aborigines
. The name is believed to be derived from the Wergaia word 'wuya-wuya', which some believe means 'pink-eared duck', whilst others claim it means 'ghost waterhole'.
The town was established around the Ouyen railway station
, built in 1906 on the Mildura Line.The Post Office opened on 22 October 1907
It is also the junction for a railway line west parallel to the Mallee Highway. This line is presently in poor condition and used only for collecting grain from silos in small towns between Ouyen and the South Australian border, as the Victorian part is broad gauge
, but the line from Pinnaroo
to Tailem Bend
has been converted to standard gauge
, with no facility for handling the break of gauge. The line was used for interstate freight and The Overland as a broad gauge connection while the main Melbourne to Adelaide line (through Bordertown
) was being converted from broad to standard gauge in 1995.
Property became available for purchase in 1910, and much of it was cleared for sheep grazing, and crops of wheat
and oats
.
for shipping, or to flour mills for processing.
Ouyen has an Australian rules football
team Ouyen United (Ouyen plus TGP United (for Tempy
, Gorya, Patchewollock
) competing in the Mallee Football League
.
Golfers play at the course of the Ouyen Golf Club on Daker Street.
The area of the locality contains a number of previous localities which existed when the population was larger, on the Mallee Highway Galah
about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west which had a post office open from 1911 (when the railway arrived) until 1976, Galah North34°59′S 142°10′E with a post office from 1925 until 1927 and Tiega 35°05′S 142°13′E with a post office from 1911 until 1961; to the southwest Timberoo and Timberoo South with a post office from 1913 until 1933; in the north Wymlet with a post office from 1912 until 1963, Trinita with a post office from 1925 until 1936, Kiamal with a post office from 1917 until 1980 and Cramerton with a post office from 1924 until 1969; and in the south Boulka with a post office in 1921, Bronzewing with a post office from 1921 until 1967, Nunga with a post office from 1914 until 1967, Gypsum Siding with a post office from 1922 until 1940, Boorongie and Boorongie North.
The town also hosts an Autumn Art Show in April and the Mallee Wildflower Festival in October and was the location for the 2003 Ouyen Raindance where 500 women danced naked in a secret location in an attempt to raise the spirits of the town suffering from a prolonged drought.
The town is the site of the Big Mallee Root once a mainstay of the economy of soldier settlers
of the area being collected for sale as firewood.
Ouyen has an reunion of past and present residents on the second Sunday of February each year at the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.
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 in the Rural City of Mildura
Rural City of Mildura
The Rural City of Mildura is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the north-western part of the state. It has an area of 22,214 square kilometres. Localities within the LGA include Mildura city itself and the towns of Merbein, Red Cliffs, Irymple, Ouyen, Werrimull,...
at the junction of the Calder Highway
Calder Highway
Calder Highway is a Highway linking Ravenswood South in Victoria, to Mildura. North of the Victoria/New South Wales border, the highway continues north to Broken Hill, Tibooburra and the New South Wales/Queensland border as the Silver City Highway, under the standard national route shield as far...
and Mallee Highway
Mallee Highway
The Mallee Highway runs east from Tailem Bend in South Australia through cereal-growing farmland at the southern end of the Murray Mallee to Pinnaroo near the border with Victoria, where it crosses route...
, 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) south of Mildura
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
and 441 km (274 mi) north-west 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...
. 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,...
the town had a population of 1,061.
History
The area was originally occupied by the WergaiaWergaia
Wergaia is an Indigenous Australian language group in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. 20 clans made up the Wergaia language group which consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk; Djadjala/Djadjali; Buibadjali; Biwadjali...
Aborigines
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....
. The name is believed to be derived from the Wergaia word 'wuya-wuya', which some believe means 'pink-eared duck', whilst others claim it means 'ghost waterhole'.
The town was established around the Ouyen railway station
Ouyen railway station, Victoria
Ouyen is a closed railway station in Ouyen on the Mildura railway line in Victoria, Australia. The station is the junction for the Pinnaroo line westward to Pinnaroo and Pantiya....
