The main street in Rainbow

Rainbow (including Pella and Yaapeet)
Small Mallee town servicing the surrounding area.
Rainbow is a small town of several hundred people at the southern end of the Mallee region of Victoria. Travelling down the main street, with its attractive median strip and palm trees, one gets the feeling that little has changed here in the last 40 or 50 years. The town serves a large area focused largely on farming although there are a number of stud farms in the district and a butter factory.

Rainbow is located 392 km north-west of Melbourne and 57 km north of Dimboola. Once occupied by the Wotjobaluk people, the first land grant in the area was 'Halbacutya' station, established by John Coppock in 1846. It stretched from Lake Hindmarsh to the northern end of Lake Albacutya. Coppock lived at the north-eastern corner of the lake until a dispute with Robert von Stieglitz of the 'Pine Hill' run (see entry on Jeparit) forced him to move his residence to Lake Albacutya. Bushranger Dan Morgan held up the station in 1868, after Coppock's death. A rabbit plague ate the station out in the late 1870s.

Closer settlement of the area began when the property was subdivided in the late 1880s for agricultural development. A railhead was established in 1900, around which a township grew. It was named after an old property called 'Rainbow Rise' which, in turn, was named after a crescent-shaped ridge nearby upon which colourful wildflowers grew.

Agriculture was established early in the 20th century when the dense mallee scrub was cleared.

Things to see:  

Yurunga Homestead

Yurunga Homestead
Yurunga Homestead is a huge and beautiful Edwardian home made of brick and limestone with an elaborate cast-iron verandah, brick trimming, pressed-steel ceilings, a special room under the house for use in heatwaves, and numerous antiques and original fittings. It is located at the end of Cust St on the northern edge of town and is open for inspection on Sundays between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. or by appointment. There are contact numbers and addresses on the sign outside the house.

Cust Street is named after A.G. Cust who built Yurunga in 1909. Cust was the son of a Wimmera pioneer. He owned a property east of town where he bred sheep and draught horses.

Rainbow Archive
In the town's main street (King St) there is a craft shop and, within the masonic lodge hall, a town archive has been established relating to local history. It too is open on Sundays from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.

Pella
Follow the road known as the Amy Johnson Highway west out of Rainbow for 10 km then turn right down a dirt road for 2 km. There is a sign as you pass the homestead that says they have the key to St John's Lutheran Church. Surrounded by wheatfields the church was made of local stone by local tradesmen in 1901. Inside is a fine pipe organ. The church is a reminder that the area was settled by German migrants whose descendants still attend in considerable numbers. Adjoining are the manse and a Lutheran Primary School which now contains an historical display.

The road which traverses the short distance from the homestead to the Pella church takes you through the kind of vegetation which had to be cleared in the Mallee to allow for the development of wheat.

Lake Hindmarsh near Rainbow

Lake Hindmarsh
The back road from Rainbow to Jeparit (sealed) heads south-west, looping around Lake Hindmarsh in a semi-circle to Jeparit. The largest freshwater lake in Victoria, Hindmarsh is very beautiful with lots of wildlife and Australian flora. The first white man in the area was Edward Eyre who camped here in 1838 while exploring an overland route from Melbourne to Adelaide. He named it after Sir John Hindmarsh, Governor of South Australia.

Four-Mile Beach, on the southern shore of the lake, is a popular spot for fishing, swimming, boating and water skiing. There are camping facilities, a boat ramp and hot showers. Picnic Point beach and a water skiing club can be found on the south-eastern shore. Schulze's Beach also has a boat ramp and lies on the western shore while Williamson's Beach is located on the north-western shore.

Near the north-eastern corner of the lake, Pioneer Lane, a good dry-weather gravel road, heads off to the left (it is the last left before you cross Outlet Creek). If you follow this road a short distance you will come to an intersection where you will find the gravesite of John Coppock who, in 1846, became the first European settler in the area. The headstone reads: '1865. John Coppock. An honest man'.

Birdcage Reserve
At the north-western tip of the lake, the back road from Rainbow to Jeparit separates the lagoon (to your left) from Birdcage Flora and Fauna Reserve (on your right). The name derives from the number of Mallee birds which are contained within the reserve's floodplain and Big Desert communities. There are also some rare butterflies. No real access roads into Birdcage exist but you can park the car and take a walk through the wildflowers, undertake some nature studies or camp in the bush. For further information ring (03) 5083 3411.

