Girgarre ( ) is a small town in the

Goulburn Valley The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. T ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...

. It is in the

Shire of Campaspe The Shire of Campaspe is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the northern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 37,592. It includes the towns of Girgarre, Echuca, Kyabram, Roches ...

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 , Girgarre and surrounding area had a population of 561.

History

The Post Office opened on 21 May 1917 as Stanhope North, and was renamed Girgarre in 1920. A railway branch line from Rushworth opened in 1917. The line was closed back to Stanhope in 1975, and the branch was closed completely in 1987. There is now a short

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

from Girgarre towards Stanhope, and a facsimile station and rail track at Girgarre. Girgarre Kindergarten was established in 1964. It has operated out of several locations within the town. Currently the kindergarten operates out of the old Primary School Principal's home. The Kindergarten is celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2014 with several events planned throughout the year. The Girgarre Community Centre was established in 1984 and is operated by the Girgarre Community Group Inc. A not for profit organisation that operates largely through the significant contribution of volunteers.

Today

The main industry in Girgarre is dairying, mainly on family owned farms. Girgarre has a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, milk bar/post office, and a

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 ...

bus stop. It is 18.9 km and 17 minutes drive from the larger town of

Kyabram Kyabram is a town in north central Victoria, Australia. Kyabram is located in the centre of a rich irrigation district in the Goulburn River Valley, north of Melbourne. It is the second-largest town in the Shire of Campaspe, situated between ...

, and 38.6 km and 33 minutes drive to Shepparton. Until early 2012, Girgarre was home to a large

Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...

tomato sauce factory, a significant regional employer. Waste water from the factory was made available for farmers for irrigation and stock use. On 27 May 2011 Heinz announced it would close the Girgarre sauce factory. Heinz also announced job losses for its factories in Northgate (Brisbane), and

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

. Heinz said it expected to complete the lay-offs within 12 months. On 6 January 2012, Heinz closed its Girgarre factory as announced in 2011. 146 workers lost their jobs. It was the second to last tomato sauce factory in Australia, and Heinz's last. The plant equipment was moved to a factory in New Zealand. A local group sought to purchase the factory and start its own production, with offers of financial assistance from investors. Heinz rejected the offer. In 2013 Resource Recovery purchased the facility and it became a recycling operation. It received packaged food and beverages, the packaging was recycled. The food and beverages converted into stockfeed. In August 2018 a proposal for an upgrade to an organic waste-to-energy plant for the site went before Campaspe Shire Council. Sport plays a vital role in providing an exercise outlet for the town, and there are many locals members of the local football,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

and

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 ...

clubs.

Girgarre Football Club Girgarre Football Club was established in 1920 as a junior team and first made a senior team in 1932 in the Kyabram District Football Association. Girgarre is a small town in North Eastern Victoria. The club is known as "the Kangaroos". Premie ...

(the "Kangaroos") is the local football team. One of the most popular additions to the town has been a local farmers market, held on the second Sunday of every month in the park at the rear of the Town Hall. Hundreds of people come from near and far to shop at the market which features an excellent range of local produce, crafts and a well attended popular live poultry auction. The town has a Community Cottage which provides training opportunities and produces the local newspaper, the ''Girgarre Gazette''. The ''Gazette'' is produced monthly with features including local news, along with news from the wider district and the state. The Community Cottage also operates the Community Car, driven by volunteers, which ensures people within the district are able to attend appointments - both locally and in Bendigo and Melbourne. The community has a very strong sense of self and has a strong volunteer base.

Moosic Muster

The town is known for its free yearly 'Girgarre Moosic Muster', catering to all tastes in music. First run in 2007 as a 2 day event, in 2019 it was extended to 4 days. Held in mid-January, the 2019 Muster featured: Tutors lead the workshops in a wide variety of instruments, singing, songwriting and associated skills. The only charge was for camping, but the fee included three meals and use of amenities over the entire muster period. There is also a children's program. In 2020 the Muster was held over 5 days on 8−12 January. The 15th Muster, originally set for 6−10 January 2021, was postponed until 21−25 April.

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia)