Maffra, Victoria
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| Maffra Victoria |
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 Maffra from the air, 1948 |
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| Population: | 5333 (2006)[1] | ||||||
| Postcode: | 3860 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 27 m (89 ft) | ||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of Wellington | ||||||
| State District: | Gippsland East | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Gippsland | ||||||
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Maffra () is a town in Victoria, Australia, 225km east of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Wellington local government area. It relies mainly on dairy farming and other agriculture. Maffra is a detour off the Princes Highway near Stratford, Rosedale, Tinamba and Heyfield. At the 2006 census, Maffra had a population of 5333.
It was long the beef cattle capital of West Gippsland and, for many years, the only beet sugar processing centre in the country. The town began as an outstation of the region’s first cattle run, Boisdale, named by pioneer grazier Lachlan Macalister after a village in the Outer Hebrides.
The village was originally known as Sheepfold, but Macalister renamed it Maffra after a town in Portugal (Mafra) where he served during the Peninsular War.
The town hosts a Mardi Gras in March, the Maffra and District Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Show in October and a tennis tournament at Easter.
Maffra is known to have one of the prettiest main streets (Johnson St) in Victoria. The Wellington Shire Council removed the 100+ year old trees that line it because of disease, but has since replaced them with young oaks.
Maffra has two primary schools, the Maffra Primary School and St Mary's Primary School (Catholic). Maffra also has a public secondary school, Maffra Secondary College, which has a student enrolment of around 700. Maffra Secondary has a strong academic program and is involved in a number of community service progams.
The Maffra Meat Pie is famous and has won many awards.[citation needed]
The Maffra Shed is now completed. This is for old car lovers. It is a huge old sugar beet building which the Car Club has cleaned and given new life. They hold car shows and draw crowds from miles around.
The historical society is working at Bellbird Corner restoring the area to the popular picnic area it was in the 1900s.
The Beet Museum, set in the Port of Maffra Park, has relics from the defunct sugar beet industry. The building is a relocated historic weighbridge building, and is lined with pine boards from the home of Charles and Grace Quirk, one of Maffra's first cottages.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Maffra (State Suburb). 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007) |
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