Warragul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Warragul Victoria
Warragul Location in Baw Baw Shire
Population	19,856 (2021 census)
• Density	361/km2 (930/sq mi)
Established	1840s
Postcode(s)	3820
Elevation	143.0 m (469 ft)
Area	55 km2 (21.2 sq mi)
Location	102 km (63 mi) East of Melbourne 32 km (20 mi) W of Moe 7 km (4 mi) ESE of Drouin
LGA(s)	Shire of Baw Baw
County	Buln Buln
State electorate(s)	Narracan
Federal Division(s)	Monash
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 19.2 °C 67 °F 8.4 °C 47 °F 1,020.2 mm 40.2 in
Localities around Warragul: Drouin East Lillico Nilma North Drouin Warragul Nilma Drouin South Lardner Bull Swamp

Warragul is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is about 102 kilometers (63 miles) south-east of Melbourne. Warragul is located between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau to the north. In 2021, the town had a population of 19,856 people. Warragul is part of a larger urban area that includes nearby Drouin. This combined area had an estimated total population of 42,827 in 2021.

Warragul is the main center for services and people in the West Gippsland region. It is also the main town in the Shire of Baw Baw. The area around Warragul is well-known for dairy farming and other special types of agriculture. It has been producing gourmet foods for a long time.

What Does the Name Warragul Mean?

The name Warragul comes from an Indigenous word. It is from the Darug language of New South Wales. The word "warragul" (or "warrigal") means dingo, which is a type of wild dog. Many businesses in Warragul use the words 'Wild Dog' in their names because of this meaning.

However, in the 1840s and 1850s, settlers in Gippsland used the word differently. They used it to mean wild Aboriginal person or a Gunai/Kurnai person. The traditional land of the Gunai/Kurnai people includes the town of Warragul. This land also meets the Boonwurrung territory to the west of the town.

In 1851, a British botanist named Daniel Bunce recorded "warragul" as a Boonwurrung language word. He said it meant wild, ferocious, and enemy. While he might have been right about the meaning, it is thought the word originally came from the Darug language. Hugh Copeland, who wrote a history of Warragul in 1934, also said the name was an Indigenous word meaning wild.

The word is also used for Warrigal Creek in South Gippsland. This name referred to the people who lived in that area.

A Look Back: Warragul's History

The town of Warragul started as a camp for workers building a track called McLeod's Track. This track is now Brandy Creek Road. It was where the planned railway line met the coach road. In 1877, John Lardner surveyed the towns along the railway line. He noticed that the first people to arrive in the area were squatters. These squatters had built their shops and homes on Crown land. Their land was not part of the first sale of town land in March 1878. However, it was available to buy in a second sale later that month.

In November 1873, the Victorian Parliament approved building a railway. This railway would connect Oakleigh to Sale. Work on the Gippsland railway line began from both ends at the same time. The Warragul railway station opened on March 1, 1878. The first train ran through the town in the same month. In May 1890, Warragul railway station became a junction. This happened when a branch line opened to Rokeby. This line was later extended to Neerim South and Noojee.

The first Warragul post office opened on March 16, 1877. It was inside the general store run by James Biram, who became the first postmaster. A contract to build an official post office was made in April 1887. The foundation stone was laid in June 1887. The building was finished and used the next year. Warragul's modern post office opened in April 1967. The old post office had closed in September 1965 and was pulled down in 1966.

Existing roads were renamed Princes Highway after the Prince of Wales visited Australia in 1920. He later became King Edward VIII. The highway was officially opened on August 10, 1920, at a ceremony in Warragul.

Warragul was named the Premier Town in Victoria from 1970 to 1973. This was a special honor for the town.

Warragul's Location and Natural Features

Warragul is built on hills that stretch north from the Strzelecki Ranges. These hills connect to the Baw Baws in the Neerim District. This area is known as the Warragul Hills. These hills separate the flat lands of the Koo-Wee-Rup swamp to the west and the Moe Swamp to the east.

Warragul has the Linear Park Arts Discovery Trail. This trail goes through several parks in the town. It has painted poles, mosaics, and murals. The trail also connects to the Drouin to Warragul Two Towns Trail.

Warragul's Weather

Warragul has an oceanic climate. This means it has warm summers and cool, rainy winters. The highest average temperature is about 26.2°C (79.2°F) in February. The lowest average temperature is about 12.9°C (55.2°F) in July. The lowest average temperature at night is about 13.2°C (55.8°F) in February. In July, it drops to about 3.8°C (38.8°F).

It rains a fair amount in Warragul, with about 1020.2 mm (40.2 inches) of rain each year. It rains often, with about 154 rainy days a year. Because of this, the town does not get a lot of sunshine. It has about 171 cloudy days and only 53 clear days each year. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 42.3°C (108.1°F) in February 1968. The coldest was -3.7°C (25.3°F) in July 1963.

Fun Events in Warragul

Warragul is the closest major town to Lardner, where the Gippsland Field Days are held. Three big events happen at Lardner Park every year. These are the Farm World agricultural show, Trucks in Action, and Harvest of Gippsland. The Farm World show is a huge attraction for the Warragul area. Every year in late March, Warragul hosts these Field Days at Lardner Park. These Field Days are Australia's top mixed farming event. They show off many different types of beef cattle, dairy farming, and garden exhibits.

