Seymour, Victoria
Encyclopedia
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...
and is located 98 kilometres (60.9 mi) 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...
. 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,...
, Seymour had a population of 6,063. The township services the surrounding agricultural industries (primarily equine, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sheep and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
) as well as the nearby military base of Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia.-Description:Puckapunyal is a small restricted-access town inhabited mainly by about 280...
(population 1,176), which is an important training centre for the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. Other important sectors of employment in Seymour include retail, light engineering, agricultural services support, medical services, and education.
History
Seymour was established in 1839 at the crossing of the Goulburn RiverGoulburn 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...
on the 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...
-Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
route (now known as the Hume Highway
Hume Highway
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...
) where an inn was first built. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1844.
The railway arrived in 1872 along with substantial infrastructure to support it, establishing the town as an important rail hub for the Goulburn Valley
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a region of Victoria, Australia. The region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Goulburn Valley is bordered on the south by the Great Dividing Range and to the north by the...
, the Melbourne-Sydney railway and North Eastern Victoria. It was one of the first Victorian examples of the railway town
Railway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...
phenomenon, in the heyday of the railway it employed 400 men and along with their families comprised one third of the town, or 1500 people.
Puckapunyal Army Base
The Australian ArmyAustralian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
first established a large training camp 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the township during the First World War. During the Second World War, the eastern camp diminished in importance and a substantially larger and more permanent military township was established 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the west at Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia.-Description:Puckapunyal is a small restricted-access town inhabited mainly by about 280...
. As of 2008 Puckapunyal is the centre for the Australian Army's Land Warfare Development Centre (LWDC) and Headquarters Combined Arms Training Centre (HQ CATC), with three of the Army's five Schools located on site. Additionally there are smaller training centres and facilities as well as a road transport squadron based in Puckapunyal. The base is home to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Museum.
Layout and Amenities
Seymour is a generally neat town, with many long straight roads and many cul-de-sacs. There are designated shopping areas, and the township has a broad range of businesses and supermarkets. There are several government schools in the area including 4 primary schools (from preparatory to Grade 6) that include:Seymour Primary School, Seymour East Primary School, Puckpunyal Primary School, and Seymour Special School. Seymour Primary(SPS), Seymour East Primary(SEPS) and Seymour Special School(SSS) along with Seymour Technical High School(STHS) have recently been formed into the one school (Seymour College). At present SPS, SEPS, SSS and STHS are all located at different locations and are treated as campuses of Seymour College. Eventually all will merged onto the one site, in Loco Street, where Seymour Technical High School is currently located.
A Catholic church-run private school, St Mary's Seymour provides tuition for years preparatory to Year 10. The state owned Seymour Technical High School provides tuition from Years 7 to 12, serving as the main secondary school for Seymour, Puckapunyal, and districts.
Services
A number of fraternal, service and community organisations are active in Seymour including Freemasonry (established in Seymour in 1883), the Lions Club, ScoutingScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, and Apex Clubs of Australia
Apex Clubs of Australia
The Association of Apex Clubs of Australia is the collective name given to the 330 individual Apex Clubs throughout Australia. An Apex club is a community service club, neither sectarian nor party political, that provides young civic minded people the opportunity to volunteer within the community...
. Seymour has an excellent indoor multi-purpose sports centre and indoor swimming complex as well as a number of large playing fields for athletics, cricket and football. The township has a number of successful and well resourced sporting clubs including the Seymour Turf Club, the Seymour Football Club (Goulburn Valley Football League Premiers 2005, 2006 and 2007), Lawn Bowls, Kick Boxing, Basketball and Netball.
The Seymour campus of the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, also known as GOTAFE, is a Technical and Further Education institute located in the north east region of Victoria, Australia based on the Goulburn and Ovens rivers, and is the largest regional TAFE in Victoria, and a specialist centre for food processing, equine...
, opened in 1998, provides a variety of short courses and vocational education and training.
Transport
Hume Highway
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...
and Goulburn Valley Highway
Goulburn Valley Highway
The Goulburn Valley Highway / is a highway located in Victoria, Australia. The section north beyond the Hume Freeway is part of the Melbourne to Brisbane National Highway and is the main link between these two cities as well as a major link between Victoria and inland New South Wales...
. The Hume Highway crossed the Goulburn river and diverted all Melbourne-Sydney bound traffic though the township for over 100 years until a freeway bypass was opened routing all non-local and interstate traffic around the township in 1982.
Seymour station is served by regular V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
hourly services to and from Melbourne Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
as well as services on the Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton lines. The station was once a major freight marshalling location and the home of a significant locomotive depot. The depot is now the home of the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
. The heritage centre has a large collection of vintage and heritage locomotives, diesels and rolling stock (in various stages of restoration) that is opened to the public regularly for inspection.
