Picola is a town in northern

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 ...

. The town is located in the

Shire of Moira Moira Shire Council is a Local Government Area in the Northern Victoria Region of Victoria, Australia. Located in the north-east part of the state, it covers an area of . As at June 2021 the population was 30,018. It includes the towns of Cobra ...

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 ...

, from 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 ...

. At the , Picola had a population of 334. Picola Post Office opened on 24 August 1878 and closed in late 2010. The

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post o ...

outlet was then taken over by the Picola Hotel, until early 2011. The hotel remains a community postal agent. The Picola Hotel offers a variety of services, from meals and functions, weekly raffles, and is now the local milk bar, community postal agent and

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...

ticket agency. The railway to Picola opened in 1896, and until the line closed in 1986, the town was a

railhead In the UK, railheading refers to the practice of travelling further than necessary to reach a rail service, typically by car. The phenomenon is common among commuters seeking a more convenient journey. Reasons for railheading include, but are ...

for loading of wheat and livestock from the local area, and timber from the nearby

Barmah National Park The Barmah National Park, formerly Barmah State Park, is a national park located in the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The park is located adjacent to the Murray River near the town of Barmah, approximately north of Melbourne ...

. Today the Picola district is an irrigated, mixed farming area. It is serviced by two return V/Line coach services on weekdays, originating in

Barmah Barmah is a town in the state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Barmah has the distinction of being located north of the border with the state of New South Wales. New South Wales is north of Victoria, with the border being the west ...

, both connecting in Shepparton, a 45-minute drive away, with train services to

Southern Cross station Southern Cross railway station (until 2005 known as Spencer Street station) is a major railway station in Docklands, Melbourne. It is on Spencer Street, between Collins and La Trobe Streets, at the western edge of the Melbourne central busi ...

. The town hosts a popular old-time dance once a month throughout the year in its public hall. The dance features local bands and musicians who provide a great social evening for families and friends. The program includes a range of more structured dances as well as fun dances and a fox trot monte carlo. There are also special themed dances around Easter and Christmas times. The hall itself has an interesting history – after originally being built over a hundred years ago it has burnt down twice, meaning the current hall is the third hall the town has had, rebuilt each time by the hard-working local community. The town is home to

Picola United Football Club The Picola United Football Netball Club, nicknamed the Blues, is an Australian rules football and netball club playing in the Picola & District Football League. The club is based in the small Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Vict ...

competing in the

Picola & District Football League The Picola & District Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the AFL Victoria Country. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria, Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales f ...

, and the Picola Bowls Club, competing in the Murray Bowls Association.

References

Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Goulburn Valley Shire of Moira {{Hume-geo-stub