| Warrnambool Victoria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Warrnambool foreshore from Pickering Point | |||||||||
  Warrnambool | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°23′0″S142°29′0″E / 38.38333°S 142.48333°E /-38.38333; 142.48333 | ||||||||
| Population | 32,894 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1855 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3280 | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10) | ||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEST (UTC+11) | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Warrnambool | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | South-West Coast | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Wannon | ||||||||
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Warrnambool (/ˈwɔːrnəmbuːl/ ⓘ;Maar:Peetoop orWheringkernitch orWarrnambool)[2] is a city on the south-western coast ofVictoria, Australia. At the2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 32,894.[1] Situated on thePrinces Highway, Warrnambool (Allansford) marks the western end of theGreat Ocean Road and the southern end of theHopkins Highway.
The name "Warrnambool" originated fromMount Warrnambool, a scoria cone volcano 25 kilometres northeast of the town. Warrnambool (or Warrnoobul) was the title of both the volcano and the clan ofAboriginal Australian people who lived there. In the local language, the prefix Warnn- designated home or hut, while the meaning of the suffix -ambool is now unknown.[3][4] William Fowler Pickering, the colonial government surveyor who in 1845 was tasked with the initial planning of the township, chose to name the town Warrnambool.[5] Thetraditional Indigenous owners of the land today are theDhauwurd Wurrung people, also known as the Gunditjmara.
Aboriginal Australians have been occupying the site of Warrnambool for at least the last 35,000 years.[6] The vicinity around theMerri River was inhabited by people known as the Merrigundidj, part of the largerGunditjmara nation. They spoke a language called Bi:gwurrung, which was a dialect of theDhauwurd Wurrung language. These people constructed large stone and timber weirs called yereroc across various waterways in the region in order to facilitate the trapping of eels. The area at the mouth of theHopkins River was known as Moyjil. At the beginning of British colonisation of the region in 1841, there were approximately 400 Aboriginal people living around the coastal parts of the Merri River including a number of Koroitgundidj people residing in a village at what is now known asTower Hill.[3] There are several Maar placenames for locations in the area including: 'Kunang' referring to a waterhole on present-day Koroit Street which was a celebrated place for kangaroos to drink, 'Wirkneung' referring to the site of Warrnambool cemetery, 'Puurkar' referring to the Western Hill area of Warrnambool, and 'Peetoop' which is one of the names for the area meaning 'smallsandpiper'.[7]
A popular legend is that the first Europeans to visit the region wereCristóvão de Mendonça and his crew who surveyed the coastline nearby and were marooned near the site of the present town as early as the 16th century, based on the unverified reports of local whalers' discovery of the wreck of amahogany ship.[8] The ship's provenance has been variously attributed toFrance,China,Spain andPortugal. There is no physical evidence to suggest that it ever existed.
The first documented European exploration of the area occurred under LieutenantJames Grant, a Scottish explorer who sailed theLady Nelson along the coast in December 1800 and named several features.[citation needed] This was followed by that of the English navigatorMatthew Flinders in theInvestigator, and the French explorerNicholas Baudin, who recorded coastal landmarks, in 1802. The area was frequented bywhalers early in the 19th century.[citation needed]
British settlement of the land in the region began in 1838 when CaptainAlexander Campbell, a whaler based at nearbyPort Fairy, took possession of 4,000 acres around the mouth of theMerri River. He set up a farm there and built his main hut where Warrnambool now stands.[3] The township was planned and surveyed in 1845, with the first allotments being sold in 1847. A Post Office opened on 1 January 1849.[9]
During theVictorian Gold Rush, Warrnambool became an important port and grew quickly in the 1850s, benefiting from the private ownership of nearbyPort Fairy. It was gazetted as a municipality in 1855, and became a borough in 1863. Warrnambool was declared a town in 1883, and a city in 1918. Post Offices opened at Warrnambool South in 1937 (closed 1973), Warrnambool East in 1946, and Warrnambool North in 1947 (closed 1975).[9]
Warrnambool has a temperateMediterranean climate (Csb) that closely borders theOceanic climate (Cfb), and is characterised by mild, dry summers with frequentcold fronts and cool, rainy winters with moderate cloud cover. Annual and especially winter rainfall is much higher than in Melbourne due to being west of theOtway Ranges.
