Dimboola

Population: 1700

Distances:

Horsham: 35km
Nhill: 39km
Jeparit: 39km
Melbourne: 334km

Historic Dimboola was first settled in the mid 1800’s by pioneer settlers of English, Scottish and German decent. It is an easy-going town located on the banks of the stately Wimmera River and is serviced by a small but thriving retail and service centre.

Today, Dimboola is a wonderful holiday destination situated approximately halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. Offering a variety of accommodation including caravan parks, motels, cabins, camping and bed and breakfast, all who visit experience the wonderful country hospitality. The Wimmera river is great for rowing, boating or fishing.

Every year the Rowing Regatta held in November is a popular festival attracting about 1000 competitors and officials. The Victorian Rowing Association has recognised Dimboola as having the best category three regatta in the state and hosts the Victorian four-oared Championships. Spectators will find that viewing the event is easy, simply spread a picnic blanket on the banks of the river. The beer flows freely and complements smoked eels, German sausage and black forest cake each April during Dimboola’s German Feast. A fundraiser for the Dimboola Hospital, this annual festival is a major attraction. German bands and slap dancers provide colourful entertainment.

Tourists and townsfolk are well catered for and there are some delightful old buildings with original verandahs, antique and curio shops to visit. The Ebenezer Mission ruins north of Dimboola near Antwerp is Victoria’s only remaining Aboriginal mission. Opened in 1859 by German missionaries their aim was to assimilate the district aboriginals into an European lifestyle and convert them to Christianity. The mission closed in 1904, but still standing are the schoolhouse, cook house and mission church. It is well worth a visit.

If you’re into bush-walking and exploring then Dimboola offers you the chance to discover The Little Desert National Park which covers an area of 132,000 hectares. Known for its spectacularly colourful wildflower display in Spring, the Little Desert is a desert in name only. Far from endless stretches of arid sand dunes as you might imagine, the Little Desert offers a variety of landscapes ranging from gently undulating heathlands of banksia, sheoak, tea tree and Mallee eucalypts to open woodlands of graceful red and yellow gum, wattle and native cypress pine. Nature lovers, artists and photographers are captivated by the wealth of native flora and fauna.

In the past this area yielded the Aborigines with abundant food: yam roots, wattle seeds, Quandong, Kangaroo Apple as well as game, yabbies and fish. In fact some trees still bear the scars where bark was removed by the Aborigines to make canoes for fishing. There are several easy walks in the area and you’d have to be unlucky not to see any wildlife.

The Mallee Fowl or ‘Lowan’ is probably the most famous resident of the Little Desert but this shy creature is hard to glimpse. Wail Nursery is one of the biggest native plant nurseries in Victoria and is just a short drive from Dimboola. Spread over 22 hectares the nursery comprises of arboretum and propagating and production areas. Dimboola is a small country town with a big heart. Make the move to Dimboola and experience country living at its best.

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