The Benambra Uniting Church, erected 1905

Benambra is a small town located 22km north-east of Omeo and 437km east of the state capital Melbourne, in the Australian Alps of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Other nearby towns include Swifts Creek, Ensay, and the major town of Bairnsdale. Omeo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Apline Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the East Gippsland Shire. ... Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 3. ... Looking across everlastings on Mt Hotham to Mt Feathertop; during winter these mountains are blanketed in snow The Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. ... Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... Swifts Creek is located between Omeo and Ensay on the Great Alpine Road of Victoria Categories: Australia-related stubs ... Bairnsdale, Victoria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

The Town

Frontage of the Benambra Hotel, including advertising sign for the long defunct Courage beer brand

Benambra town centre is at the intersection of Gibbo St and Limestone Rd, at an altitude of approximately 700m. The town has a population of around 150, although most residents live on farms and properties out of the actual town.

From its early days Benambra has been regarded as a premier agricultural area, specialising in both sheep and cattle farming. The annual weaner calf sales, held in March, attract buyers from across Australia who are seeking high quality predominantly Hereford and Hereford Shorthorn Cross calves on offer. Merino sheep are raised for wool, and there is a small amount of cropping in the area. Binomial name Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 The domestic sheep (Ovis aries), the most common species of the sheep genus (Ovis), is a woolly ruminant quadruped which probably descends from the wild mouflon of south-central and south-west Asia. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage, kine archaic, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Hereford cattle are a widely-used breed in temperate areas, mainly for beef production. ... An unshorn merino sheep. ...

The timber industry employs a small number of people in harvesting, handling and transportation of the logs to mills in other areas. Mining was once also a significant employer in the area, but only occasional forays are currently conducted.

For the tourist, the area offers beautiful mountain scenery, crystal clear trout fishing streams, and an assortment of picturesque bush walking trails, including those of the Alpine National Park. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Biwa trout (Oncorhynchus masou subsp) Trout is the common name given to a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the salmon family, Salmonidae. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle_Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... Alpine is a national park in Victoria (Australia), northeast of Melbourne. ...

History

Looking across the Omeo Plains to the dry lakebed of Lake Omeo, Benambra township, and The Brothers mountains in the distance

Boating on Lake Omeo, Benambra, 1892

A rusting 1961 EK Holden ute at the back of the former garage in Gibbo St is an echo of more affluent times

Benambra was one of the first regions of Victoria to be settled by Europeans; this was during the period of 1834-1836, the same time that the first settlements were being made in Melbourne and also at Portland in the state's south-west. Melbourne is the state capital and largest city in the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 3. ... Location of Portland in Victoria (red) The town of Portland () is the oldest European settlement in what is now the state of Victoria, Australia. ...

The Aboriginal history from this area is not especially well recorded. There was a mountain clan, the Ja-itma-thang, centred around the Omeo area, but this clan would have interacted regularly with nearby tribes, including the Gunai or Kurnai of Gippsland proper. Population levels are uncertain, but were likely highly underestimated by European settlers, especially with consideration given to the fact that observation in the mountains and forests of Gippsland is far more difficult than in the more open parts of Australia. What is clear is that like elsewhere, population levels quickly declined following European occupation due to both disease and conflict, and people from this clan are no longer found in the area. Indigenous Australians are the first inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands, continuing their presence during European settlement. ... The Gunai or Kurnai nation is one of the Aboriginal nations of Australia. ...

Unlike most of Australia, where exploration typically went inland from the sea, the Gippsland region was first explored and settled by Europeans who came overland from the Monaro region of New South Wales and headed down to the coastal regions. This could perhaps be seen as a natural expansion of the first settlements of Australia radiating out from Sydney, but to do so the settlers had to cross the not insignificant barrier of the Australian Alps. Monaro region: between Adaminaby and Cooma Monaro (pronounced mon-air-ro) is the name of a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. ... Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Looking across everlastings on Mt Hotham to Mt Feathertop; during winter these mountains are blanketed in snow The Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. ...

In fact the first to arrive via this route were not explorers in the traditional sense, but ordinary stockmen pushing out to expand their range. The route they initially found put them in the Omeo region, with access largely through present day Benambra. First to arrive was James MacFarlane in late 1834, and in 1835 he returned with two other Highland Scots, George MacKillop and Livingstone, all settling on the Omeo Plains (which stretch from east of Benambra westwards to Omeo). Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame ( a museum in Longreach, Queensland, Australia ) A stockman is the name given to a person who looks after the livestock on a station. ... The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ...

MacFarlane then returned to the Monaro and brought cattle back to the Benambra area in 1836 (which at the time they called Strathdownie). This formed Gippsland’s first squatting run. The Scots were soon followed by four Irish cattlemen from the Monaro. John Pendergast was at Lake Omeo (in Benambra) by 1836, John Hyland took up a run at Hinnomunjie (a locality between Benambra and Omeo), Edmund Buckley moved to Tongio Munjie and Ensay, south of Omeo, in 1836, and his step-son, Patrick Buckley, was at Benambra by 1839. Many of these surnames are still common in the area.

By the time of 1839 and 1840 wealthy landholders in New South Wales had become interested in the Gippsland region and funded further exploration of the region. The key explorations around this time were those of another Scot, Angus McMillan, and a Polish scientist-explorer, Count Paul Strzelecki. Both of these expedition parties passed through the then established lands around Benambra and Omeo heading south towards the coast, and both were assisted by the McFarlane family. Angus McMillan (14 August 1810-18 May 1865), was an explorer and pioneer pastoralist in Australia. ... Polish postage stamp featuring Strzelecki Paweł Edmund Strzelecki (July 20, 1797 - October 6, 1873), known as Sir Paul Edmund de Strzelecki in the United Kingdom, was a Polish nobleman, explorer and geologist. ...

