Kyabram, Victoria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kyabram Victoria |
|||||||
| Population: | 5527 | ||||||
| Established: | 1876 | ||||||
| Postcode: | 3620 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 104.5 m | ||||||
| Location: | |||||||
| LGA: | Campaspe Shire | ||||||
| State District: | Rodney | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Murray | ||||||
|
|||||||
Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district in the Goulburn River Valley, 200 kilometres north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in the Campaspe Shire. It is situated between the towns of Echuca and Shepparton and is close to the Murray River. As of the 1996 census the town had a population of 5,738 people and provides services to a district population of 16,000.
The township started in the 1870s with town blocks sold in 1876. The town was called Sheridan with the establishment of the Post Office, but local usage prevailed and by the time of the arrival of the railway in 1887 was known as Kyabram. The name of the town is thought to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning thick forest. The Kyabram Mechanics Institute was built in 1891.
John Allan, who lived in Kyabram from 1873, became Premier of Victoria in 1924 and Australia's first Country Party premier. Allan was associated with the Kyabram Reform Movement at the start of the twentieth century, a political campaign which succeeded in reducing the number of State Parliamentarians.
Kyabram was formally proclaimed a town on 4 July 1973.
The district is dependent on the primary industries of dairying and fruit orchards. Henry Jones IXL, a subsidiary of SPC Ardmona, operate a plant in the town, manufacturing IXL jams. The town provides engineering, financial advisors, solicitors and accounting services to the district. Nestlé(Tongala), Heinz(Girgarre) and Bonlac(Stanhope) all have food processing plants nearby.
Medical and aged care services in the town include a 46 bed Hospital, 30-bed home for the aged, infant welfare centre, ambulance station, several doctors, dentists, and other health practitioners. In education Kyabram has one State Secondary College, Kyabram Secondary College, two state primary schools, a Catholic primary and secondary school (St. Augustines), two kindergartens and a community college which provides Community Services and Adult Learning Opportunities for the people of Kyabram and the surrounding region.
Surrounding smaller towns include Merrigum (pop. 490), Lancaster, Undera, Cooma, Wyuna, Kyvalley, Gigarre, Stanhope and Tongala.
Attractions include the Kyabram Fauna Park, a 55 hectare reserve housing five hundred species of wildlife. There are free-roaming kangaroos and emus and hides to observe a variety of water birds.
[edit] References
