Ouyen

Ouyen Victoria
The Queen Bee Roadhouse
Ouyen
Population:	1,061(2006)[1]
Established:	1906
Postcode:	3490
Coordinates:	35°04′S 142°19′E / 35.067°S 142.317°E / -35.067; 142.317Coordinates: 35°04′S 142°19′E / 35.067°S 142.317°E / -35.067; 142.317
Elevation:	50 m (164 ft)
Location:	441 km (274 mi) NW of Melbourne 377 km (234 mi) E of Adelaide, (SA) 100 km (62 mi) S of Mildura
LGA:	Rural City of Mildura
State District:	Mildura
Federal Division:	Mallee
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.6 °C 74 °F 9.6 °C 49 °F 319.6 mm 12.6 in

Ouyen ( /ˈoʊjən/)^[2] is a town in Victoria, Australia, located in the Rural City of Mildura at the junction of the Calder Highway and Mallee Highway, 100 kilometres (62 mi)^[3] south of Mildura and 441 km (274 mi)^[4] north-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census the town had a population of 1,061.^[1]

History

The area was originally occupied by the Wergaia Aborigines. The name is believed to be derived from the Wergaia word 'wuya-wuya', which some believe means 'pink-eared duck', whilst others claim it means 'ghost waterhole'.^[5]

The town was established around the Ouyen railway station, built in 1906 on the Mildura Line.The Post Office opened on 22 October 1907^[6] It is also the junction for a railway line west parallel to the Mallee Highway. This line is presently in poor condition and used only for collecting grain from silos in small towns between Ouyen and the South Australian border, as the Victorian part is broad gauge, but the line from Pinnaroo to Tailem Bend has been converted to standard gauge, with no facility for handling the break of gauge. The line was used for interstate freight and The Overland^{[citation needed]} as a broad gauge connection while the main Melbourne to Adelaide line (through Bordertown) was being converted from broad to standard gauge in 1995.

Property became available for purchase in 1910, and much of it was cleared for sheep grazing, and crops of wheat and oats.

The Town today

Ouyen is the commercial and transport centre for the surrounding grain farming region. Trucks arrive at harvest time to transport grain to Portland for shipping, or to flour mills for processing.

Ouyen has an Australian rules football team Ouyen United (Ouyen plus TGP United (for Tempy, Gorya, Patchewollock) competing in the Mallee Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Ouyen Golf Club on Daker Street.^[7]

The area of the locality contains a number of previous localities which existed when the population was larger, on the Mallee Highway Galah about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the west which had a post office open from 1911 (when the railway arrived) until 1976, Galah North34°59′S 142°10′E / 34.983°S 142.167°E / -34.983; 142.167 (Galah North)^{[citation needed]} with a post office from 1925 until 1927 and Tiega 35°05′S 142°13′E / 35.083°S 142.217°E / -35.083; 142.217 (Tiega)^{[citation needed]} with a post office from 1911 until 1961; to the southwest Timberoo and Timberoo South with a post office from 1913 until 1933; in the north Wymlet with a post office from 1912 until 1963, Trinita with a post office from 1925 until 1936, Kiamal with a post office from 1917 until 1980 and Cramerton with a post office from 1924 until 1969; and in the south Boulka with a post office in 1921, Bronzewing with a post office from 1921 until 1967, Nunga with a post office from 1914 until 1967, Gypsum Siding with a post office from 1922 until 1940, Boorongie and Boorongie North.^[6]

Culture

Since 1998, the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph has been held in Ouyen.^[8] Judging criteria include "when tasted, should reveal a custard with a creamy smooth texture and a balance of vanilla taste with a crisp, crunchy pastry topped with a smooth and shiny glaze/fondant".^[9]

The town also hosts an Autumn Art Show in April and the Mallee Wildflower Festival in October and was the location for the 2003 Ouyen Raindance where 500 women danced naked in a secret location in an attempt to raise the spirits of the town suffering from a prolonged drought.^[10]

The town is the site of the Big Mallee Root once a mainstay of the economy of soldier settlers of the area being collected for sale as firewood.

Ouyen has an reunion of past and present residents on the second Sunday of February each year at the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Ouyen (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL240600&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 
2. ^ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
3. ^ "Driving directions to Mildura VIC". Google Maps Australia. Google. http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ouyen,+Victoria&daddr=Mildura,+Victoria&geocode=FWXd6P0dwI17CClJwSZ1QfTEajFwpKAwpHkFBA%3BFaMN9v0dGNJ4CCkjlu_WhQTDajHAoqAwpHkFBA&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=-36.441905,143.64132&sspn=5.196163,11.634521&ie=UTF8&z=9. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 
4. ^ "Driving directions to Melbourne VIC". Google Maps Australia. Google. http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ouyen,+Victoria&daddr=Melbourne,+Victoria&geocode=FWXd6P0dwI17CClJwSZ1QfTEajFwpKAwpHkFBA%3BFT0Ev_0dpPWjCCn3TbrStUbWajGQzYwhdVYEBA&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=-34.63846,142.22704&sspn=1.328737,2.90863&ie=UTF8&z=7. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 
5. ^ "Ouyen". Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-02-08. http://www.smh.com.au/news/victoria/ouyen/2005/02/17/1108500207140.html. Retrieved 2007-01-06. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country=. Retrieved 2008-04-11 
7. ^ Golf Select. "Ouyen". http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=1060. Retrieved 2009-05-11 
8. ^ "Premier announces "The Great Vanilla Slice Triumph"" (Press release). Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett. 19 July 1998. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/web_notes/pressrel.nsf/8efa171020c9a1544a256633001b2785/869b3cd232651af44a25663b007e0e2a!OpenDocument&Click=. Retrieved 2007-01-06. 
9. ^ "Travel news - The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph". ninemsn. 2006-07-20. http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=115656&n=0#headline1. Retrieved 2007-01-06. 
10. ^ Amy Bainbridge (3 March 2003). "OUYEN RAIN DANCE (nrn)". SA Country Hour Summary. ABC Rural. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/sa/stories/s796508.htm.