Warragul (including Brandy Creek, Neerim and Neerim South)
Dairy capital of Victoria and Melbourne's major milk supplier
Warragul, with a name said to come from an Aboriginal word meaning "wild" or "wild dog", is 98 km south-east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and 112 metres above sea level. Although it is not the largest centre in the area it is recognised as the regional capital of West Gippsland. This is status has been achieved largely because, while places like Moe and Morwell may be large industrial centres, Warragul is the centre of the region's rich dairy industry and consequently supplies Melbourne with most of is milk.

The first settlement in the area occurred in the 1860s to the north at Brandy Creek, later known as Buln Buln, which was a staging point for coaches on the Old Sale Road. The creek was allegedly named after the beverage shared by Archibald Campbell and William Pearson beside the stream in 1865.

Thomas Walton, a landowner from Berwick to the west, bought all of the land between the Bunyip River and Brandy Creek for 45 pounds; a decision he is said to have rued as it consisted mostly of swampland. Indeed, the track between Brandy Creek and Sandy Creek was a notoriously bad stretch of road.

English novelist, Anthony Trollope, spoke in 1872 of 'horses, rolling up to their bellies in the mud', struggling to pull coaches free of the bog. However, the marshes were soon drained, the forests were torn down and the scrub was burnt. Commercial activity really began with the arrival of the railway in 1878, the year that the township of Warragul was established.

In 1868 a record-breaking earthworm was uncovered at Brandy Creek, though the largest ever accurately measured - 2.19 metres when contracted and over 4 metres when stretched - was found in the area in 1930.

The admired poet John Shaw Neilson worked as a labourer in the district in 1919-20 and the great Aboriginal boxer, Lionel Rose, was born here in 1948.

The dairy festival that is held each March is indicative of the town's status as the commercial and service centre of a major Victorian dairying and agricultural district. With an estimated 100,000 cows in the immediate area Warragul is a major supplier of milk for Melbourne.

Things to see:  

Historic Buildings and the Museum
The court house in Smith St, built in 1887, is classified by the National Trust, while the Wesley Uniting Church in Victoria St opened in 1889. The Warragul Historical Museum, containing local history and dairy exhibits, is situated in the old shire hall (1892).

Of further historical interest is the Warragul Vintage Craft Park in Copelands Road which contains functioning examples of old farm equipment, a miniature steam train which carries visitors through the park and gardens, as well as barbecue and picnic facilities. Entrance is free and there is a playground for children.

West Gippsland Arts Centre
Those interested in the arts may wish to investigate the acoustically-designed West Gippsland Arts Centre. Built on a 2.5-acre site, it is the focal point of the town's Civic Centre Complex. For the botanically-minded there are the attractive displays at Rowses Flower Farm in Warragul South or the wildflower sanctuary at Labertouche.

Darnum
At Darnum, 8 km east of Warragul, is the Darnum Musical Village, which features a display of hundreds of musical instruments, including a single-string cello and a 15th century clavichord, collected by Albert Fox while he travelled around Gippsland as a piano and organ restorer, tuner, manufacturer and teacher.

Wild Dog Winery
Wild Dog Winery, established in 1982, is located 3 km south of the freeway on the Warragul-Korumburra Rd. It produces shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling and rose. The cellar door is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (03) 5623 1117.

Mount Worth State Park
15 km to the south is Mount Worth State Park, consisting of 164 hectares of land recovered after logging and grazing ceased. The ruins of old timber mills can still be seen in the vicinity. The mountain itself overlooks the valley to the north and meandering creeks to the south. The park can be approached off the Darnum to Hallston Road. This track leads to the Moonlight Creek picnic area where the Cameron Valley walking track begins its one-hour circuit through the mountain ash forest.

Neerim and Lookouts
Visitors to Neerim, to the north of Warragul, may wish to visit the dairy farm where Gippsland blue cheese can be seen in the making and tea can be enjoyed in the tea room. To the north-east is the Baw Baw National Park while Reservoir Hill, off Brandy Creek Road, offers fine views of Warragul and the district. Other scenic spots in the area include the Glen Cromie and Glen Nayook nature reserves and the Tarago reservoir on the Jindiwick Road.

Ada River Vineyard
At 2330 Main Neerim Road, Neerim South, is the Ada River Vineyard which was established in 1991. It produces traminer, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon and the cellar door is open from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. weekends and public holidays. There are picnic areas, tel: (03) 5623 1342.

	Motels
	Edinburgh Motor Inn 61 Princes Hwy Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5622 3339, 1800 812 234 Rating: ****
	Freeway Motor Inn 50 Rulemount Rd Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 5222 Rating: ****
	Warragul Motel Princes Hwy Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 2189 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Club Hotel Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1636
	Commercial Hotel Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1639
	Orient Hotel Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1643
	Railway Hotel Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1623
	Caravan Parks
	Warragul Caravan Park 44 Bruke St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 2707 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Bewleys Tea Emporium Palmerston St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1196
	Bukhara Cafe & Restaurant Napier St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5622 0025
	Canton City Chinese Restaurant & Takeaway Victoria St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 5750
	Coachouse Coffee Shop Plaza Arc Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1262
	Edinburgh Motor Inn 61 Princes Hwy Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5622 3339, 1800 812 234
	Flamin Bull Bush Tucker Restaurant Mason St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 2377
	Freeway Motor Inn 50 Rulemount Rd Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 5222
	Oriental City Restaurant Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 5683
	Spring Garden Restaurant Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 6931
	Taff's Restaurant Napier St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5622 3877
	The Elizabethan Reception Centre Princes Hwy Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 1114
	Warragul Country Club Kitchen Sutton St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5622 2367
	Warragul Pizza Queen St Warragul VIC 3820 Telephone: (03) 5623 4700