Tourism
Seymour hosts an annual Alternative Farming Exposition each February which draws many thousands of visitors from around Australia. The township is also home to a well-established railway museum and art Galleries - Old Courthouse and Old Post Office Seymour. Seymour offers a wide selection of dining options to visitors that include The Prince of Wales Hotel, The Somerset Winery, Old Post Office Seymour, Fine Art Gallery & Restaurant, The Seymour Club, The Royal Hotel, and The Railway Hotel, which all provide visitors with a selection of fresh locally-produced foods and wines.There are several wineries near the township. Seymour is also home to a horse racing facility, with regular meetings held throughout the year. The Hume International Raceway is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) West of the township and holds regular go-cart racing meetings on most weekends.
Seymour is the second town mentioned in the original (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...
n) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere
I've Been Everywhere
The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
".
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football LeagueGoulburn Valley Football League
The Goulburn Valley Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia...
It is the home town of the Seymour Soccer Club, which plays at Bennett Oval, and represent Seymour, Puckapunyal, Nagambie, and other surrounding areas.
The township is well equipped with sporting facities that include an indoor multi-purpose sports complex, an indoor heated pool, an Olympic outdoor pool, several cricket ovals, as well as all season basketball, netball and tennis facilities.
Seymour has a horse racing club, the Seymour Racing Club, which schedules around twenty race meetings a year including the Seymour Cup meeting in October.
Golfers play at the course of the Seymour Golf Club on Yea Road.
Media - print, radio and television
Print:- Seymour Nagambie Advertiser
- Seymour Telegraph
Radio:
Local:
- 87.6 FM - Hit Radio 87.6Hit Radio 87.6Hit Radio 87.6 is a contemporary hit radio station situated in North Central Victoria .- About Hit Radio 87,6 :The radio station is oriented to the youth market segment in Central Victoria, and as such presents a mix of current chart hits, dance/club chart music, new releases and 90's flashbacks...
FM (Top 40 Hits, New Music, 90s Flashbacks) - 103.9 FM - Seymour-FMSeymour-FMSeymour FM is a community radio station, operating from the center of Seymour, which is a township located in the north central part of the state of Victoria, Australia. The radio station operates on a Temporary Community Broadcasting Licence, transmitting from temporary studios on Wimble Street,...
(Community Radio - Incl: Sport, Music Features, Classic Hits)
Shepparton Radio heard in Seymour :
- 94.5 FM - ABC Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
- 95.3 FM - 3SR FM (3SSR) (Classic Hits - commercial radio)
- 96.1 FM - ABC Classic FMABC Classic FMABC Classic FM is a classical music radio station available in Australia, and internationally online. It is operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established in 1976 as "ABC-FM", and later for a short time was known as "ABC Fine Music" , before adopting its current name...
- 96.9 FM - STAR FM (Contemporary Hits commercial radio)
- 97.7 FM - ABC Local Radio (relay of 774 Melbourne)
- 98.5 FM - ONE FM Community Radio (Poor reception in Seymour)
- 1260 AM - Sport 927Sport 927Radio Sport National is a Melbourne based radio network dedicated to covering horse and greyhound racing. While much of the station is dedicated to Gallops, Harness and greyhound racing, it does also cover other sports....
(Relay of 927 AM Melbourne - Racing)
Bendigo Radio heard in Seymour:
- 91.9 FM - Star FM - Bendigo 80s to 00s music (Commercial)
- 93.5 FM - 3BO FM (3BBO) - Bendigo 60s to 80s music (Commercial)
- 101.5 FM - Bendigo's Best Sport FM (Formerly "The Fresh") (Community)
- 105.1 FM - Central Vic Gospel Radio (Christian)
Melbourne Radio heard in Seymour :
- 621 AM - ABC Radio National
- 693 AM - 3AW (Talkback / Sport)
- 774 AM - ABC Metropolitan Radio
- 927 AM - Sport 927 (Racing)
Television :
- Prime7 (plus 7TWO7Two7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
& 7mate7mate7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new...
) - WINWIN TelevisionWIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a...
(plus GO!Go! (Australian TV channel)GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:...
& GEM) - SC TenSouthern Cross TenSouthern Cross Ten is an Australian television channel broadcast by the Macquarie Media Group in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. The channel is owned by the Macquarie Media Group as is affiliated to Network Ten...
(plus ONE HD & ElevenEleven (TV channel)Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
) - ABC1ABC1ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
(plus ABC2ABC2ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
, ABC3ABC3-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
& ABC News 24ABC News 24ABC News 24 is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC1 and commenced broadcasting at 7:30pm 5:30 on Thursday, 22 July 2010.-Pre-launch:The ABC announced in January 2010...
) - SBS ONE (plus SBS TWO & SBS HD)