Wangoom is a country town situated in South-West Victoria 12 kilometres from Warrnambool and 255 kilometres from Melbourne. The population in the 2006 census was 373.[1]
After white settlement of the area in the 1840s mixed farming was conducted by many landowners and leasees until the introduction of the milking machine followed by a period where most farms derived a large proportion of their income from dairying. Since 1970 most of the smaller dairys have ceased operating and the few remaining farms are considerable larger in size often using land previously used by smaller dairy farms.
Wangoom hosts a general store and post office (registered in 1877) which provides a range of services including Tea Rooms, a memorial town hall, 2 tennis courts, Fire Station and a disused milk depot.
The Wangoom Recreation reserve (C1921) is the home of the Wangoom Cricket Club which has 3 senior and 2 junior teams competing in the Grassmere Cricket Association.[1]. The reserve is also used by the Warrnambool Veteran Cyclist Club. The reserve was formally the home of the Wangoom Football and Netball Clubs both now in recess.
The Hopkins Falls at Wangoom is a popular tourist attraction and a site to be seen particulary when heavy inflows occur and torrents of water and foam roar over the falls.
Lake Wangoom was a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike to conduct activities such as fishing and boating in the early days of white settlement however at the turn of the 20th Century the lake dried out naturally and could no longer be relied upon as a regular water course. The lake land was sold to adjoining landholders and a pumping station set up to drain water from the lake to the nearby Hopkins river. There is no current public access to the 'lake'.
Wangoom has a Uniting Church on Hughs Road conducting regular services. A methodist Church located on the corner of Wangoom and St Marys Roads was closed in the 1960s and the Church building removed to Simpson a short time after celebrating its centenary. It was closed due to low attendence and the close proximity to Warrnambool as an alternative for church members.