Jeparit

Jeparit (/dʒəˈpærɪt/ jə-PARR-it) is a town on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres (230 mi) north west of Melbourne. At the 2016 census Jeparit had a population of 342,[1] down from 394[2] five years earlier.

Jeparit
Victoria
Roy Street, the main street of Jeparit
Jeparit is located in Shire of Hindmarsh
Jeparit
Jeparit
Coordinates36°08′0″S 141°59′0″E
Population342 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3423
Elevation85 m (279 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Hindmarsh
State electorate(s)Lowan
Federal division(s)Mallee
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
22.3 °C
72 °F		 8.6 °C
47 °F		 381.9 mm
15 in

History

The area around Jeparit is originally home to the Gromiluk Aboriginal peoples prior to European settlement. The name Jeparit is believed to be derived from a Gromiluk word meaning "home of small birds". European settlement began in the 1880s when German Lutheran immigrants began to settle and grow wheat.

The town was surveyed in 1883 and gazetted in 1889, the post office opening on 31 August 1889 [3] though known as Lake Hindmarsh until December 1889. Two earlier post offices called Lake Hindmarsh had existed in the area at various times since 1861 to serve a smaller population of graziers.[4]

Jeparit's most famous son is former Australian Prime Minister and founder of the Liberal Party, Sir Robert Menzies, who was born in the town in 1894. He is commemorated with a spire and a memorial bust installed at the town square. The spire, topped with an ornament resembling a Scottish Thistle, is inscribed:

This spire has been erected by the people of Jeparit and district, to honour Sir Robert Menzies. The spire symbolises the rise to world recognition of a boy who was born in Jeparit and who rose by his own efforts to become Australia's Prime Minister and a statesman recognised and honoured throughout the world.

Sport

With its neighbouring township, Rainbow, Jeparit has a football team (Jeparit-Rainbow) competing in the Horsham & District Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Jeparit Golf Club on Nhill Road.[5]

Jeparit is the setting for Peter Carey's 1985 novel Illywhacker.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Jeparit (Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Jeparit (Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  3. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List -Jeparit, retrieved 17 January 2021
  4. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List - Lake Hindmarsh, retrieved 17 January 2021
  5. Golf Select, Jeparit, retrieved 11 May 2009

Media related to Jeparit at Wikimedia Commons


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