During the2009 heatwave in southeastern Australia, Warrnambool recorded a maximum temperature of 44.8 °C (112.6 °F) on 7 February 2009 at the airport site,[10] while the highest minimum temperature was 28.3 °C (82.9 °F) on 21 January 1900 at the post office. Summers can also get cold on occasion, having dropped to 4.2 °C (39.6 °F) on 4 February 1963 near the beach.
| Climate data for Warrnambool (Post Office, 1897–1983); 38.38° S, 142.48° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.4 (111.9) | 43.9 (111.0) | 40.0 (104.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 30.7 (87.3) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.5 (72.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 34.4 (93.9) | 33.8 (92.8) | 38.9 (102.0) | 42.5 (108.5) | 44.4 (111.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.3 (72.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 18.6 (65.5) | 16.1 (61.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 14.1 (57.4) | 15.7 (60.3) | 17.4 (63.3) | 19.0 (66.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 17.9 (64.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.7 (47.7) | 6.9 (44.4) | 6.2 (43.2) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.6 (49.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) | 4.2 (39.6) | 3.7 (38.7) | 1.7 (35.1) | −0.9 (30.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | −1.9 (28.6) | −1.6 (29.1) | 1.1 (34.0) | 1.0 (33.8) | 1.7 (35.1) | 4.2 (39.6) | −1.9 (28.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 32.9 (1.30) | 34.3 (1.35) | 47.6 (1.87) | 60.3 (2.37) | 77.5 (3.05) | 76.9 (3.03) | 88.3 (3.48) | 85.6 (3.37) | 73.7 (2.90) | 66.7 (2.63) | 54.8 (2.16) | 44.4 (1.75) | 741.9 (29.21) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 8.4 | 10.8 | 11.4 | 13.4 | 13.2 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 105.7 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[11] | |||||||||||||
The airport is slightly north and inland of Warrnambool, featuring warmer days and cooler nights.
| Climate data for Warrnambool Airport NDB (1998–2024); 38.29° S, 142.45° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.3 (111.7) | 44.8 (112.6) | 40.9 (105.6) | 35.6 (96.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 22.9 (73.2) | 27.8 (82.0) | 32.7 (90.9) | 38.3 (100.9) | 44.2 (111.6) | 44.8 (112.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 19.9 (67.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.5 (56.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.1 (64.6) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.0 (66.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.2 (48.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 8.6 (47.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.0 (35.6) | 0.0 (32.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | −3.4 (25.9) | −2.4 (27.7) | −1.4 (29.5) | −1.7 (28.9) | −1.4 (29.5) | 0.8 (33.4) | 1.3 (34.3) | −3.4 (25.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 37.8 (1.49) | 30.0 (1.18) | 45.2 (1.78) | 52.8 (2.08) | 74.6 (2.94) | 79.3 (3.12) | 83.8 (3.30) | 89.1 (3.51) | 73.8 (2.91) | 69.1 (2.72) | 51.0 (2.01) | 45.4 (1.79) | 729.7 (28.73) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.8 | 4.3 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 12.4 | 15.1 | 14.5 | 12.2 | 10.7 | 7.6 | 6.7 | 116.0 |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology.[12] | |||||||||||||
The original City of Warrnambool was a 4x8 grid, with boundaries of Lava Street (north), Japan Street (east), Merri Street (south) and Henna Street (west). In the nineteenth century, it was intended that Fairy Street – with its proximity to theWarrnambool Railway Station – would be the main street of Warrnambool. However, Liebig Street has since become the main street of thecentral business district (CBD). The Warrnambool CBD is particularly notable for its number ofroundabouts.[citation needed]
Outside the CBD, the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens feature wide curving paths, rare trees, alily pond withducks, a fernery, a bandrotunda, and was designed by notablelandscape architect,William Guilfoyle.[13]
Eleven suburbs surround the CBD of Warrnambool: North, South, East and West Warrnambool, Brierly,Sherwood Park, Merrivale,Dennington,Woodford,Bushfield andAllansford, though only the four latter are recognised as localities of the city.[citation needed]
Wunta Fiesta, a festival held in Warrnambool over the first weekend of February annually, is one of south-west Victoria's major community festivals. It incorporates a wide range of entertainment (mostly music) for all ages.
