Watchem is a town in north western

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia. The town is in the

Shire of Buloke The Shire of Buloke is a Local Government Areas of Victoria, local government area in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, in August 2021, had a population of 6,201. It i ...

local government area and on the

Sunraysia Highway Sunraysia Highway (route B220) is a north–south rural highway in western Victoria, linking Ouyen to the north-western Ballarat suburb of Mitchell Park, and acts as a secondary route to Calder Highway, the main route between Melbourne an ...

, 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 ...

and from nearby

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

. At the , Watchem and the surrounding area had a population of 124. Watchem has a thriving lake based within walking distance from the town centre. The Post Office opened on 2 November 1889. With its neighbouring township

Birchip Birchip is a town in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia on the Sunraysia Highway north of Donald. The town is located in the Shire of Buloke local government area. At the , Birchip had a population of 694, down from the 2016 figure of 7 ...

, Watchem has a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team (Birchip-Watchem) competing in the

North Central Football League The North Central Football League is an Australian rules football league based in North Central Victoria, Australia. History At a Delegate's meeting in April 1930 of the North Central District Football League, the following club's had withdr ...

. Watchem also has a cricket team named the Watchem Panthers. They play at the Watchem Cricket Ground and compete in the Wimmera-Mallee Cricket Association B Grade. In the 2024/2025 season the Watchem Panthers won the Grand Final against Donald-Jeffcott C.C played at Marnoo Cricket Ground (M.C.G).

History

There are many stories told on how the name Watchem came to be, one of the more plausible stories being that the name came from the Aboriginal name for wattle, which has been known to grow near Watchem Lake. Another story is that 'Watchem' came from the aboriginal word “place the hop bush (Dodonaea) grows” However, the name came to be the one designated to the town according to early documentation such as “land Department maps, road surveys and building applications” has been around since at least the 1860s. The land was also home to the Banynong tribe who were situated alongside the Watchem Lake area. According to early documentation, the first “land selection” was realised by the Donohue family in 1873. In 1874, Martin Donohue completed the first wool clip for this area, covering several properties on the route between Watchem and

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

. Additionally, he was also responsible for the first wheat delivery to Dunolly in 1875. By 1875, the town had reached its peak in population, whereby many families from towns south of Watchem moved into the area, some of which are still located there today. By the end of 1875 the town was officially recognised as a settlement and gained township status.

Watchem Lake

The Watchem Lake is located 3 km west of Watchem on the Warracknabeal road and consists of a playground, camping places, a BBQ area and the lake proper. Watchem Lake area was upgraded in 2018 with the upgrades finishing on 22 December, in time for the Christmas holidays. These updates made way for better campgrounds, toilets and a playground.

Watchem Swimming Pool

The Watchem Pool is another major attraction to this small town. The swimming pool has free admission to anyone, and has no memberships. When open, swimmers may simply show up with a towel and suitable swimwear.It is completely outdoors, although it still offers seated arrangements under the shade. Other areas of this complex include a shower and bathroom area and a storage area where spare swimming equipment is kept. The complex comprises three different size swimming pools: a baby pool, a smaller child's pool and the main pool, which has both a shallow and a deep end.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state)