Colignan is a town on the banks of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

, in North Western Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The town is on the border of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. At the 2016 census, Colignan and the surrounding area had a population of 329. The closest town to Colignan is called Nangiloc which is Colignan spelt in reverse. It appears that Colignan predated Nangiloc, and Colignan is thought to have been the name of a local Aboriginal leader.

History

Colignan and nearby localities Nangiloc and Iraak were established as

soldier settlement Soldier settlement was the settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under soldier settlement schemes administered by state governments after World War I and World War II. The post-World War II settlement ...

farming areas after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, road access to the area being from the west via Boonoonar on what is now the

Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway li ...

. A Post Office opened on August 22, 1922, marking the beginning of postal services to the area. It closed in 1988. In common with many other soldier settlement areas the blocks provided were too small to be viable and most original settlers had left by the mid-1930s and were replaced by a later generation using irrigation.

Present day

The economy of the town is based on primary industry, mostly citrus and grape growing. Avocados and almonds are also well represented. The rich soil and the proximity to the Murray River have allowed farming of a diverse range of crops. Dry land farming in the area consists of mainly wheat and barley.

References

Towns in Victoria (state) Populated places on the Murray River Mallee (Victoria) Australian soldier settlements 1922 establishments in Australia {{Mallee-geo-stub

History

Present day

See also

References