Natimuk is a town in 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 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 ...

. It is located about northwest of

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 further west of Natimuk is one of Australia's best climbing areas,

Mount Arapiles Mount Arapiles is a rock formation that rises about above the Wimmera plains in western Victoria, Australia. It is located in Arapiles approximately west of the town of Natimuk and is part of the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park. Arapile ...

. At the 2016 census, Natimuk had a population of 514, up from 449 in 2006.

History

The local post office opened as "Natimuk Creek" on 1 July 1874 and was renamed "Natimuk" in 1884. A railway line, built in a number of sections, once connected

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, running via

Cavendish Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English auth ...

, Balmoral and East Natimuk until their closures in 1986 and 1988. The Natimuk Court of Petty Sessions closed in 1965, with the former courthouse subsequently being used by the local historical society. In 2004 Natimuk hosted 10000 people for

Triple J's One Night Stand Triple J's One Night Stand is a concert hosted in a remote town or city in Australia annually. It is promoted and organised by national radio station Triple J. In previous years, the host town was selected in the form of a competition where resid ...

Description

Natimuk has traditionally survived as a rural service centre for the surrounding grain and sheep farming community. More recently it has diversified into tourism and staved off the decline common in other Wimmera towns. People from all over the planet flock to Natimuk because of the rock climbing at Mount Arapiles and the nearby

Grampians The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. T ...

. Around 60 rock climbers (locally known as ''goats'') have made Natimuk their home due to the climbing and lifestyle. Every two years Natimuk hosts its arts festival, the Nati Frinj. Natimuk's arts friendly focus has attracted and supported artists from nearby regions or urban areas to settle in the town.

Sport

The town has traditionally had strong

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

teams - The Ewes. Natimuk also fields three or four

Australian Rules 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 ...

teams who compete in the

Horsham & District Football League The Horsham & District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria. History The league in its present form was created in 1946. Prior to World War 2 a number of local leagues ex ...

. Golfers play at the course of the Natimuk Golf Club at Mount Arapiles State Park. There is also a lawn bowls club, tennis club, cricket club and people come from miles around to compete and train with th
Natimuk Gymnastics Club

Environment

There are many small wetlands in the district, and the town lies close to the

Natimuk-Douglas Wetlands The Natimuk-Douglas Wetlands comprise a chain of freshwater, brackish and saline wetlands in the semi-arid Wimmera region of western Victoria. Australia. They are important for waterbirds. Description The wetlands lie between the small towns o ...

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

, so identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because of its importance for a variety of

waterbird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

Events

Nati Frinj is hosted in the first weekend of November during each odd numbered year in town. The festival includes music, food, visual art, performances, and various other events. Natimuk also hosts Goatfest, an annual climbing film festival, which coincides with the influx of climbers over the Easter holidays.

References

External links

Information about Natimuk and the Nati Frinj
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Wimmera Southern Mallee Rural City of Horsham Wimmera