Warragul Suburb Overview
Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 people 104 kilometres east-southeast of Melbourne in Victoria. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. The town is named after an Aboriginal word meaning “wild dog”.
Warragul is the main population and service centre of the West Gippsland region and the Shire of Baw Baw. The surrounding area is noted for dairy farming and other niche agriculture and has long been producing gourmet foods.
Warragul was settled after the construction of the Traralgon railway line in 1877, the Post Office opening on 16 March 1877.
Existing roads were renamed Princes Highway after the visit to Australia in 1920 of the Prince of Wales. The highway was officially opened on 10 August 1920 at a ceremony in Warragul.
Warragul’s Petersville Milk Products Factory in Queen Street supplied the famous Peters Ice Cream brand’s factory in Mulgrave with all the dairy raw material for 35 years. The plant also manufactured skim milk powder under the famous Dutch Jug brand and butter under the Iceberg brand. It exported butter, butter oil and milk powders to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Warragul, is located on a lobe of hills that extend north from the Strzelecki Ranges near Ellinbank, joining the foothills of the Baw Baws in the Neerim District. This range is historically referred to as the Warragul Hills. The range effectively separates the flatlands of the Koo Wee Rup swamp in the west and the Moe Swamp on the eastern side.
Warragul contains the Linear Park Arts Discovery Trail, a trail covering several adjacent parks in the town. It features painted bollards, mosaics and murals. The trail joins up with the Drouin to Warragul Two Towns Trail.
Warragul is the major township closest to Lardner, the home of the Gippsland Field Days. Three major events are held at Lardner Park each year – the Farm World agricultural show, Trucks In Action and the Harvest of Gippsland. The Farm World agricultural show is a major drawcard for the Warragul area. Every year in late March, Warragul plays host to these Field Days at Lardner Park. The Field Days are Australia’s premier mixed farming Field Days and they include one of Australia’s most diverse ranges of beef cattle, dairying and horticulture exhibits.
Warragul is also home to the annual Warragul Show, which is held on the first Friday of March each year. It is traditionally a farming and livestock show, but includes rides, stalls, games, fireworks and showbags. It is held at the Warragul showgrounds.
For a town of its size, Warragul has a large education industry with four primary schools, three secondary schools and two tertiary institutions.
Both Warragul North Primary and Warragul Primary are state primary schools, St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary is a Catholic school, and St. Paul’s Anglican Grammar School is a Church of England primary school.
Nearby Suburbs