TheFlagstaff Hill Maritime Museum is in Warrnambool built on Flagstaff Hill that also holds the original lighthouses and Warrnambool Garrison. Its most prized item in its collection is theMinton peacock salvaged from theLoch Ard.Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is built around the original lighthouses and now operates as a heritage attraction and museum of shipwreck and maritime trade artefacts.[14]
The Lady Bay Lighthouse complex is on the Victorian heritage register due to its significance as an example of early colonial development. There has been a flagstaff on top of Flagstaff Hill since 1848, and the current lighthouses were moved to the site in 1878. They still operate as navigation aids for the channel into Warrnambool harbour.
The Warrnambool foreshore is a popular swimming area, and is adjacent to the Lake Pertobe parklands. A number ofcaravan parks are also located in the area.
Baritone Robert Nicholson recorded the songBack to Warrnambool in 1924.[15]
Warrnambool is the setting and filming location of the 2015 filmOddball, starringShane Jacobson.[16]
Warrnambool's Bathing History
Warrnambool has a rich history when it comes to outdoor bathing. The city has been a popular destination for beachgoers for 150 years, with the firstpublic bathing area built in 1876 on the south end of Gilles Street, and was later moved to the current location with the advent of the railway. The sea baths were filled with water drawn from Lady Bay, initially bywindmill and later by gas pump.
Over the years, Warrnambool' s outdoor bathing facilities evolved, with the introduction of new amenities and features. In 1881, the sought after HotSea Baths opened, and people travelled to Warrnambool to receive the benefits of bathing - noting their 'wonderful creative powers', and their being a 'tonic for the feeble'.[17]
Today, Warrnambool continues to be a popular destination for bathing, with world class facilities available for locals and tourists alike. The Deep Blue Hot Springs offer two bathing experiences and, although no longer using salt water drawn from the sea, their Indoor Bath House and Outdoor Bathing Sanctuary offers naturally warm geothermal water, drawn from the Dilwyn Aquifer, 850 metres (930 yd) below the earth's surface.[18]
Warrnambool is served by one daily newspaper,The Standard, which is owned byAustralian Community Media. The local commercial radio stations are 94.5 3YB and 95.3 Coast FM, both owned byAce Radio. There is also a community radio channel,3WAY FM. The ABC also owns a radio station,ABC South West Victoria, which is based in Warrnambool.
Warrnambool is also served by local transmission of free-to-air television networksABC,SBS,Seven,Southern Cross andWIN.
Out of those networks, WIN Television produces the only local television news bulletin, WIN News, which uses resources from their Ballarat and Warrnambool newsrooms.
Warrnambool is home to the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, a race which attracts Australian and international drivers on theAustralia Day long weekend, especially because of its position in the motorsport calendar.
The city is also the finishing point of theMelbourne to Warrnambool Classiccycle race. It is the longest one-day bicycle endurance race in the world, held every October since 1895 to be the world's second oldest bike race.[19][20]
Warrnambool has ahorse racing club, the Warrnambool Racing Club, which schedules around twenty race meetings a year including the Warrnambool Cup andGrand Annual Steeple three-day meeting in the first week of May.[21] The Woodford Racing Club also holds one meeting at Warrnambool racecourse. The Grand Annualsteeplechase has 33 jumps, more than any other horse race and is one of the longest steeplechases in the world.[citation needed]
The Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club holds regulargreyhound racing meetings on most Mondays and Thursdays. The Greyhound version of the Warrnambool Cup is held on the first Wednesday of May. The club also holds the Seaside Festival over the Christmas and New Year period providing great entertainment and value for money for both kids and kids at heart.[22] The club is located centrally in the Warrnambool Showgrounds Precinct on Koroit Street and opened on 27 July 1978.[23]
Warrnambool is home to the Premier Speedway, a 410-metre (450 yd)dirt track oval speedway located approximately 5 km east of the town. As well as hosting various Victorian state championships, Premier Speedway has hosted Australian championships forSprintcars,Super Sedans andStreet Stocks. Premier Speedway has also regularly hosted rounds of theWorld Series Sprintcars, being one of only five tracks to host a round of every series run since its inception in 1987. Since 1973 the speedway has been home to theGrand Annual Sprintcar Classic, the biggest singlesprint car racing meeting in Australia, and on occasion has outdrawn the famedKnoxville Nationals in the United States for number of competitors entered, as better known drivers enter both races. The Classic is traditionally run the weekend before the national title meeting. The speedway has hosted the Classic / Australian Championship double on six occasions - 1979, 1986, 1994, 1999, 2003 and 2011, withSydney's 10 time Australian ChampionGarry Rush the only driver to win the double at Warrnambool in 1986 when he won his 6th Classic and a week later his 7th national title.