, built in 1906 on the Mildura Line.The Post Office opened on 22 October 1907
It is also the junction for a railway line west parallel to the Mallee Highway. This line is presently in poor condition and used only for collecting grain from silos in small towns between Ouyen and the South Australian border, as the Victorian part is broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
, but the line from Pinnaroo
Pinnaroo, South Australia
Pinnaroo is a town in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, near the border with Victoria 243 km east of Adelaide. Pinnaroo is on the Mallee Highway, and the railway line between Tailem Bend and Ouyen. The roadhouses on the highway are the first food and leg-stretch stop on the bus route...
to Tailem Bend
Tailem Bend, South Australia
Tailem Bend is a town on the Murray River in South Australia. The town was proclaimed in 1887, the year after the main railway came through. At the 2006 census, Tailem Bend had a population of 1,457....
has been converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, with no facility for handling the break of gauge. The line was used for interstate freight and The Overland as a broad gauge connection while the main Melbourne to Adelaide line (through Bordertown
Bordertown, South Australia
Bordertown is a small South Australian town near the Victorian border. It is where the Dukes Highway and the railway line, the two main routes between Adelaide and Melbourne, cross Tatiara Creek....
) was being converted from broad to standard gauge in 1995.
Property became available for purchase in 1910, and much of it was cleared for sheep grazing, and crops of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
.
The Town today
Ouyen is the commercial and transport centre for the surrounding grain farming region. Trucks arrive at harvest time to transport grain to PortlandPortland, Victoria
The city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the main urban centre of the Shire of Glenelg. It is located on Portland Bay.-History:...
for shipping, or to flour mills for processing.
Ouyen has 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 Ouyen United (Ouyen plus TGP United (for Tempy
Tempy, Victoria
Tempy is a locality in Victoria, Australia, located approximately 136 km from Mildura, Victoria and south of Ouyen.The area was settled after the arrival of the railway, the Post Office opening on 18 July 1910....
, Gorya, Patchewollock
Patchewollock, Victoria
Patchewollock is a small town in North-West Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Patchewollock and the surrounding area had a population of 322....
) competing in the Mallee Football League
Mallee Football League (Victoria)
The Mallee Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Mallee region of northwestern Victoria. It is not to be confused with the identically named Mallee Football League .-History:...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Ouyen Golf Club on Daker Street.
The area of the locality contains a number of previous localities which existed when the population was larger, on the Mallee Highway Galah
Galah, Victoria
Galah is a locality situated on the Mallee Highway in the Sunraysia region. The place by road, is situated about east from Ouyen and west from Walpeup.- External links :*...
about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west which had a post office open from 1911 (when the railway arrived) until 1976, Galah North34°59′S 142°10′E with a post office from 1925 until 1927 and Tiega 35°05′S 142°13′E with a post office from 1911 until 1961; to the southwest Timberoo and Timberoo South with a post office from 1913 until 1933; in the north Wymlet with a post office from 1912 until 1963, Trinita with a post office from 1925 until 1936, Kiamal with a post office from 1917 until 1980 and Cramerton with a post office from 1924 until 1969; and in the south Boulka with a post office in 1921, Bronzewing with a post office from 1921 until 1967, Nunga with a post office from 1914 until 1967, Gypsum Siding with a post office from 1922 until 1940, Boorongie and Boorongie North.
Culture
Since 1998, the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph has been held in Ouyen. Judging criteria include "when tasted, should reveal a custard with a creamy smooth texture and a balance of vanilla taste with a crisp, crunchy pastry topped with a smooth and shiny glaze/fondant".The town also hosts an Autumn Art Show in April and the Mallee Wildflower Festival in October and was the location for the 2003 Ouyen Raindance where 500 women danced naked in a secret location in an attempt to raise the spirits of the town suffering from a prolonged drought.
The town is the site of the Big Mallee Root once a mainstay of the economy of soldier settlers
Soldier settlement (Australia)
Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes administered by the State Governments after World Wars I and II.- World War I :...
of the area being collected for sale as firewood.
Ouyen has an reunion of past and present residents on the second Sunday of February each year at the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.