Nhill Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 36°20′0″S141°39′0″E / 36.33333°S 141.65000°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 1,749 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 3418 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 133.0 m (436 ft) [2] | ||||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Shire of Hindmarsh | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Lowan | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Mallee | ||||||||||||||
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Footnotes | Adjoining localities [3] [4] |
Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Nhill had a population of 1,749. [1] "Nhill" is believed to be a Wergaia word meaning "early morning mist rising over water" [5] or "white mist rising from the water". [6]
Nhill is the administrative headquarters for Shire of Hindmarsh [7] and residents are mainly employed in either farming or food processing, most notably in grain and fowl.
The town is home to a community of Karen people, the first of whom came to Australia as refugees, and who settled in Nhill in the early 2010s to work at the Luv-a-Duck food processing facility. In 2012, there were over 100 Karen residents in Nhill. [8]
The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Nhill sits are the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik Nations. [9] These Nations are represented by the Barengi Gadjin Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. [10]
The area has been home to the Aboriginal people for thousands of years and was first visited by Europeans in 1845. The famous Aboriginal tracker and cricketer, Dick-a-Dick, later claimed to have been present at the first meeting between the Wotjobaluk and Europeans. [6] Brothers Frank and John Oliver decided to build a flour mill on Crown land beside the Dimboola-Lawloit road, the township of Nhill grew from there. [11]
Cobb and Co coaches serviced Nhill from 1883. [11] Nhill Post Office opened on 1 January 1881. An earlier rural office (1861) was replaced by Lawloit Post Office [12]
Nhill was the first Victorian town after the state capital, Melbourne, to be supplied with electricity. Electric lighting was installed by 1892. [11]
Nhill airport, located 1.9 km north-west of the town, served as a major RAAF training base during the Second World War, instructing over 10,000 aircrew in 1941-1946. [13]
Nhill has a temperate semi-arid climate bordering on a oceanic climate (Köppen: BSk), with very warm, dry summers and cool, slightly wetter winters. Average maxima vary from 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) in January to 13.7 °C (56.7 °F) in July while average minima fluctuate between 13.0 °C (55.4 °F) in February and 3.4 °C (38.1 °F) in July. Mean average annual precipitation is low 412.9 mm (16.26 in), and is spread between 101.8 precipitation days. There are 90.5 clear days and 119.7 cloudy days annually. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) on 13 January 1939 to −7.2 °C (19.0 °F) on 16 August 1905. [14]
Climate data for Nhill ( 36°20′S141°38′E / 36.33°S 141.64°E , 133 m AMSL) (1883-2008 normals & extremes) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 45.9 (114.6) | 45.7 (114.3) | 41.9 (107.4) | 36.8 (98.2) | 30.6 (87.1) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 28.2 (82.8) | 34.4 (93.9) | 37.9 (100.2) | 42.8 (109.0) | 45.0 (113.0) | 45.9 (114.6) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.5 (85.1) | 26.3 (79.3) | 21.6 (70.9) | 17.4 (63.3) | 14.3 (57.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 15.1 (59.2) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.9 (82.2) | 21.6 (70.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) | 13.0 (55.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 8.1 (46.6) | 6.0 (42.8) | 4.2 (39.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.1 (39.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.5 (52.7) | 8.0 (46.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | −2.8 (27.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −6.5 (20.3) | −6.1 (21.0) | −7.2 (19.0) | −6.1 (21.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.1 (30.0) | −7.2 (19.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 22.0 (0.87) | 22.7 (0.89) | 21.2 (0.83) | 28.4 (1.12) | 40.2 (1.58) | 45.8 (1.80) | 45.4 (1.79) | 47.3 (1.86) | 43.3 (1.70) | 40.2 (1.58) | 29.7 (1.17) | 26.4 (1.04) | 412.9 (16.26) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 9.9 | 12.1 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 11.8 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 101.8 |
Average afternoon relative humidity (%) | 30 | 32 | 36 | 45 | 57 | 65 | 64 | 60 | 54 | 45 | 38 | 33 | 47 |
Average dew point °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 7.7 (45.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 7.2 (45.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 6.0 (42.8) | 6.2 (43.2) | 6.6 (43.9) |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (1883-2008 normals & extremes) [2] |
Nhill Airport is located 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of Nhill, and has available climate data since 2003.