Gunditjmara Bulls and North Warrnambool Warriors play rugby league in NRL Victoria.
From 1 to 3 September 2008, the city hosted, along with Melbourne, the2008 Australian Football International Cup, featuring 14 nations from around the world playingAustralian rules football.[24] The sport is highly popular in Warrnambool which has a competitive local league and is the origin of many high-profile AFL players. The city has threeAustralian Rules football teams playing in theHampden Football League (North Warrnambool,South Warrnambool andWarrnambool),[25] and many more in theWarrnambool District Football League
Golfers play either on the 18 hole course at the Warrnambool Golf Club a public access course ranked in Australia's top 100 courses,[26] or at the 9 hole course at theDeakin University Warrnambool campus.
Warrnambool attracts many visitors each year, and is a comprehensive regional service centre. The town's tourism benefits from the views from theGreat Ocean Road, and its nearby beaches, some of which are used forsurfing. In the winter months,Southern Right whales can be seen in the waters near the city at the Logan's Beach nursery, and boats makewhale-watching tours.
The mainstay of the economy is agriculture and its support industry – particularly dairy farming and associated milk processing. Other major industries and services include retail, education, health, meat processing, clothing manufacture and construction. TheFletcher Jones and Staff Pty Ltd clothing factory opened in 1948 and was closed in 2005.[27]
15.1% of Warrnambool residents were born outside Australia, which is significantly less than the Australian average of 33.1%.[28] 89.1% speak only English at home and 2.0% areIndigenous.[1]
The Local Government is theWarrnambool City Council.
At the state level, Warrnambool was within theelectoral district of Warrnambool until it was abolished in 2002. Since then, Warrnambool has been in theSouth-West Coast electorate. This was held by former PremierDenis Napthine of theLiberal Party until his retirement in 2015, the resulting by-election electingRoma Britnell, also of the Liberal Party.
At the federal level, Warrnambool is the largest town in thedivision of Wannon, which has been a safeLiberal seat since 1955. However, Warrnambool booths typically receive a much strongerLabor vote than the rural areas that surround it. The seat was held by former Prime MinisterMalcolm Fraser for 28 years, before being held by formerSpeaker of the lower houseDavid Hawker for 27 years.
There are many primary schools in Warrnambool, including:
Warrnambool has two public high schools:
In addition, there is:
The city's only university facilities are at theDeakin University Warrnambool campus. TheSouth West Institute of TAFE and SEAL both provide vocational education.
Logan's Beach on the eastern side of the city is recognised as a nursery site for thesouthern right whaleEubalaena australis, and many tourists have been attracted to opportunities for land-based observations. Most years one, two or three adult female whales arrive between late May and August, giving birth within days of their arrival. The young whale calf is then reared at the site, usually departing with its parent by mid to late September. Besides the southern right whale, the coastline is also visited byAustralian fur seals,little penguins andcommon dolphins. During the winter and early springalbatross cruise along the coastline and can be sighted from Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in the town.
Middle Island has a colony ofAustralian little penguins (Eudyptula novaehollandiae). Fox predation reduced numbers significantly. In 2005 only four penguins were remaining in the colony. Warrnambool City Council introduced a world first program usingMaremma dogs to guard the penguins. This program has supported the re-establishment of a colony of over one hundred penguins in 2009.[33][34][35] By 2015 the population had reached almost two-hundred.[36] The filmOddball is a dramatisation of the dogs saving the penguins.
Warrnambool is situated on thePrinces Highway betweenPort Fairy to the west andTerang to the east as well as at the south-western terminus of theHopkins Highway. TheGreat Ocean Road terminates 13 km east of Warrnambool, near Allansford.
Rail services operate to Melbourne andGeelong.V/Line passenger train services call at Warrnambool's two stations,Warrnambool in the city andSherwood Park in the city's outer east, seven days a week. A daily container freight service is being run byPacific National for local container handler Westvic.[37]
Local buses under the Transit South West brand cover Warrnambool's city and suburbs and extend to the nearby towns ofPort Fairy andKoroit.V/Line coaches connect Warrnambool withMount Gambier,Ballarat,Ararat,Casterton and the Great Ocean Road toGeelong.
There are two main hospitals in Warrnambool:
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