Lake Albacutya Park
Lake Albacutya, 15 km north of Rainbow, seems to fill and empty in a 20-year cycle. It last filled in 1974 and held water for nine years. The source is the Wimmera River which fills Lake Hindmarsh and the water is then conveyed via Outlet Creek to Lake Albacutya. When full, it is a popular boating, fishing, yabbying and swimming spot. At other times, camping, 4WD exploration, walking and nature studies can be pursued.

'Albacutya' is said to mean 'where the quandongs grow'. This is a reference to a tree found here which bears a sweet fruit eaten by Aborigines and early European settlers alike. The wood was used for cabinet-making.

To access the lake head north of Rainbow on the Hopetoun Rd for 8 km. A signpost indicates the turnoff which is a sealed road to the left. After about one more kilometre the sealed road veers to the left while a dry-weather gravel track heads off to the right. The sealed road will take you to the main camping area on the western shore. The route is well signposted all the way and is designed for a 2WD. However, to explore the remainder of the western shore you will need a 4WD. The aforementioned gravel track leads to Yaapeet Beach on the eastern shore. This road is manageable in a 2WD unless it is wet but a 4WD would be preferable. The eastern shore can also be reached by heading due west of Yaapeet but, again, a 4WD is preferable.

If you are departing from the main roads carry a map, plenty of water and a compass and alert a friend of your plans. For further information ring (03) 5395 7221 or 131 963.

Wyperfeld National Park and Yaapeet
Wyperfeld National Park is one of Victoria's largest national parks. It contains a series of lakes which are linked by Outlet Creek, though they are usually dry, filling only when the Wimmera River floods, which is about once every few decades. It fills Lake Albacutya which overflows into Outlet Creek, once frequented by Aborigines.

European settlers moved into the area in 1847. The first reserve was established in 1909 as a result of lobbying by naturalists (the park was declared in 1921).

Wyperfeld is known for its fauna and flora. There are plenty of kangaroos, emus and birds in the park which consists of semi-arid landscapes of sand dunes and spinifex, mallee scrub, heathlands and native pine woodlands of river red gum and blackbox.

The Wonga Camping Area at the southern end of the park is 47 km from Rainbow (sealed all the way). Head north on the Hopetoun Rd. Avoid the turnoff to Lake Albacutya at the 8 km mark. Instead stick to the Hopetoun Rd which heads east. After 3 km turn left towards Yaapeet (8 km), a tiny village with a licensed general store, a garage, a nature reserve of Mallee flora through which a short nature trail runs, and the Wyperfeld Park office, tel: (03) 5395 7221.

At Wonga there are camping and picnic facilities, fireplaces, toilets, cold water for hand washing (i.e., to be used sparingly) and a visitors' centre where you can garner further information on the park's features. There are a number of lookouts, the 15-km Eastern Lookout Nature Drive which is suitable for a 2WD (an accompanying leaflet outlines interesting features), two 6-km nature walks and some longer treks. Be warned that, in summer, it gets very hot. Be sure you have plenty of water, a hat, compass and topographic map. Cyclists will enjoy the entrance road, the Eastern Lookout road and the Outlet Creek track.

If you have a 4WD the route into the park's northern section is well-signposted (for further information on the northern section see the entry on Patchewollock).

There is also a camping area with basic facilities for overnight walkers at the commencement of the Nine Mile Square Track. Other accommodation is available at Rainbow and Yaapeet.

For further information on the park ring (03) 5395 7221 or 131 963.

	Motels
	Pot of Gold Motor Lodge 68 Taverner Street P.O. Box 220 Rainbow VIC 3424 Telephone: (03) 5395 1060 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Eureka Hotel 42 Federal St Rainbow VIC 3424 Telephone: (03) 5395 1001 Rating: *
	Royal Hotel Federal St Rainbow VIC 3424 Telephone: (03) 5395 1031
	Caravan Parks
	Lake Albacutya Park Postal RMB 1479 Rainbow VIC 3424 Telephone: (03) 5395 7246 or (03) 5395 7218
	Rainbow Caravan Park Station St Rainbow VIC 3424 Telephone: (03) 5395 1062 Rating: **