Pomonal is a town in western Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

within the Rural City of Ararat

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

, north west of the state capital,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. At the , Pomonal had a population of 356.

History

Reflecting the many orchards in the area at the time, the town was originally named Pomona after the Roman goddess. As a result of another town in Australia with the same name, this was changed in 1904 to Pomonal. The Post Office reflected this change opening as Pomona on 25 December 1892 (closing 1895), re-opening as Mona on 1 August 1904 then being renamed Pomonal on 10 October 1904. Thomas Mitchell was the first European explorer in the Pomonal area, camping near the future town site in 1836 before climbing Mount William in the nearby

Grampians The Grampian Mountains () 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. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

mountain range.

Squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

soon followed and the town site was part of the "Lexington Run". In 1866, the Frenchman Peter DeMay was the first selector in the area, developing an orchard and small vineyard. The fruit industry developed from the 1890s, reaching a peak around 1913. From 1920,

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

growing started in the area. The Black Friday bushfires of 1939 destroyed many of the orchards and tobacco properties. Today, while there is one remaining commercial orchard, Pomonal is mainly a grazing district. In 2006 Pomonal narrowly escaped the disastrous Mount Lubra bushfire. Due to the relentless efforts of residents and fire fighting crews from New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria the town remained a green island in the 130,000 hectares of land blackened by the fire. In February 2024 46 homes in the town were destroyed by a bushfire that moved through Pomonal. The bushfire began in the nearby

Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park, commonly known as the Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated between ...

on a day classed as catastrophic fire conditions and swept down into the township. Recovery efforts are ongoing.

Transport

The town is located on the C222 between Ararat and Halls Gap. Pomonal is serviced by

V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...

with an inter-town bus service operating three times a week between

Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

and Ararat.

Other services

The township, due to its vicinity to both the Grampians and Ararat, is seen as a good location to live, with larger rural blocks and hobby farms, and a 20–30-minute commute to Ararat or Stawell. It has a primary school (established in 1887 with the original building still used as a multi purpose room) and a general store and post office. Nearby is Barney's Bar & Bistro.

References

Towns in Victoria (state) Wimmera {{GrampiansAU-geo-stub