The Wimmera River in Little Desert National Park near Dimboola

Dimboola
Attractive wheatbelt town in the Wimmera.
Dimboola is a quiet wheatbelt town of around 1700 people situated on a fine stretch of the Wimmera River by the edge of Little Desert. It is situated on the Western Highway 334 km north-west of Melbourne, 35 km north of Horsham and 111 metres above sea-level. The surrounding area is given over to the cultivation of wheat, oats, barley and wool.

The district was occupied by the Wotjobaluk people prior to white settlement. What is known of their culture is outlined in Anne Longmire's Nine Creeks to Albacutya: A History of the Shire of Dimboola (1985). It was estimated that there were some 1200 Aborigines in the area in 1852 while an 1877 census recorded 103 survivors, many of them at Ebenezer mission.

Europeans initially knew this area as 'Nine Creeks', owing to the many branches of the Wimmera River. The first station was established in 1846 by Horatio Ellerman and George Shaw. Ellerman named it 'Antwerp' after his birthplace in Belgium.

A crude bush village called 'Nine Creeks' developed from around 1859 to serve the needs of the local squatters. The name apparently reflected the fact that, after a flood, the river receded leaving nine creeks. The site was favourable, being adjacent a good water supply and at the confluence of tracks from the South Australian border, Lake Hindmarsh, Warracknabeal and Horsham. It soon had a rough school hut, church, grog shanty and store. A survey was conducted in 1862 and the town was gazetted and proclaimed in 1863. It was named 'Dimboola' after a Singhalese word meaning 'land of figs', reflecting the surveyor's travels to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). By 1868 there was a constable in residence and a butcher's shop.

In 1871 the population was recorded as 78. However, selectors began to take up land as of 1873. The majority were Germans moving from South Australia, though there were also Irish and Scots. The selectors provided stimulus to the settlement, initiating the shift from grazing to wheat-cultivation, although their presence caused resentment among squatters whose land tenure was tenuous. They were finished off by drought and the rabbit plague which began in 1880.

A state school opened in 1875, a brick shire hall was completed in 1877, a flour mill was established and a local newspaper went into print into 1879. New residents and entrepreneurs continued to arrive, including a growing Chinese community that largely worked market gardens, although they were regarded with some suspicion and ill-feeling.

In 1882 Dimboola became the railhead for the area and remained so until the Serviceton line opened in 1887. This meant increased economic and social activity within the town which proved a general stimulus to local enterprise. A eucalyptus oil distillery was established in 1882 and salt was refined from the lake near Lochiel. Local productivity was also enhanced by the availability, from the early 1880s, of agricultural machinery especially tailored to dealing with the recalcitrant Mallee scrub - the stump-jump plough and the mallee. Dimboola Shire was created in 1885.

Famous painter Sidney Nolan was stationed at Dimboola while on army duty in World War II. He took the opportunity to paint the local landscape and donated the resultant paintings to the National Gallery of Victoria in 1987. Jack Hibberd used the town as the setting for his play Dimboola (1974) which has since been made into a film.

The town's Agricultural Show is held in October and the annual rowing regatta in November.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
Local information can be garnered from Megan's Corner at 119 Lloyd St, tel: (03) 5389 1290.

The Wimmera River
A walking track leads along a fine stretch of the Wimmera River where boating, rowing, fishing, picnicking and relaxing can be enjoyed by the red gums. Those with stamina can follow the river all the way to the Horseshoe Bend campground within Little Desert National Park (7 km). There is a guiding pamphlet available at Megan's Corner. There is a local organisation which runs tours of both the Heritage Wimmera River and the Little Desert National Park. It is called Oasis Desert Adventures and can be contacted either on (03) 5389 1957 or mobile 0419 824 618 or by email at oda@dodo.com.au.

The Victoria Hotel on the corner of Wimmera and Victoria Streets, Dimboola

Town Buildings
The mechanics' institute in Lloyd St is a focal point of the townscape. It is single-storey brick structure that was built in 1877 as the Lowan Shire Hall, becoming the headquarters of Dimboola Shire council from 1885 to 1914.

The Victoria Hotel, on the corner of Wimmera and Victoria Streets, is another centrepiece of the town. Grapevines hang from the hotel's upper verandah creating a cool curtain for the lower sections of the pub.

Apex Park
Apex Park, on the highway, has an old J-class steam locomotive, as well as picnic and barbecue facilities.

Pink Lake
Pink Lake, 9 km north-west on the highway between Dimboola and Nhill, is an unusual formation which is aptly named. On overcast days in particular it reflects a deep pinkish hue. It has been worked for salt since 1981. Unlike most of Australia's pink lakes it is produced by artesian springs.