Climate data for Nhill Airport ( 36°19′S141°39′E / 36.31°S 141.65°E , 139 m AMSL) (2003-2024 normals & extremes) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 45.3 (113.5) | 47.1 (116.8) | 41.2 (106.2) | 36.8 (98.2) | 27.9 (82.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 32.3 (90.1) | 38.0 (100.4) | 42.4 (108.3) | 47.1 (116.8) | 47.1 (116.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.3 (86.5) | 27.3 (81.1) | 22.5 (72.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 14.5 (58.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 26.2 (79.2) | 28.9 (84.0) | 22.4 (72.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.0 (57.2) | 13.3 (55.9) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 6.7 (44.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.8 (40.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.2 (50.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 8.7 (47.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) | 4.5 (40.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | −1.7 (28.9) | −3.3 (26.1) | −5.0 (23.0) | −3.0 (26.6) | −3.0 (26.6) | −1.6 (29.1) | −0.4 (31.3) | 1.3 (34.3) | 3.4 (38.1) | −5.0 (23.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 29.1 (1.15) | 14.4 (0.57) | 15.2 (0.60) | 20.8 (0.82) | 30.0 (1.18) | 39.2 (1.54) | 35.1 (1.38) | 43.1 (1.70) | 32.5 (1.28) | 34.7 (1.37) | 33.2 (1.31) | 28.5 (1.12) | 357.6 (14.08) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.8 | 3.9 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 12.0 | 15.6 | 17.8 | 16.5 | 13.5 | 9.2 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 119.1 |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology (2003-2024 normals & extremes) [15] |
As of the 2016 census, 1,749 people resided in Nhill. The median age of persons in Nhill was 48 years. [1] Children aged 0–14 years made up 14.5% of the population. [1] People over the age of 65 years made up 29.7% of the population [1] There were slightly more females than males with 52.1% of the population female and 47.9% male. [1] The average household size is 2.2 persons per household. [1] The average number of children per family for families with children is 1.9. [1]
80.3% of people in Nhill were born in Australia. [1] Of all persons living in Nhill, 1.3% (22 persons) were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. [1] This is higher than for the state of Victoria (0.8%) and lower than the national average (2.8%). [1] The most common ancestries in Nhill were English 31.5%, Australian 29.6%, German 10.2%, Scottish 6.7% and Karen 5.4%. [1]
The 2016 Australian census listed the main religions in Nhill as Uniting Church 21.8%, Anglican 14.6% and Catholic 11.1%, Lutheran 10.5%. 20.4% recorded "no religion". [1]
The major employer in the town is Luv-a-Duck—a duck meat grower and processor—and associated businesses. Tourism is another local industry; Nhill services the highway traffic passing through. Nhill is recognised by the transport industry as the halfway point by road between Melbourne and Adelaide. Transport companies use Nhill as their 'changeover' point. Nhill railway station is serviced by The Overland that stops three times a week. Air services are at Nhill Airport. Bus services are provided by V/Line and Firefly several times daily.
Nhill has three hotels; the Commercial Hotel, the Farmers Arms Hotel and the Union Hotel. Nhill has a caravan park and a number of motels.
Nhill has a Lutheran Primary school, a Catholic Primary School and a P-12 public school.
The Nhill Show is held each year on the second Thursday of October. It includes rides, farm animals, rural Australian farm machinery, horse riding show, art competitions, cooking competitions, photo competitions and at the closing of the Show there is a fireworks display. Up until 2012 Nhill hosted a "Duck & Jazz Festival" in mid February.
The release of the film Road to Nhill in 1997 briefly placed Nhill in the national spotlight. An earlier film, 1985's Wrong World , also centres on a road trip to Nhill.
The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre is located at nearby historical Nhill airport. Included in its displays is a rare Avro Anson aircraft undergoing restoration. In April 2018, it also acquired a rare Wirraway aeroplane, to much public support and fanfare.
The Australian Pinball Museum is located at the eastern side of Nhill adjacent to an old "Route 66"-esque motel. [16] Included in its displays of rare pinball related artwork and memorabilia is the largest selection of pinball machines available to play in Australia. [17]
Nhill has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Wimmera Football League. Nhill is also the base of the Cricket competition known as the West Wimmera Cricket Association. Nhill & Districts sporting club which includes football, netball, hockey and cricket. Also it has a Tennis club and Pony Club. Nhill has a golf course at the Nhill Golf Club on Netherby Road. [18]
Nhill was the birthplace of Masters Australian football (a.k.a. "Superules").[ citation needed ]
The horse racing club, the Wimmera Racing Club, holds the Nhill Cup meeting on Boxing Day (26 December). [19]
The indigenous cricketer Dick-a-Dick was born near Nhill about 1834. [20]
Nhill is the hometown of former Australian rules football player Jason McCartney, [21] who suffered severe injuries during the 2002 Bali terrorist bombing, and later recovered enough to make a comeback to the sport.
Nhill is the birthplace of Janet Powell, [22] leader of the Australian Democrats between 1990 and 1991; and Senator for Victoria between 1986 and 1993.
Nhill is the birthplace of David Leyonhjelm, former NSW senator of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Former Essendon footballers David Flood and Dean Wallis are from Nhill. [23]
Nhill is the hometown of Lucy Stephan, [24] a rower who has represented Australia, winning a bronze medal in the Women’s Four event at the 2013 Rowing World Championships in Korea and won Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Women's Coxless Four. [25] [26]
The town is indirectly referenced in the 1997 film Road to Nhill .
The name Nhill has been used for a crater on the planet Mars. The name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1991, commemorating a "Town in Victoria, Australia". [27] [28]
Stawell ( "stall"), is an Australian town in the Wimmera region of Victoria 237 kilometres (147 mi) west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. Located within the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area, it is a seat of local government for the shire and its main administrative centre. At the 2021 census, Stawell had a population of 6,220.
