Warracknabeal, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Warracknabeal is a wheatbelt town in the Australia
n state of Victoria
. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek
, 330 km north-west of Melbourne
, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera
and southern Mallee
districts, and hosts local government offices of the Shire of Yarriambiack. At the 2006 census
Waracknabeal had a population of 2490.
The Post Office opened on 1 September 1861 and was known as Werracknebeal until 1885.
Amongst the historical buildings are an 1872 prison cell built from red and yellow gum, a Tudor-style post office, and a four storey water tower from 1886. There is also an agricultural machinery museum housing pieces from the history of farming in the Mallee and Wimmera districts.
.
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around six race meetings a year at Warracknabeal including the Warracknabeal Cup meeting in February.
It also has the Sheep Hills Race Club, which schedules two race meetings a year, including the Sheep Hills Cup meeting in February.
Golfers play at the course of the Warracknabeal Golf Club.
Warracknabeal has 3 hockey teams, a senior men's team (Hoops), a woman's team, and a mixed junior team (revengers).
The Easter Y-Fest is in its thirteenth year (2001) and continues to grow stronger as the individual events that make up Y-Fest, benefit from the joint marketing efforts of the Y-Fest Promotions Committee Inc. This Committee, made up of representatives from each of the individual event committees and Council, was formed as a marketing group to promote the Y-Fest concept and has been successful in boosting attendances at all venues.
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 state 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....
. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek
Yarriambiack Creek
Yarriambiack Creek, a distributary of the Wimmera River, leaves the river near Drung Drung, about 20 kilometres east of Horsham, and flows northwards about 140 kilometres through Warracknabeal, ending in Lake Coorong just east of Hopetoun. Its flow is intermittent and depends almost entirely on the...
, 330 km 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...
, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera
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...
and southern Mallee
The Mallee
The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts...
districts, and hosts local government offices of the Shire of Yarriambiack. 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,...
Waracknabeal had a population of 2490.
History
The original inhabitants of the area around Warracknabeal were the Wotjobaluk tribe of aboriginal people. The town's name is believed to derive from an aboriginal expression meaning "place of big gums shading the water hole". The earliest settlers in the area included Andrew and Robert Scott, who established the first run of the name.The Post Office opened on 1 September 1861 and was known as Werracknebeal until 1885.
Amongst the historical buildings are an 1872 prison cell built from red and yellow gum, a Tudor-style post office, and a four storey water tower from 1886. There is also an agricultural machinery museum housing pieces from the history of farming in the Mallee and Wimmera districts.
Education
The town has Five schools; Satellite VCAL, Warracknabeal Secondary College, Warracknabeal Primary School, St Mary's primary School and Warracknabeal Special Developmental School.Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team (Warrack Eagles) competing in the Wimmera Football LeagueWimmera Football League
The Wimmera Football League is based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region. The regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa and Warracknabeal.The league is a major country league....
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The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, schedules around six race meetings a year at Warracknabeal including the Warracknabeal Cup meeting in February.
It also has the Sheep Hills Race Club, which schedules two race meetings a year, including the Sheep Hills Cup meeting in February.
Golfers play at the course of the Warracknabeal Golf Club.
Warracknabeal has 3 hockey teams, a senior men's team (Hoops), a woman's team, and a mixed junior team (revengers).
Easter Y-Fest
YFest incorporates an Easter Saturday Street Parade, a 3 Day Vintage Machinery Rally at Wheatlands Museum, 4 Day Golf Tournament, 3 day Art Show, Easter Saturday Race Meeting and Waterski Spectacular. The town of 2400 people swells with many visitors, friends and family and offers many family and rich community events every year.The Easter Y-Fest is in its thirteenth year (2001) and continues to grow stronger as the individual events that make up Y-Fest, benefit from the joint marketing efforts of the Y-Fest Promotions Committee Inc. This Committee, made up of representatives from each of the individual event committees and Council, was formed as a marketing group to promote the Y-Fest concept and has been successful in boosting attendances at all venues.