Barmah, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Barmah
state = vic


caption = Murray River crossing at Barmah
lga = Shire of Moira
postcode = 3639
est =
pop = 210
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Rodney
fedgov = Murray
dist1 = 265
dir1 = N
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 63
dir2 = NW
location2= Shepparton
dist3 = 34
dir3 = SW
location3= Echuca
dist4 = 27
dir4 = W
location4= Nathalia
dist5 = 16
dir5 = W
location5= Picola

Barmah is a town in Victoria, with the distinction of being located north of the southerly border with New South Wales. At the 2001 census, Barmah had a population of 210.Census 2001 AUS
id=SSC25085
name=Barmah (State Suburb)
accessdate=2007-07-21
quick=on]

The border between the two states is the mostly westward-flowing tributary of the Murray River. Just downstream of Barmah, the Murray winds south, then east far enough to put a small point of New South Wales directly south of Barmah before resuming its generally westwards course.

Barmah is near the largest River Red Gum forest in the world. The Barmah State Park is on the floodplain of the Murray River, and when it floods is an important breeding ground for Murray cod. The flood is enhanced by the geological features of the riverbed, as the channel narrows at an area known as the "Barmah choke".

The Barmah Forest is listed under the Ramsar Convention for wetlands. It is rich in bird species and is the breeding ground for the Superb Parrot, a species listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

History

A Barmah Post Office opened on 16 September 1876 and was renamed Barmah East in 1907, closing in 1951. Barmah Township Post Office opened on 2 May 1902.Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ]

Ancient geography

The geography at Barmah is explained by a geological event that occurred 25,000 years ago, when an uplift of land along the Cadell fault forced the Murray River onto a new course for 500km. The river had to force its way through the Barmah choke taking over the Goulburn River in the process. ["The Australian Financial Review", 28 April 2006, p81 ] The uplifted land that led to these changes is noticeable as a continuous, low, earthen embankment along the road leading into Barmah from the west, which may appear to the untrained eye as man-made.

See also

* Ulupna Island

References

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050315104851/www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer/list/barmah.html Australian Places - Barmah]

* [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Iep74Q0IixoJ:www.mdbc.gov.au/river_murray/river_murray_system/barmah/barmah.htm+choke&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14 Report by Murray Darling River Commission]

* [http://www.wilmap.com.au/vicmaps/barmah/default.htm Map]