Yarrawalla
Yarrawalla | |
|---|---|
  Yarrawalla | |
| Coordinates: 36°9′20″S 144°1′37″E / 36.15556°S 144.02694°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| LGA | |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Population | |
| • Total | 78 (2021 census)[2] |
| Postcode | 3575[3] |
Yarrawalla is a locality in the Shire of Loddon, Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Yarrawalla had a population of 78.[2]
History
Yarrawalla is derived from an Aboriginal name for the blue parakeet or blue winged parakeet.[4] According to local Aboriginal tradition, Yarrawalla was the home of the blue parakeet, though the bird is now rarely seen in the district.[4] Before European colonisation, the Yarrawalla area lay within the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung (to the south) and the Barapa Barapa (to the north).[4] The region's black box swamps and grassy plains provided kangaroos, possums, yams, wattle seeds, and cumbungi reeds, which were roasted for starch.[4] Remnants of campfire sites and artifacts remain in the area.[4] By the 1870s, closer colonisation had forced the last Indigenous groups from the locality.[4]
Explorer Major Thomas Mitchell claimed to be the first European in the area; his route from Pyramid Hill to the Loddon River crossing suggests that his party travelled through Yarrawalla.[4] Squatters arrived at Durham Ox in 1838, and cattle grazed the district until the area was opened to colonisation in 1870.[4] With the growth of the settler population, the first school opened in 1875, serving the children of European families.[4] The first church, the Bible Christian Church, was built the same year; it later became a Methodist church and was eventually moved to Yarrawalla South.[4] The railway reached Pyramid Hill in 1884, the Shire of Gordon was formed in 1885, and irrigation began in 1886.[4] Unseasonal rain in December 1886 damaged hay crops and delayed harvesting and some farmers expressed dissatisfaction with delays to the No. 1 canal under the Tragowel irrigation scheme.[5]
In February 1888 rust and wind were reported to have damaged grain crops in the Yarrawalla district during the preceding season.[6] Some farmers reported experimenting with irrigation from the No. 6 main canal, with one achieving approximately four bags per acre on well-watered portions of his crop.[6] In June 1889 farmers in the district considered establishing a cheese factory or creamery, though butter prices had recently fallen.[7] The first organised sporting event, a cricket match, was held in 1897, telecommunications arrived in 1924, and electricity was connected in 1958.[4] Salinity problems began to be noticed in the locality in the late 1950s.[4]
Yarrawalla was severely affected by floods in 2011 and again in 2022, with surrounding farms impacted to varying degrees but few houses were affected.[4] The Yarrawalla Uniting Church was decommissioned in November 2013.[4]
References
- ↑ "Interactive Map". maps.vec.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Yarrawalla". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "3575 Postcode - Australia Post". Australia Post. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "YARRAWALLA COMMUNITY PLAN 2023-2032". Shire of Loddon. December 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "MOLOGA & YARRAWALLA". Kerang Times and Swan Hill Gazette. 14 December 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 "MOLOGA & YARRAWALLA". Kerang Times and Swan Hill Gazette. 14 February 1888. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "YARRAWALLA". Kerang Times and Swan Hill Gazette. 7 June 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2026.