Colignan is a small rural town on the banks 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 ...
, in North Western
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. The town is on the border of the
Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
The Hattah-Kulkyne National Park is a national park in the Mallee district of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated adjacent to the Murray River, approximately northwest of Melbourne with the nearest regional centre being Mildur ...
. At the
2016 census, Colignan and the surrounding area had a population of 329.
The closest town to Colignan is called
Nangiloc which is Colignan spelt in reverse. It appears that Colignan predated Nangiloc, and Colignan is thought to have been the name of a local Aboriginal leader.
History
Colignan and nearby localities
Nangiloc and
Iraak were established as
soldier settlement
Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlemen ...
farming areas after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, road access to the area being from the west via Boonoonar on what is now 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 ...
.
A Post Office opened on August 22, 1922, marking the beginning of postal services to the area. It closed in 1988.
In common with many other soldier settlement areas the blocks provided were too small to be viable and most original settlers had left by the mid-1930s and were replaced by a later generation using irrigation.
The town today
The economy of the town is based on primary industry, mostly citrus and grape growing. Avocados and almonds are also well represented. The rich soil and the proximity to the Murray River have allowed farming of a diverse range of crops. Dry land farming in the area consists of mainly wheat and barley.
See also
*
1956 Murray River flood
The 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The flood was and still is considered the biggest flood in the recorded history of the Mur ...
References
Towns in Victoria (Australia)
Populated places on the Murray River
Mallee (Victoria)
Australian soldier settlements
1922 establishments in Australia
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