Warragul, Victoria

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Warragul
Victoria
Population: 12,943[1]
Postcode: 3820
Elevation: 143 m (469 ft)
Location:
LGA: Shire of Baw Baw
State District: Narracan
Federal Division: McMillan
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall
19.2 °C
67 °F		 8.4 °C
47 °F		 1,022.6 mm
40.3 in
Localities around Warragul:
Drouin East Lillico Nilma North
Drouin Warragul Nilma
Drouin South Lardner Bull Swamp

Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 people[1] 104 kilometres (65 mi) kilometres east-southeast of Melbourne in Victoria. Warragul lies amid rolling hills between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. The town is named after an Aboriginal word meaning "wild dog".[2]

Warragul is the main population and service centre of the West Gippsland region and the Shire of Baw Baw. The surrounding area is noted for dairy farming and other niche agriculture and has long been producing gourmet foods.

Contents

[edit] History

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Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

Warragul was settled after the construction of the Traralgon railway line in 1877.

Existing roads were renamed Princes Highway after the visit to Australia in 1920 of the Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VIII). The highway was officially opened on August 10, 1920 at a ceremony in Warragul.

Warragul's Petersville Milk Products Factory in Queen Street supplied the famous Peters Ice Cream brand's factory in Mulgrave with all the dairy raw material (fresh cream and concentrated skim milk) for 35 years. The plant also manufactured skim milk powder under the famous Dutch Jug brand and butter under the Iceberg brand. It exported butter, butter oil and milk powders to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

[edit] Events

Warragul is the major township closest to Lardner, the home of the Gippsland Field Days. Three major events are held at Lardner Park each year - the Farm World agricultural show, Trucks In Action and the Harvest of Gippsland. The Farm World agricultural show is a major drawcard for the Warragul area. Every year in late March, Warragul plays host to these Field Days at Lardner Park. The Field Days are Australia's premier mixed farming Field Days and they include one of Australia's most diverse ranges of beef cattle, dairying and horticulture exhibits.

Warragul is also home to the annual Warragul Show, which is held on the first Friday of March each year. It is traditionally a farming and livestock show, but includes rides, stalls, games, fireworks and showbags. It is held at the Warragul showgrounds.

[edit] Education

For a town of its size, Warragul has a large education industry with four primary schools, three secondary schools and two tertiary institutions.

[edit] Primary Schools

Both Warragul North Primary and Warragul Primary are state primary schools, St. Joseph's Catholic Primary is a Catholic school, and St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School is a Church of England primary school.

[edit] Secondary Schools

There are three secondary schools in Warragul, these include Warragul Regional College, Marist-Sion College and St. Paul`s Anglican Grammar School. Warragul Regional College was formed in 1994 from the merger of Warragul High School and Warragul Secondary College. Marist-Sion College was formed in 1975 as a result of the merger between the Marist Brothers Boys College and the Our Lady of Sion Girls College[3]. St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School was formed in 1982 with just 19 year seven students and has grown quite significantly in recent years[4]. St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School is divided into two campuses, with the year 9 campus located in the former James Miller Rope Factory next to the golf course[5].

[edit] Tertiary Institutions

The Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE has a campus located to the South of the CBD adjacent to the railway station. The Education Centre Gippsland has recently taken over the courses previously provided by the McMillan Institute of Land and Food Resources, a former campus of the University of Melbourne[6][7]. The courses offered encompass the areas of agriculture, equine management, harness racing, horticulture and conservation and land management.

[edit] Transport

The Warragul railway station is a staffed V/Line station located to the south of the Warragul CBD. The railway station is situated along the Bairnsdale railway line, which services the towns between Bairnsdale and Southern Cross Station in Melbourne.

[edit] Local Media

[edit] Newspapers

Warragul has two weekly local newspapers, "The Warragul and Drouin Gazette" and a free publication, "The Trader". According to the Warragul Regional Newspapers website[8], The Gazette and The Trader are distributed to locations from as far as Pakenham to Moe and from Poowong to Noojee covering over 40,000 readers.

[edit] Radio

Warragul has two commercial radio stations, AM 531 3GG and 94.3 Star FM (previously known as Sea FM), as well as a community radio station, 103.1 3BBR FM. 3GG commenced in 1937, then known as 3UL. It changed its name to 3GG in 1990.

[edit] Notable people from Warragul

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Warragul (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
  2. ^ The Age (2004), Warragul, Victoria, The Age, 8 February 2004, viewed 4 May, 2007.
  3. ^ Marist-Sion College (2007), History of the College, viewed 4 May, 2007.
  4. ^ St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School (2007), Pastoral Care, viewed 21 May, 2007.
  5. ^ St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School (2007), Pastoral Care, viewed 21 May, 2007.
  6. ^ University of Melbourne (2007), McMillan Campus, viewed 21 May 2007.
  7. ^ Education Centre Gippsland (2007), McMillan Information, viewed 21 May 2007.
  8. ^ Warragul Regional Newspapers (2007), Warragul and Drouin Gazette Circulation, viewed 4 May, 2007.
  9. ^ The Age (2007), Jackson to Quit Qantas Board, The Age, 17 May 2007, viewed 21 May, 2007.
  10. ^ Baw Baw Shire Council (2007), Baw Baw Shire Sporting Walk of Fame Inductees, viewed 26 May, 2007.
  11. ^ Australian Olympic Committee (2007), Kathy Watt, viewed 4 May, 2007.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°17′S, 145°95′E

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Towns in West Gippsland

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