Manangatang ( ) is a town in north-west
Victoria,
Australia. At the , Manangatang had a population of 309.
It is sometimes noted for its unusual name, from an
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
term - "manang" meaning ''land'' and "kaaiti" meaning ''water''.
Transport
Manangatang is positioned on the
Robinvale railway line
The Robinvale railway line is a freight only country railway line in north-western Victoria, Australia. The line branches from the Mildura line at Dunolly, and at Inglewood the Eaglehawk – Inglewood line connects with the Piangil line ou ...
. Manangatang was the terminus from 1914 until the line was extended in 1921. Passenger service to
Manangatang railway station
Manangatang is a railway station located on the Robinvale railway line in the town of Manangatang in Victoria, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainl ...
ceased in 1978. The
Mallee Highway crosses the railway and the
Robinvale–
Sea Lake
Sea Lake is a town in the Mallee district of north-west Victoria, Australia and is situated on the southern shores of Lake Tyrrell. The town is located on the Calder Highway, north-west of Melbourne, and west of Swan Hill. Sea Lake is in the ...
Road at Manangatang.
The
Avoca railway line is to be reopened (as of 2017) as standard gauge and upgraded to 21-tonne axle loads, with insertion of over 100,000 new concrete sleepers. The second reopening of this cross country line is primarily to allow for the carriage of
mineral sands from Manangatang to a processing plant at
Hamilton.
History
A Mr A T Creswick, who held the Bumbang station, had a hut on or near the present township. Surveyed blocks, each of about one square mile in area, were available in 1911. Manangatang was proclaimed a town in 1915. In January 1919, the local police station was set up with mounted Constable E E Dunkley in charge. 1930 saw settlement by some
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
emigrant
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
s. Mrs Della Dillon opened a store in the town in 1912. The first sale of township subdivision was in 1913 at prices ranging from 15 to 30
pound
Pound or Pounds may refer to:
Units
* Pound (currency), a unit of currency
* Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom
* Pound (mass), a unit of mass
* Pound (force), a unit of force
* Rail pound, in rail profile
Symbols
* Po ...
s.
The post office opened on 6 January 1913 when the township was settled.
Miss Alice McKinnon was the Post Mistress from that time until 1958 when she sold the premises. Her 44 years of service was recognised by the public at a gathering in her honour that year. A progress association was successful in having state School no 3263 opened on 26 September 1914.
Community
The local area consists mainly of farming, primarily wheat and sheep but also cows and birds such as
squab
In culinary terminology, squab is an immature domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old, or its meat. The meat is widely described as tasting like dark chicken. The term is probably of Scandinavian origin; the Swedish word ''skvabb'' means ...
.
The Manangatang Football Club, an
Australian rules football team then competing in the
Mallee Football League
The Mallee Football League (MFL) was an Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The league comprised teams located in south eastern South Australia and one team (Murrayville) located in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria.
...
, was made famous by a
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...
of commentator
Lou Richards; "They couldn't beat the Manangatang thirds."
The town in conjunction with nearby township
Tooleybuc, New South Wales
Tooleybuc is a town in the western Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Mallee Highway, southwest of the state capital, Sydney and north west of Melbourne. Situated on the banks of the Murray River acros ...
now has an Australian rules football team competing in the
Central Murray Football League
The Central Murray Football Netball League (CMFNL) is a major country Australian rules football and netball competition based in northern Victoria and southwest New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.s ...
.
Manangatang has a
horse racing club, the Manangatang Racing Club, which holds one race meeting a year, the Manangatang Cup meeting on
Caulfield Guineas day in October.
Golfers play at the course of the Manangatang Golf Club at the Recreation Reserve.
The town possesses Victoria's smallest public hospital and nursing home. Manangatang also has a combined high school and primary school, a preschool and a tennis club.
Manangatang has an Annual Reunion on the second Saturday of February at approx 10.30 am in the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne. The gathering is near the Fairy Tree and the kiosk. This reunion has been going for over 75 years.
References
* Back to Manangatang Book Easter 1959
External links
Manangatang website maintained by the local school
{{authority control
Towns in Victoria (Australia)
Towns in Mallee
Rural City of Swan Hill