Goorambat

Location: 36°25′0″S 145°55′0″E

This page was written by Anne Marie Greenway, a member of the Goorambat community.

History

Goorambat is a rural village 17 kilometres north of Benalla. Original selectors took up farms near Broken Creek in 1861, forming the first Goorambat settlement, with a Methodist church opening in 1865. The railway branch line from Benalla to Yarrawonga through Goorambat was opened in 1883, and a wood yard, for the transport of firewood to Melbourne, and a flour mill (1884-1921) were opened beside the station. A recreation reserve is next to the old primary school, which opened in 1888, had 19 pupils in 1998 and closed in 2010. The Mechanics' Institute hall was opened in 1888 and is still in use. There are grain silos by the old Oaklands Railway Line station which were built in 1943, and wheat-sheep farming has now replaced the traditional dairying.

The Queen’s Visit

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh spent the night in Goorambat in March 1954, as part of their Commonwealth Tour, and although they stayed on the train they did come onto the viewing platform the following morning to wave to the people who came out to see them. A plaque on the front of the Town Hall commemorates the night when Goorambat became for a few short hours the centre of the British Commonwealth.

The Bats

Formed in 1933, Goorambat Football Club began life as a member of the Tatong & Thoona Football Association and in 1947 joined the Benalla & District Football League where the Bats won three successive premierships between 1963 and 1965. The 1970s produced another trio of flags, and a victorious grand final appearance. In 2010 the Bats joined the Ovens & King Football Netball League, changing to a silver jumper with a bat logo on the front and green and gold stripes on the shoulders and flanks.

Goorambat today

With a population of 347 (2011 census), there are now 2 churches in Goorambat, with the inside of the Uniting Church being painted by world-famous street artist Matt Adnate in 2017, and the residents are planning for another painting in 2018. The Town Hall is still in use and available for hire with the Railway Hotel open next door for beer, dinner and lunches, and there is a regular V-Line bus, as part of the Mulwala link from Albury to Melbourne. Goorambat has an active CFA with over 60 members from the Goorambat-Stewarton community, and the residents meet for dinner in the CFA hut at least once a year, with food provided by the community.

There is also a thriving indoor bowls club who meet in the Town Hall on Wednesdays, and a number of active groups who organise such events as the Balloon Glow, Goorambat Idol, the ‘Down The Street’ art events, etc. The hub of the town is the Post Office, whose owners make an effort to be involved in all the events if possible.

Goorambat was described in the Australian Handbook, 1903, as pictured. 

 

 

 

 

Goorambat Census Details

 

*(and environs)

- Anne Marie Greenway