Warragul, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Warragul
state = vic

---

caption =
lga = Shire of Baw Baw
postcode = 3820
est =
pop = 12,943
elevation= 143
maxtemp = 19.2
mintemp = 8.4
rainfall = 1022.6
stategov = Narracan
fedgov = McMillan
dist1 = 104
dir1 = ESE
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 32
dir2 = W
location2= Moe
dist3 = 9
dir3 = ESE
location3= Drouin
near-nw = Drouin East
near-n = Lillico
near-ne = Nilma North
near-w = Drouin
near-e = Nilma
near-sw = Drouin South
near-s = Lardner
near-se = Bull Swamp

Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 peopleCensus 2006 AUS|id=SSC26937|name=Warragul (State Suburb)|accessdate=2007-08-15|quick=on] convert|104|km|mi|0|lk=on 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". [The Age (2004), [http://www.theage.com.au/news/victoria/warragul/2005/02/17/1108500207564.html Warragul, Victoria] , "The Age", 8 February 2004, viewed 4 May, 2007.]

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.

History

Warragul was settled after the construction of the Traralgon railway line in 1877, the Post Office opening on 16 March 1877.Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ]

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.

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.

Education

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

Primary Schools

Both [http://warragulnorthps.vic.edu.au/ Warragul North Primary] and [http://www.warragulps.vic.edu.au/ 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.

econdary Schools

There are three secondary schools in Warragul, these include [http://wrc.members.dcsi.net.au/ Warragul Regional College] , Marist-Sion College and [http://www.stpaulswgl.vic.edu.au/ 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. [Marist-Sion College (2007), [http://www.mscw.vic.edu.au/index.asp?d=777A564678740E010D0003 History of the College] , viewed 4 May, 2007.] St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School was formed in 1982 with just 19 year seven students and has grown quite significantly in recent years. [St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School (2007), [http://www.stpaulswgl.vic.edu.au/resilient/pastoral%20care.htm Pastoral Care] , viewed 21 May, 2007.] 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. [St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School (2007), [http://www.stpaulswgl.vic.edu.au/resilient/pastoral%20care.htm Pastoral Care] , viewed 21 May, 2007.]

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. [University of Melbourne (2007), [http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/depts/mcmillc.html McMillan Campus] , viewed 21 May 2007.] [Education Centre Gippsland (2007), [http://www.ecg.asn.au/mcmillan/mcmillanindex.htm McMillan Information] , viewed 21 May 2007.] The courses offered encompass the areas of agriculture, equine management, harness racing, horticulture and conservation and land management.

Transport

in Melbourne.

port

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the major West Gippsland Latrobe Football League, the Warragul Football Club and another, Warragul Industrials, competing in the Ellinbank & District Football League.Citation | last = Full_Points Footy | title = Warragul_Industrials | url = http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Warragul_Ind_.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-25 ]

Local Media

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, [Warragul Regional Newspapers (2007), [http://www.warragulgazette.com.au/?sel=Advertising&type=245&lay=3 Warragul and Drouin Gazette Circulation] , viewed 4 May, 2007.] 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.

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.

Notable people from Warragul

* Gary Ayres - Former coach of the Adelaide Crows Football Club and former Hawthorn premiership player
* Edward 'Carjie' Greeves - First Brownlow Medallist and Geelong Footballer
* John Guy - A leading British historian and biographer
* Craig Hutchison - TV personality on the Nine Network and Triple M radio personality
* Margaret Jackson - Former chairman and director of Qantas, [The Age (2007), [http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/jackson-to-to-quit-qantas-board/2007/05/17/1178995327961.html Jackson to Quit Qantas Board] , "The Age", 17 May 2007, viewed 21 May, 2007.] and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia
* Robert Murphy - Currently plays for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL
* Alan Noonan - Former VFL footballer for the Essendon Football Club and the Richmond Football Club [Baw Baw Shire Council (2007), [http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/Page/page.asp?Page_Id=531&h=0 Baw Baw Shire Sporting Walk of Fame Inductees] , viewed 26 May, 2007.]
* Andrew T. O'Connor - An Australian novelist
* Mark Ridgway - Former Tasmanian Tigers cricket player
* Barry Round - Footscray (Western Bulldogs) and Sydney Swans Brownlow Medallist
* Geoff Watt - Former long-distance runner and the local athletics track is named after him.
* Kathy Watt - Australia's first cycling gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics in the 181km road race. She also won a silver medal in the 3000m individual pursuit event at these Olympic games [Australian Olympic Committee (2007), [http://www.olympics.com.au/athletes.cfm?AthleteID=6775 Kathy Watt] , viewed 4 May, 2007.]
* Gerard Donnelly - Former Australian Triathlon Ironman Champion and Commonwealth Games representative in Auckland 1990.
* Lionel Rose - Former world champion boxer (Born in Warragul in 1948), [http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Lionel_Rose]

References

External links

* [http://www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/ Baw Baw Shire]
* [http://www.gippstafe.vic.edu.au/campuses/warragul.html Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE]
* [http://www.ecg.asn.au/ Education Centre Gippsland]
* [http://www.lardnerpark.com.au/ Lardner Park]
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_085093.shtml Warragul Climate Statistics]
* [http://www.warragulgazette.com.au Warragul Regional Newspapers]