Wallan , traditionally known as Wallan Wallan (large circular place of water), is a town in Victoria, north of Melbourne's Central Business District. The town sits at the southern end of the large and diverse

Shire of Mitchell Mitchell Shire is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located North of Melbourne. It covers an area of and, in April 2024, had a projected population of 61,362. Larger towns include Beveridge, Broadford, Kilm ...

which extends from the northern fringes of

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 ...

into the farming country of north-central Victoria and the lower

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. ...

. The township flanks the

Hume Freeway The Hume Highway, including the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and the Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city National Highway (Australia), national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in ...

and is set against the backdrop of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

. At the 2021 census it had a population 15,004.

Overview

The fastest growing town and now the largest town in the Mitchell Shire, Wallan is a link between the city and rural towns such as Kilmore, Broadford and

Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...

. 15 kilometres to the north is a turnoff to Strath Creek which leads through the Valley of a Thousand Hills.

History

A Wallan Wallan Post Office opened on 1 April 1858. A Wallan Railway Station Post Office opened on 1 October 1873, later renamed as Wallan Wallan East and closing in 1992. The first and only surviving store was begun by Hugh and Margaret Sinclair about 1860 with their 2-storey residence. In 1867 Thomas O'Dwyer began a store where the Wallan Hotel now stands. He converted the store to the Woodmans Arms Hotel in 1883. George Wallder and John Kyle supplied meat to the township. The first church erected in Wallan was a wooden building that cost 71 pounds and was opened by the Methodist residents in 1865. Wallan became part of the preaching circuit in 1864 and the following year the modest chapel was built. In the past, Wallan was a small village with only a few houses and a shop. 1km North of Wallan is the Hidden Valley Housing Development which until 1997 was a private farm, however it has now been developed as a residential estate with a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

running through the middle. The Wellington Square Shopping Centre, opened in 2004, includes many corporate franchise businesses (mainly Victoria's biggest supermarket chain

Safeway Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...

), creating competition for the already existing Coles Supermarket across the road. In 2009, Wallan was used as a relief centre for those from surrounding towns affected by the Black Saturday fires.

Education

Wallan offers both primary and secondary education. Wallan Primary School (est.1857) and Wallan Secondary College (est.2006). Catholic education can be sourced in the nearby town of Kilmore through Saint Patricks Primary and Assumption College Kilmore, and private education through The Kilmore International School (y3-y12) teaching the IB diploma (Permanently closed in January 2023). Childcare and Kindergarten programs in Wallan are offered by multiple private childcare centres and the Mitchell Shire Kindergarten (operating within Wallan Primary School grounds).

Transport

Wallan station is well connected with the V/Line train network on the Seymour line. Mitchell Shire also operates a town to station connecting bus service for peak hour commuters. There is a bus service from Barmah that serves Wallan to Southern Cross station.

Parks

Wallan has parks in prominent locations, and within estates. It also has a small water park (running mainly in the warmer months) located in the town centre at Hadfield park, this is a large adventure playground with a small splash area and ample picnic spaces including sheltered seating with bbq facilities. There are very limited recreational facilities in the town. Walkways have been improved in recent years with re-vegetation of wetland areas along Watson st and storm water mitigation ponds around Wallara Waters.

Gallery

File:Scouts wallan.jpg, File:View from Wallan.jpg, File:View from Wallan Seme.jpg, File:Vline Train departing from North Melbourne.jpg, File:Vline Train at Wallan Station.jpg, File:Wallan Fire Station and Police station.jpg, File:WallanCommunityCentre.jpg, File:KillaraChildCare.jpg, File:HealthServicesWallan.jpg, File:RobsonStadiumWallan.jpg, File:TennisCourtsWallan.jpg, File:HadfieldParkWallan.jpg, File:Hadfieldparkatwallan.jpg, File:BBQatHadfieldPark.jpg, File:PlayatWallan.jpg,

References

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Mitchell Hume Highway