Saint Arnaud, Victoria
Encyclopedia
St Arnaud is a town in the Wimmera
region of Victoria
, Australia
244 kilometres north west of the capital Melbourne
. It is in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. At the 2006 census
, St Arnaud had a population of 2272.
It is named after French marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud
, commander-in-chief of the army of the East and one of quite a number of towns, streets etc. named after people and places of the Crimean War
.
and Mildura
. The town was settled in the mid 1850s, the post office opening on 1 February 1856.
), the Queen Mary Botanic Gardens, the Market Square gardens adjacent to the council offices and Lord Nelson Park which offers sporting facilities as well as attractions such as the old Lord Nelson Mine and views from Wilsons Hill.
A short drive south of St Arnaud towards Avoca
is the St Arnaud Range National Park
, featuring steep and forested terrain, camp sites and the Teddington Reservoir.
For approximately 2,300 people there are eight or so pubs, meaning that there are 287 people per pub.
which was headquartered at the former St Arnaud Town Hall, however this was amalgamated into a new shire in 1993. St Arnaud today is a secondary service base for the Shire of Northern Grampians, while the headquarters is based in Stawell
.
The former town hall functions as a community and performing arts space.
team competing in the North Central Football League
.
The St. Arnaud Hockey
Club, a thriving club with five teams, competes in the North Central Hockey Association. Playing its home games on the grass of Lord Nelson Park, the club has had success on and off the field, with numerous players chosen to play in representative teams.
A horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules two race meetings a year at St Arnaud including the St Arnaud Cup meeting in October.
The town hosts a lawn tennis tournament over the Easter weekend each year.
Affiliated with the Australian Clay Target Association, the St. Arnaud Gun Club hosts down-the-line
shoots each month (except January). With three layouts, the gun club provides for traditional down-the-line
, continental and ball trap events.
Golfers play at the St Arnaud Golf Club course.
Coach services also connect St Arnaud to major centres including the V/Line service to Mildura and Melbourne via Ballarat.
Train services for passengers ceased with the closure of the Mildura railway line in 1993, however St Arnaud railway station
is still an important freight stop on the line.
St Arnaud Aerodrome 6.8 km west of the town centre provides for general aviation
.
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
region of 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...
244 kilometres north west of the capital 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...
. It is in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. 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,...
, St Arnaud had a population of 2272.
It is named after French marshal Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud
Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud
Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud was a French soldier and Marshal of France during the 19th century...
, commander-in-chief of the army of the East and one of quite a number of towns, streets etc. named after people and places of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
History
St Arnaud is a former gold mining town, situated on the main route between BallaratBallarat, 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...
and 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...
. The town was settled in the mid 1850s, the post office opening on 1 February 1856.
Present
The town features many well-preserved historic buildings which line the main thoroughfare of Napier Street, including a generous collection of pubs. A number of attractive gardens exist in town, including Pioneer Park (believed to be Australia's only remaining public park designed by Edna WallingEdna Walling
Edna Walling was one of Australia's most influential landscape designers.Walling grew up in the village of Bickleigh in Devon, England...
), the Queen Mary Botanic Gardens, the Market Square gardens adjacent to the council offices and Lord Nelson Park which offers sporting facilities as well as attractions such as the old Lord Nelson Mine and views from Wilsons Hill.
A short drive south of St Arnaud towards Avoca
Avoca, Victoria
Avoca is a town in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, north west of Ballarat. It is one of two main towns in the Pyrenees Shire, the other being Beaufort to the south. At the 2006 census, Avoca had a population of 951.-Geography:...
is the St Arnaud Range National Park
St Arnaud Range National Park
St Arnaud Range National Park is located in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, to the south of the town of St Arnaud.The area's status as a national park is relatively new, having been gazetted by the Victorian Government in 2002. Extending over 13,900 hectares, it incorporates the former...
, featuring steep and forested terrain, camp sites and the Teddington Reservoir.
For approximately 2,300 people there are eight or so pubs, meaning that there are 287 people per pub.
Governance
St Arnaud is in the Shire of Northern Grampians. Formerly it had its own local government area, the Town of St ArnaudTown of St Arnaud
The Town of St Arnaud was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The town covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1994. Its area was surrounded by the Shire of Kara Kara.-History:...
which was headquartered at the former St Arnaud Town Hall, however this was amalgamated into a new shire in 1993. St Arnaud today is a secondary service base for the Shire of Northern Grampians, while the headquarters is based in Stawell
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....
.
Events
The town began an annual Festival in 1996, which is held in November every year, and includes events such as Music Concerts, Market day, Gopher Grand Prix and numerous exhibitions and displays.The former town hall functions as a community and performing arts space.
Sport
St Arnaud has an 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...
team competing in the North Central Football League
North Central Football League
The North Central Football League is an Australian rules football league based in North Central Victoria, Australia.The League was formed in 1930...
.
The St. Arnaud Hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
Club, a thriving club with five teams, competes in the North Central Hockey Association. Playing its home games on the grass of Lord Nelson Park, the club has had success on and off the field, with numerous players chosen to play in representative teams.
A horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules two race meetings a year at St Arnaud including the St Arnaud Cup meeting in October.
The town hosts a lawn tennis tournament over the Easter weekend each year.
Affiliated with the Australian Clay Target Association, the St. Arnaud Gun Club hosts down-the-line
Down-The-Line
Down-the-line clay pigeon shooting is a variation of trap shooting which is very popular in Australia, New Zealand , South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland....
shoots each month (except January). With three layouts, the gun club provides for traditional down-the-line
Down-The-Line
Down-the-line clay pigeon shooting is a variation of trap shooting which is very popular in Australia, New Zealand , South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland....
, continental and ball trap events.
Golfers play at the St Arnaud Golf Club course.
Transport
St Arnaud is located at the junction of the Sunraysia (B220) and Wimmera Highways (B240). The B220 heads north to Donald and south to Avoca, while the Wimmera connects St Arnaud to Horsham in the west and Bendigo in the east.Coach services also connect St Arnaud to major centres including the V/Line service to Mildura and Melbourne via Ballarat.
Train services for passengers ceased with the closure of the Mildura railway line in 1993, however St Arnaud railway station
St Arnaud railway station, Victoria
St Arnaud is a closed railway station on the Mildura railway line in St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia. It is 255 km from Southern Cross station...
is still an important freight stop on the line.
St Arnaud Aerodrome 6.8 km west of the town centre provides for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
.
Notable residents
- John OgburnJohn OgburnJohn Armstrong Ogburn was an Australian painter.-Biography:Born in St Arnaud, Victoria in 1925, Ogburn worked for Shell Co. in Melbourne as an industrial research chemist between 1944 and 1946. During that time he became what he called a "Sunday painter" in oils and watercolours, and did Life...
, born in St Arnaud, Modern Artist - Patrick Alfred Jennings, First Catholic Premier of NSW, shopkeeper and gold mine owner in St Arnaud
- Pharez PhillipsPharez Phillips-Biography:Born in Mount Blackwood, Victoria, he was educated at Grenville College in Ballarat before becoming a shopkeeper, farmer, and St Arnaud Town Councillor. He was a notable community leader in the Wimmera area. In 1896, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council, and was made an...
, St Arnaud Town Councillor, shopkeeper and farmer, who won the first federal election for the seat of Wimmera - Brudenell WhiteBrudenell WhiteGeneral Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White KCB, KCMG, KCVO, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army, who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1920 to 1923 and again from March to August 1940, when he was killed in the Canberra air disaster.-Early Life and career:White was born in St...
, born in St Arnaud, was Chief of the General Staff of the Australian Army,