Seymour, Victoria

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Seymour
Victoria

Location of Seymour in Victoria (red)

Population:

6,304 ^[1]

Established:

1839

Postcode:

3660

Elevation:

145 m (476 ft)

Location:

96 km (60 mi) north of Melbourne
85 km (53 mi) south of Shepparton

LGA:

Shire of Mitchell

State District:

Seymour

Federal Division:

McEwen

Mean Max Temp	Mean Min Temp	Rainfall
21.1 °C ^{70 °F}	7.7 °C ^{46 °F}	597.9 mm ^{23.5 in}

Localities around Seymour:
Hilldene	Nagambie	Avenel
Hilldene	Seymour	Avenel
Tallarook	Whiteheads Creek	Whiteheads Creek

Seymour is a township located in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located 98 km north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,304.^[1] The township services the surrounding agricultural industries (primarily sheep, cattle and wine) as well as the nearby military base of Puckapunyal (population 1,176^[2]), which is an important training centre for the Australian Army. Other important sectors of employment in Seymour include retail, light engineering, agricultural services support, medical services, and education.

1 History
2 Puckapunyal Army Base
3 Services
4 Transport
5 Tourism
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

[edit] History

Seymour was established in 1839 at the crossing of the Goulburn River on the Melbourne-Sydney route (now known as the Hume Highway) where an inn was first built. The railway arrived in 1872 along with substantial infrastructure to support it, establishing the town as an important rail hub for the Goulburn Valley, the Melbourne-Sydney railway and North Eastern Victoria. It was one of the first Victorian examples of the railway town phenomenon, in the heyday of the railway it employed 400 men and along with their families comprised one third of the town, or 1500 people.^[3]

[edit] Puckapunyal Army Base

The Australian Army first established a large training camp 4 km east of the township during the First World War. During the Second World War, the eastern camp diminished in importance and a substantially larger and more permanent military township was established 10 km to the west at Puckapunyal. As of 2007 Puckapunyal is the centre for the Australian Army's Land Warfare Development Centre (LWDC) and Headquarters Combined Arms Training Centre (HQ CATC). The HQ CATC is the headquarters for the Australian Army School of Armour (Puckapunyal), School of Artillery (Puckapunyal), School of Engineers (Sydney NSW) and School of Infantry (Singleton NSW). Additionally there are smaller training centres and facilities as well as a road transport squadron based in Puckapunyal.

Future (though non-committed) planning for the Australian Army calls for the relocation of the School of Engineers and School of Infantry to Puckapunyal to establish a Combined Training Establishment for the combatant corps of the Australian Army.

Puckapunyal has extensive corporatised garrison support, maintenance, and overhaul facilities that support the Army and employs many from the civilian population in Seymour. The base is home to the Army's Tank Museum, which features an excellent collection of historical and modern tanks and armoured vehicles from around the world.

[edit] Services

A number of fraternal, service and community organisations are active in Seymour including Freemasonry (established in Seymour in 1883), the Lions Club, Scouting, and Apex Clubs of Australia. Seymour has an excellent indoor multi-purpose sports centre and indoor swimming complex as well as a number of large playing fields for athletics, cricket and football. The township has a number of successful and well resourced sporting clubs including the Seymour Turf Club, the Seymour Football Club (Goulburn Valley Football League Premiers 2005, 2006 and 2007), Lawn Bowls, Kick Boxing, Basketball and Netball.

[edit] Transport

Seymour is at the junction of the Hume Highway and the Goulburn Valley Highway, which once ran though the town but now bypass it.

Seymour station is served by regular V/Line hourly services to and from Melbourne, as well as services on the Albury-Wodonga and Shepparton lines. The station was once a major freight marshalling location, and the home of a large locomotive depot. The depot is now the home of the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

[edit] Tourism

Seymour hosts an annual Alternative Farming Exposition each February which draws many thousands of visitors. The township is also home to a well-established railway museum and several wineries. Seymour offers a wide selection of dining options to visitors that include The Prince of Wales Hotel, The Somerset Winery, The Old Post Office Restaurant, The Seymour Club, The Royal Hotel, and The Railway Hotel, which all provide visitors with a selection of fresh locally-produced foods and wines.