Berriwillock is a town in the Mallee region in the north-west of the Australian state 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 ...

. Berriwillock is north-west of the state capital,

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 ...

. Nearby towns include Boigbeat (about north west and

Culgoa Culgoa is a town in the Mallee region in the north west of the Australian state of Victoria. The town is approximately from the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2021 census, Culgoa had a population of 86, declining from 101 in 2016. Primary ...

south east. Berriwillock is due west of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

and is a vibrant grain producing community.

Transport

Berriwillock is adjacent to 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 lin ...

, northwest of

. It was formerly served by the Berriwillock railway station on the

Kulwin railway line The Kulwin railway line is located in north-western Victoria, Australia. It junctions from the Robinvale line at Korong Vale and only sees usage by freight trains. History The line was opened from Korong Vale to Wycheproof in 1883, and ext ...

. The line has not carried passenger services since 1977, but is still available for freight (bulk grain), and there are bulk grain silos at the station. Berriwillock Post Office opened on 16 April 1894 shortly after the arrival of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Berriwillock wheat scheme

Berriwillock is the home of a charitable scheme where the local farmers grow wheat for charity. In drought years, it may not make a profit to donate, but most years the scheme provides grants to a range of charitable causes. It has been running since 1953. In response to a discussion with the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, one farmer committed of land and many others contributed the seed, labour and equipment to plant and harvest the land. As technology has improved, what was once a day's work for 30 farmers and a picnic for their families is now only a few hours for one machine. The proceeds are split 50:50 between Australian and international causes. The proceeds of the first year went to underfed people in Europe and Asia, and to the Melbourne Hospital.

Sport

Golfers play at the Berriwillock Golf Club. The town is part of the Sea Lake Nandaly Football Club and until 2015 had a game played in Berriwillock every year.

References

External links

Towns in Victoria (Australia) Mallee (Victoria) {{Mallee-geo-stub