Warragul also hosts the yearly Warragul Show. This show takes place on the first Friday of March every year. It is traditionally a farming and livestock show. But it also has rides, stalls, games, fireworks, and showbags. It is held at the Warragul showgrounds.

Learning in Warragul: Schools and Colleges

Warragul has many schools and colleges for its size. It has four primary schools, three secondary schools, and two higher education places.

Primary Schools in Warragul

• Warragul Primary opened in 1879.
• Warragul North Primary opened around 1954. Both are state primary schools.
• St. Joseph's Catholic Primary Warragul and St. Angela's of the Cross are Catholic schools.
• St. Paul's Anglican Grammar School is an Anglican Church primary school.

Warragul & District Specialist School is for younger children aged 5 to 10. This school uses special teaching tools. These include PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and AUSLAN.

Secondary Schools in Warragul

There are three secondary schools in Warragul:

• Warragul Regional College was formed in 1994. It was created by joining Warragul High School and Warragul Secondary College.
• Marist-Sion College was formed in 1975. This happened when the Marist Brothers Boys College and the Our Lady of Sion Girls College merged.
• St Paul's Anglican Grammar School started in 1982 with only nineteen Year 7 students. It has grown a lot in recent years.

Higher Education in Warragul

The Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE has a campus in Warragul. It is south of the town center, next to the railway station. The Education Centre Gippsland now offers courses that used to be at the McMillan Institute of Land and Food Resources. This was a campus of the University of Melbourne. These courses cover agriculture, horse management, harness racing, horticulture, and conservation and land management.

A Monash University campus is also near the public hospital (West Gippsland Healthcare Group). It provides training for medical students. This includes rural placements as part of Monash Rural Health.

Getting Around: Transport in Warragul

The Warragul railway station is a staffed V/Line station. It is south of Warragul's town center. The station is on the Gippsland railway line. This line connects towns and suburbs between Bairnsdale and Southern Cross in Melbourne.

Warragul has a bus network with four routes inside the town. Each route has three services a day. There are also bus services to nearby towns. The Warragul bus network recently got the Myki technology. This is a ticketing system now used on all town buses. It was also put on V/Line Train services between 2014 and 2015.

Sports and Activities in Warragul

• Warragul United Soccer Club started in 1963. They play Association Football in the Victorian State League Division 1 South East.
• The Warragul Warriors are the basketball teams of the Warragul and District Amateur Basketball Association. They have won many titles, including Gippsland and State titles in the Country Basketball League.
• The town has two Australian rules football teams. The Warragul Football Club plays in the Gippsland Football League. The Warragul Industrials play in the Ellinbank & District Football League.
• The Warragul & District Junior Football League is for younger Australian rules players. Warragul has three teams in this league: the Colts, Warranor (at Eastern Park), and the Blues (at Marist-Sion College). The league has competitions for under-10s, under-12s, and under-14½s.
• The Warragul Little Athletics Centre meets on Saturdays during summer. They meet at the Geoff Watt Memorial Track in Burke Street, Warragul. It is for young athletes aged 6 to 17. Athletes can compete locally and in Regional and State Championships.
• Warragul's Wild Dog Triathlon Club also meets on Saturdays in summer. They do a swim, cycle, and run event. The club is for all ages and skill levels.
• The Warragul Harness Racing Club holds regular races at its track in town.
• The Warragul Greyhound Racing Club holds regular greyhound racing meetings. These are at the Logan Park Showgrounds. The track opened in September 1956.
• Golfers can play at the Warragul Country Club on Sutton Street.
• Warragul has one of the best outdoor velodromes (cycling tracks) in the state. The Warragul Cycling Club (WCC) uses it and runs road races most Saturdays.
• The club hosts the Baw Baw Classic road race every April. This race has one of the hardest climbs in Australia. Famous riders like Simon Gerrans (Tour de France stage winner) have won it.

Local News and Radio

Newspapers

Warragul has two weekly local newspapers: The Warragul and Drouin Gazette and a free paper called The West Gippsland Trader. These papers are given out in areas from Pakenham to Moe, and from Poowong to Noojee. They reach over 40,000 readers.

Warragul also has a free newspaper, the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. It is printed twice a month and is also available online. It started in 2011 as a quarterly paper. In 2012, it became bi-monthly, covering Warragul, Drouin, and Yarragon. Its online news started in late 2011 and covers all of Baw Baw. The paper became online-only in 2013. In 2014, it returned to print with monthly editions, changing its name to Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen.

The West Gippsland Gazette was published from 1898 to 1930 in Warragul. You can find old copies online through Trove.

Radio

Warragul has two commercial radio stations: 531 3GG and 94.3 Triple M Gippsland. 3GG started in 1937 as 3UL and changed its name in 1989. Triple M Gippsland began broadcasting in 2002.

Warragul also receives West Gippsland Community Radio, 103.1 3BBR FM, which is based in Drouin. There is also a community radio station for people with print disabilities, Vision Australia Radio Warragul, on 93.5FM.

You can also listen to many Melbourne radio stations in Warragul. These include 105.1 Triple M, Smooth 91.5, 3AW 693, and Nova 100. ABC stations like 774 ABC Melbourne, 96.7 Triple J, and 100.7 ABC Gippsland are also available.

Famous People from Warragul