McMillan completed several expeditions, and while he was not necessarily the first to visit many locations, his explorations were the most important in terms of European settlement of Gippsland proper. On his final expedition he located a suitable port for the region, at present day Port Albert. The route established then by McMillan remains essentially the same major north-south route through Gippsland to this day. This route follows the Great Alpine Road south through the Tambo Valley to Bruthen, then east to Bairnsdale and Sale along the Princes Highway, then south from Sale to Port Albert. Port Albert has Australias best fish and chip shop. ... View from Myrtleford to Mount Buffalo National Park The Great Alpine Road (B500) is a country road from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale passing through the Victorian Alps. ... Bruthen is situated on the Tambo River, 24 kilometres north-east of Bairnsdale, Victoria and 300 kilometres east of Melbourne. ... Bairnsdale, Victoria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Coat of arms of Sale Seagull at sale Sale is a city in the Australian state of Victoria, in Wellington Shire. ... The Princes Highway is a segment of Australias Highway 1 that extends from Sydney to Adelaide, via Melbourne. ...

For several decades Gippsland operated essentially on this north-south axis, following this route from Benambra and Omeo to Port Albert, but in the 1860s a road was opened from Melbourne to the east, and this was followed a couple of decades later by a rail line. These developments, along with development of significant east-west shipping on the Gippsland Lakes at the time, reoriented travel and transport to the simpler east-west axis, and demoted the Benambra and Omeo regions to a side branch of this main route. Gippsland Lakes is a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km sq, The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington, Lake King and Lake Victoria. ...

Facilities (past and present)

The main street of Benambra

In line with most small country towns the population of Benambra has been in gradual decline over recent years. The town itself has always been relatively small in terms of facilities, in line with its population and the relatively short distance and easy access to nearby Omeo. Omeo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Apline Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the East Gippsland Shire. ...

Into relatively recent times Benambra supported a primary school, a number of sporting teams and other facilities, including a traditional country pub, the charming Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church erected in 1905, a community hall, a ‘neighbourhood house’, a police station, and a number of small commercial outlets, such as a general store, bank and garage. Many of these facilities continue to this day in some form. Primary or elementary education consists of the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... Police forces are government organizations charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, and to protect the general public from harm. ...

Education

Benambra Primary School opened on October 3, 1876, initially under the name ‘Omeo Plains East’. The school came about as a result of an application put before the Victorian Board of Education by a group of pioneers in the district. In its first year the school had 19 students ranging from Grades 1 to 4. The teacher was provided with a house in Benambra’s main street, Gibbo St. A number of other schools were opened in the area over time to serve what was in the past a larger and less mobile population involved in farming and mining.

Benambra Primary School was the last surviving of the schools on the Omeo Plains, with children transported to the school by a small bus from outlying areas such as The Brothers and Uplands until as recently as 1998. Benambra Primary School continued until 2002 when the enrolment was nine students, and closed at the end of that year when projected enrolments for the following year dropped to as low as one student. Benambra Primary School is officially still a going concern, however it seems unlikely at this stage that it will ever again open for students.

From 2003, local children have been bussed to Omeo Primary School, with older students making the daily 100km round trip to Swifts Creek Secondary College. Omeo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Apline Road, east of Mount Hotham, in the East Gippsland Shire. ... Swifts Creek is located between Omeo and Ensay on the Great Alpine Road of Victoria Categories: Australia-related stubs ...

Occasional short courses are run for the community at the Benambra Neighbourhood House, however older students wishing to undertake more formal tertiary study must do so via some type of distance education, travel considerable distances to nearby towns such as Bairnsdale, or relocate to larger towns or cities. Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy/andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that is effectively incorporated in delivering education to students who are not physically on site to receive their education. ... Bairnsdale, Victoria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Sports

Town sign at southern (Omeo road) entrance to town

In Australian rules football the Benambra Football Club competes in the Omeo District Football League (ODFL), and has the nickname ‘The Bloods’. The affiliated Benambra Netball Club competes in the associated netball competition. With its current small population Benambra often struggles to fill its sporting teams, particularly with large teams such as football, but is often able to extend its playing lists with a good supply of imported players from other towns and districts. Australian Rules and Aussie Rules redirect here. ... Netball is a team sport similar to and derived from basketball. ...

The Benambra colours are red and white. Benambra football jumpers consist of a red vee on a white background, essentially the design of what was once the South Melbourne VFL football club, and now the Sydney Swans AFL club. The netball club wears a white top with red skirt. Sydney Swans logo The Sydney Swans are an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney. ... VFL/AFL is the term used to refer to the competition established in 1897, which was originally known as the Victorian Football League. ... The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based in Sydney, New South Wales. ... The Australian Football League (AFL) is the Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules football. ...

Benambra Tennis Club competes in the Omeo District Tennis Association (ODTA). The tennis club spent many lean years, with good representation but limited success in this competition; however it has been particularly successful over recent years, with several premierships in the early 2000s. A tennis net Tennis is a sport played between either two players (Singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber ball covered in felt, over a net into the opponents court. ...

References

• Benambra Primary School official website - refer especially to History and Surrounding Town pages.
• Morgan, P. (1997) The Settling of Gippsland: A Regional History. Traralgon: Gippsland Municipalities Association.

The Omeo Plains near Benambra from Mt Blowhard

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Benambra, Victoria