Birchip is a town in the Mallee region of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on the

Sunraysia Highway The Sunraysia Highway (route B220) is a arterial north-south route in western Victoria. The highway extends north a length of 331 km starting from the Western Freeway near Ballarat to the Calder Highway near Ouyen. It is the north-west ...

north of

Donald Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

. The town is located in the

Shire of Buloke The Shire of Buloke is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 6,184. It includes the towns of Birchip, Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake a ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. At the , Birchip had a population of 694, down from the 2016 figure of 702. It has a P-12 school, and an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

club called Birchip-Watchem, also known as the Birchip-Watchem Bulls, or just the "Bulls".

History

A pastoral run was established in the region named ''Wirmburchep'' and when surveyed a parish was gazetted as ''Wirmbirchip''. Closer settlement began in the area by then known as Wirrimbirchip around 1882 and a Post Office under that name opened on 2 July 1883 (Birchip from 1 January 1890). The town was surveyed as Birchip in 1887 though known by the inhabitants by the original name for quite some years later. Birchip Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1983, though the court had not sat in Birchip since 1973.

Birchip today

The farms in the area typically grow

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...

, and other cereals. Some people have pig sheds, though most livestock in the district are sheep. There is a hospital which shares a lodge for elderly care. Five main roads enter the town. It is located approximately northwest of Victoria's capital city

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. A road passes through Birchip that divides the Wimmera region of Victoria (to the south) from the Mallee region of Victoria (to the north). To travel to Birchip from Melbourne there are two preferred routes, one via the outskirts of

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

via the Sunraysia Highway and one around

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

via the

Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway link ...

. Each route's travel times are similar and the Ballarat route is more mountainous in some areas. There is an aerodrome for light aircraft. With its neighbouring township Watchem Birchip has a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team (Birchip-Watchem) competing in the

North Central Football League The North Central Football League is an Australian rules football league based in North Central Victoria, Australia. The League was formed in 1930. Previous leagues in the area were the Birchip Football Association (as it was last called until ...

. Golfers play at the Birchip Golf Club on Watson Street. Most sport in Birchip is played at th
Birchip Community Leisure Centre
(BCLC). The BCLC is home to Australian rules football, netball, hockey, cricket, tennis, golf and squash.

References

External links

Community website
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Wimmera Shire of Buloke