Jeparit, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River
in Western Victoria, Australia
, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
Jeparit had a population of 582.
prior to European settlement. The name Jeparit is believed to be derived from a Gromiluk word meaning “home of small birds”. European settlement began in the 1880s when German Lutheran immigrants began to settle and grow wheat
.
The town was surveyed in 1883 and gazetted in 1889, the post office opening on 31 August 1889 though known as Lake Hindmarsh
until December.
Two earlier post offices called Lake Hindmarsh had existed in the area at various times since 1861 to serve a smaller population of graziers.
Jeparit’s most famous son is former Australian Prime Minister
Sir Robert Menzies
, who was born in the town in 1894. He is commemorated by a local park and a spire which is inscribed:
With its neighbouring township, Rainbow
, Jeparit has a football
team (Jeparit-Rainbow) competing in the Mallee Football League
.
Golfers play at the course of the Jeparit Golf Club on Nhill Road.
Jeparit is the setting for Peter Carey's 1985 novel Illywhacker
.
Wimmera River
The Wimmera River is a river in Western Victoria, Australia. It begins in the Pyrenees, and flows into Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, although in many years flows do not reach these terminal lakes and the river contracts to a series of pools of varying sizes...
in Western Victoria, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
Jeparit had a population of 582.
History
The area around Jeparit had been home to the Gromiluk aboriginesIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
prior to European settlement. The name Jeparit is believed to be derived from a Gromiluk word meaning “home of small birds”. European settlement began in the 1880s when German Lutheran immigrants began to settle and grow wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
.
The town was surveyed in 1883 and gazetted in 1889, the post office opening on 31 August 1889 though known as Lake Hindmarsh
Lake Hindmarsh
Lake Hindmarsh in western Victoria is the state’s largest natural freshwater lake. The nearest towns are Jeparit to the south and Rainbow to the north.The lake has filled after more than a decade of drought, due to floods in early 2011.-History:...
until December.
Two earlier post offices called Lake Hindmarsh had existed in the area at various times since 1861 to serve a smaller population of graziers.
Jeparit’s most famous son is former Australian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Sir Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, who was born in the town in 1894. He is commemorated by a local park and a spire which is inscribed:
With its neighbouring township, Rainbow
Rainbow, Victoria
Rainbow is a town in north west Victoria, Australia, kilometres from Melbourne. The town is in the Shire of Hindmarsh and the nearest large towns are Warracknabeal, Dimboola and Nhill, all to the south...
, Jeparit has a football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
team (Jeparit-Rainbow) competing in the Mallee Football League
Mallee Football League (Victoria)
The Mallee Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Mallee region of northwestern Victoria. It is not to be confused with the identically named Mallee Football League .-History:...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Jeparit Golf Club on Nhill Road.
Jeparit is the setting for Peter Carey's 1985 novel Illywhacker
Illywhacker
Illywhacker is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It was published in 1985, short-listed for the 1985 Booker Prize, and won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award and The Age Book of the Year Award...
.