It is the second-largest town in the Shire of Campaspe, situated between the towns of Echuca and Shepparton and is close to the Murray River, Goulburn River, Campaspe River and Waranga Basin. As of the 2021 census the town had a population of 7,416 people and provides services to a district population of around 16,000.[1]
Surrounding smaller towns include Merrigum, Lancaster, Undera, Cooma, Wyuna, Kyvalley, Girgarre, Stanhope and Tongala.
History
The Pangerang people (also spelled Bangerang) are the original inhabitants of the Goulburn Valley area.[4]
Settlement of the township began in the 1870s with the first sale of town blocks held in 1876. Kyabram Post Office opened on 23 September 1878. Sheridan Post Office opened on 1 December 1884. On 8 April 1886, in anticipation of the arrival of the railway at what was then Sheridan, Kyabram was renamed Kyabram East and Sheridan was renamed Kyabram.[5] The Kyabram Mechanics' Institute was built in 1891.
John Allan, who lived in Kyabram from 1873, became Premier of Victoria in 1924 and was Australia's first Country Party premier. Allan was associated with the Kyabram Reform Movement, a conservative political organisation formed at the start of the 20th century and led by Benjamin Goddard, a local businessman.[6] The movement's campaign played a significant role in the downfall of the Peacock state government in June 1902 and its sound defeat in the subsequent October election.[7] The incoming Irvine government substantially reduced the number of state parliamentarians, a key demand of the movement.[6]
Kyabram was formally proclaimed a town on 4 July 1973.[citation needed]
The Kyabram Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.[8]
Climate
Kyabram has a semi-arid-influencedhumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa), with warm to hot, dry summers and cool, rather cloudy winters.[9]
Mean maximum temperatures vary from 30.5 °C (86.9 °F) in January to 13.2 °C (55.8 °F) in July, and mean minima range from 14.9 °C (58.8 °F) in February to 3.1 °C (37.6 °F) in July.
Annual rainfall is rather low, averaging 451.7 mm (17.78 in), and is spread across 104.6 rainy days. The town experiences 110.1 clear days and 91.9 cloudy days per annum. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 47.1 °C (116.8 °F) on 25 January 2019 to −7.5 °C (18.5 °F) on 21 July 1982.[10]
The district is dependent on the primary industries of dairying and fruit orchards. Henry Jones IXL,operate a plant in the town, manufacturing IXL jams. The town provides engineering, financial advisors, solicitors and accounting services to the district as well as cold storage and specialist dairy services. Kyabram also boasts a family owned Camel dairy unique to Australia.[11]Southern Processing Ltd and Fonterra (Stanhope) also have food processing plants nearby.
Facilities
Medical and aged care services in the town include a 46-bed hospital, a 30-bed home for the aged, infant welfare centre, ambulance station, several doctors, dentists and other health practitioners. A residential drug and alcohol rehab. Kyabram also has a local police station and volunteer CFA station.
Education
Kyabram has combined three state schools (Kyabram Secondary College, Dawes Rd (Demolished) and Haslem St Primary Schools) to one P-12 school containing three campuses (Dawes, Haslem and Fisher). Kyabram also has a Catholic primary and secondary school (St Augustine's College), two kindergartens and the Kyabram Community & Learning Centre providing community services and adult learning opportunities for the people of Kyabram and the surrounding region.
Kyabram also has their own "Blue Light" for young people.[12] Kyyabram Blue Light was headed up by Senior Constable Mitchell Bull, who was named Campaspe Shire's Citizen of the Year 2022.[citation needed]
Media
The local newspaper is called the Kyabram Free Press, a part of the McPherson media group in the region, with a circulation of roughly 3,300 copies[13]
In Kath & Kim, Episode 3 (The Moon) Kath and Kel win a mystery flight to Kyabram due to Kim running up Kath's credit card. Although Kath is excited, claiming "I love Kyabram!" unfortunately the couple never makes it there due to flight delays.[14]
Attractions
Attractions include the Kyabram Fauna Park, a 55-hectare (140-acre) reserve housing five hundred species of wildlife. There are free-roaming kangaroos and emus and hides to observe a variety of water birds.
Kyabram holds the annual Bush Market festival in the month of November where Allan Street is closed down and the local businesses extend their hours of availability. During the festival the locals enjoy pop up marquees, food, wine, beer, and live music.
Golfers play at the Kyabram Valley View Golf and Bowls Club on Curr Road, Mount Scobie,[16] or at the Kyabram Parkland Golf Club, the home of the Victorian Par 3 Amateur Championships, on Racecourse Road.[17]
^Gare, Deborah, "Edis, Margaret Dorothy (Dot) (1890–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 22 September 2023