Wail Nursery
Wail, 9 km south-east along the Western Highway, is home to the Wail Nursery, established in 1946 to research dry-climate trees and to develop seedlings for usage as shelter on local farms. 600 000 plants from 700 species are distributed annually. Dams supply the nursery with plenty of water and visitors are invited to make use of the grounds and to purchase seedlings.

The nursery is the starting point for a 1-km nature trail wherein the plants of the mallee are introduced to the visitor by means of a numerical system. A 2.5-km scenic loop incorporates a lookout which furnishes fine views over Dimboola and the district.

The Little Desert National Park near Dimboola

Little Desert National Park
To the south and west of Dimboola is Little Desert, the second-largest national park in Victoria. This area was ignored during the European settlement of the Wimmera. The first reserve was created in 1955 to protect the mallee fowl and the park was declared in 1968.

Despite its name, the dry hot summers and sandy soil, this is not a true desert so don't expect Sahara-like landscapes. The park receives 400 mm of rainfall per annum (mostly in winter) and supports a range of fauna and 670 plant species. The eastern block is the most interesting and the only one with facilities. It has extensive heathlands with tea-trees, banksia and sheoak and many spring wildflowers.

Wildlife includes possums, the black-faced kangaroo, the silky desert mouse, reptiles such as the bearded dragon and the short-tailed snake, and 220 bird species, including the mallee fowl which is indigenous to this semi-arid portion of Victoria. Its presence is signified by a mound up to five metres in diameter and one metre high.It lays its eggs inside the mound which is adjusted daily to maintain its temperature at 33° Celsius. The chicks emerge already self-sufficient.

A good 6-km gravel road leads south from Dimboola along the Wimmera River to the shady and attractive campgrounds of Horseshoe Bend and Ackle Bend at the eastern tip of the park (fees apply). The route is signposted. There is a network of walking tracks with heavy concentrations of waterbirds and kangaroos by the river and adjacent woodlands. A short distance from Horseshoe Bend is the start of the short Pomponderoo Hill Nature Walk.

For devout and hardy bushwalkers Horseshoe Bend is a good place to start exploring the Desert Discovery Walk (marked with signposts and track markers), at least in winter and spring. 84 km in all, it is essentially a circular track which heads west to the Kiata Campground (see entry on Nhill). However, there are many ways to subdivide and shorten a prospective walk. You can obtain a related pamphlet outlining the track by ringing 131 963.

The park also has numerous 4WD tracks. Contact a ranger for advice on routes and camping areas as some tracks are closed at certain times of the year. The ranger for Little Desert National Park is located on Wail Nursery Rd, tel: (03) 5389 1204.

For further information on other sections of the park see the entries on Nhill and Kaniva.

There is a local organisation which runs tours of both the Heritage Wimmera River and the Little Desert National Park. It is called Oasis Desert Adventures and can be contacted either on (03) 5389 1957 or mobile 0419 824 618 or by email at oda@dodo.com.au.

Little Desert Tours and Lodge
Little Desert Tours offer guided and educational 4WD tours into the park from the private accommodation centre known as Little Desert Lodge located 16 km south of Nhill on the Harrow Rd. They also have a Mallee fowl aviary and an environmental study centre. The Little Desert Wildflower Exhibition is held here each year in September-October, tel: (03) 5391 1714.

Ebenezer Mission
Ebenezer Mission was established in 1859 by Moravian missionaries with the goal of bringing Christianity to Australia's indigenous people. As they were forced off their traditional lands by white settlers some local Kooris ended up on the missions. At its height the mission had a church, boarding house, schoolhouse, missionaries' residence and 22 cottages for Aboriginal families. The Wimmera River provided irrigation for orchards and vineyards and 2000 sheep were grazing on the property.

Today, all that remains are the remains of the primitive limestone Norman church (1875), three outbuildings and the graveyard. The site is located along a signposted side-road which heads off to the left from the Dimboola-Jeparit Rd, about 20 km north of Dimboola (just south of Antwerp).

	Motels
	Dimboola Motel Horsham Rd Dimboola VIC 3414 Telephone: (03) 5389 1177 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Victoria Hotel Wimmera St Dimboola VIC 3414 Telephone: (03) 5389 1630
	Cottages & Cabins
	Pomponderoo Bush Retreat Horseshoe Bend Rd Dimboola VIC 3414 Telephone: (03) 5389 1957 Facsimile: (03) 5389 1122 Rating: ****
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Riverside Host Farm Riverside Rd P.O. Box 34 Dimboola VIC 3414 Telephone: (03) 5389 1550 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Dimboola Caravan Park Wimmera St Dimboola VIC 3414 Telephone: (03) 5389 1416