Snake Valley is a town in central Western Victoria, Australia, on Carngham-Linton Road, 27 kilometres (16.8 mi) west of Ballarat

Ballarat, Victoria

Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

 and 153 kilometres (95.1 mi) 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...

, in the Shire of Pyrenees. 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,...

, Snake Valley had a population of 329. A post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 was opened on 1 March 1859.

Aboriginal Snake Valley

Aborigines inhabited Snake Valley for tens of thousands of years before Europeans arrived. The Carringum balug clan of the Wathaurong are the traditional owners of the land surrounding Snake Valley/Carngham district.. The nearby town of Carngham therefore appears to be the name of the Aboriginal clan that originally lived in the area. They called Snake Valley itself Nimbuck or Nimluck

Religion

Snake Valley has churches of five Christian denominations, although not all of them are being used as places of worship.

The Catholic St Brigid's is located on the corner of the Carngham—Linton Road and is a part of St Peter's Parish, Linton..

The Carngham Uniting Church on the Carngham—Linton Road has hosted organ recitals as part of the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival.

Sport and recreation

Snake Valley has a football, netball and cricket teams as well as an irregular 12 hole golf course.

Education

Woady Yaloak Primary School provides the first level of education to the town. Secondary students must travel to other places such as Ballarat or Beaufort for education.

Community

For a small population Snake Valley has a large number of active Community groups and organisations:
Snake Valley & District Historical Society,
Snake Valley Astronomical Association (SVAA),
Snake Valley-Carngham Branch Friends of the RSL,
Snake Valley CFA Auxiliary & Community Fireguard,
Mag Dam Reserve Group,
Snake Valley CERT (Community Emergency Response),
Carngham Recreation Reserve,
Woady Yaloak Primary School Parents and Friends Group,
Snake Valley & District CFA

Country Fire Authority

Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...

,
Snake Valley Landcare,
Snake Valley Playgroup,
St. Brigid's Altar Society,

Economy

The local economy is of an agricultural nature with broad acre farming, grazing and timber industries dominating.

Transport

Snake Valley is poorly served by public transport and the main way of getting there is by private car. A twice-weekly bus service runs from Ballarat on Mondays and Fridays.

Notable people

John "Jack" Worrall

Jack Worrall

John "Jack" Worrall was an Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy in the VFA and a test cricketer, a coach of both sports and a sporting journalist....

, Australian rules footballer and cricketer was born
at Chinaman's Flat in the locality in 1861.

External links

• Snake Valley Golf Club