Jeparit is a town on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres (230 mi) north west of Melbourne. At the 2016 census Jeparit had a population of 342, down from 394 five years earlier.
Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
Ararat is a town in the Central Highlands region in Victoria, Australia, about 198 kilometres (120 mi) west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera. Its urban population according to 2021 census is 8,500 and services the region of 11,880 residents across the Rural City's boundaries. It is also the home of the 2018/19 GMGA Golf Championship Final.
The Victorian government's Wimmera Southern Mallee subregion is part of the Grampians region in western Victoria. It includes most of what is considered the Wimmera, and part of the southern Mallee region. The subregion is based on the social catchment of Horsham, its main settlement.
Warracknabeal is a town in the Australian state of Victoria, located in the Victorian wheatbelt. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km northwest of Melbourne, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee districts, and hosts local government offices of the Shire of Yarriambiack. At the 2021 census, the Warracknabeal township had a population of 2,359.
St Arnaud is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, 244 kilometres north west of the capital Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. At the 2021 census, St Arnaud had a population of 3,453.
Kaniva is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Western Highway, north of Little Desert National Park, in the Shire of West Wimmera local government area. It is located roughly 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of the South Australian border and 43 kilometres (27 mi) east of Bordertown. At the 2016 census, Kaniva had a population of 803. The town is commonly used as a rest point for those travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide. The Kaniva region has some rare flora and fauna. The rare south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo is found in the region. The Shire of West Wimmera prohibits the felling of dead trees to ensure that they have adequate nesting sites.
Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. Located on a bend in the Wimmera River, Horsham is approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) northwest of the state capital Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, Horsham had a population of 20,429. It is the most populous city in Wimmera, and the main administrative centre for the Rural City of Horsham local government area. It is the eleventh largest city in Victoria after Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wodonga, Mildura, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Traralgon, and Wangaratta.
The Mallee is a sub-region of Loddon Mallee covering the most north-westerly part of Victoria, Australia and is bounded by the South Australian and New South Wales borders. Definitions of the south-eastern boundary vary, however, all are based on the historic Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts. These trees dominate the surviving native vegetation through most of Mallee,. Its biggest settlements are Mildura and Swan Hill.
Donald is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, in the Shire of Buloke. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 1,472.
The Wimmera River, an inland intermittent river of the Wimmera catchment, is located in the Grampians and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Rising in the Pyrenees, on the northern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the Wimmera River flows generally north by west and drains into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, a series of ephemeral lakes that, whilst they do not directly empty into a defined watercourse, form part of the Murray River catchment of the Murray-Darling basin.
Ebenezer Mission, also known as Wimmera mission, Hindmarsh mission and Dimboola mission, was a mission station for Aboriginal people established near Lake Hindmarsh in Victoria, Australia in 1859 by the Moravian Church on the land of the Wotjobaluk. The first missionaries were two Germans, Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer and Reverend F.W. Spieseke. In 1861 the Victorian Colonial Government gazetted 1,897 acres (7.68 km2) as a reserve for the Ebenezer Mission Station. The mission was established a few years after the failure of the Moravian Lake Boga mission in Wemba-Wemba territory.
The Shire of Lowan was a local government area in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of 2,861 square kilometres (1,104.6 sq mi), and existed from 1875 until 1995.
Dick-a-Dick was an Australian Aboriginal tracker and cricketer, a Wotjobaluk man who spoke the Wergaia language in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. He was a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England in 1868 and was one of the most well-known Aborigines of the nineteenth century.
Lake Hindmarsh, an ephemeral lake located in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, is the state's largest natural freshwater lake. The nearest towns are Jeparit to the south and Rainbow to the north. After more than a decade of drought, in early 2011 the lake filled as a result of flooding in the region. The Wemba Wemba name of the lake is recorded as Gour or Koor.
The Wergaia or Werrigia people are an Aboriginal Australian group in the Mallee and Wimmera regions of north-Western Victoria, made up of a number of clans. The people were also known as the Maligundidj which means the people belonging to the mali (mallee) eucalypt bushland which covers much of their territory.
Wergaia or Werrigia is an Australian Aboriginal language in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. The Wergaia language consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk, Djadjala/Djadjali, Buibadjali, Biwadjali. Wergaia was in turn apparently a dialect of the Wemba Wemba language, a member of the Kulinic branch of Pama–Nyungan.
The Wotjobaluk are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Victoria. They are closely related to the Wergaia people.
The Barengi Gadjin Land Council was formed in 2005 to represent the Wotjobaluk, Jardwadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk peoples. The Council manages native title rights across Western Victoria in an area "roughly described as the Wimmera River from the head of the Yarriambiack Creek through to Outlet Creek at the northern end of Lake Albacutya". The Council is governed by a board of directors representing various family groups and has offices in Wail and Horsham. The current chairperson is Dylan Clark.