Edenhope is a town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

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 ...

. It is located on the

Wimmera Highway Wimmera Highway is a 345 kilometre rural highway that runs predominately through the Wimmera region of western Victoria, after which the highway is named. It links the towns of Marong, Victoria, just to the west of the major regional centre o ...

, 30 kilometres from the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n border, in the

Shire of West Wimmera The Shire of West Wimmera is a local government area in the western part of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 3,862. It includes the to ...

local government area. At the Edenhope had a population of 946. The township of Edenhope was established some years later than nearby Apsley, the Post Office opening on 16 July 1864.

Naming of town

The first European settlers in the district were the Hope family, in 1845. They came from Scotland and had lived next to the Eden River. The Hope family established the Lake Wallace pastoral station.

Lake Wallace

Edenhope sits on the southern shore of Lake Wallace, which covers an area of around 200 hectares. The lake is a five minute walk from Edenhope's main street. There is a jetty and several boat ramps.

Lake Wallace Lake Wallace is a lake in Edenhope, Victoria, Australia, featuring abundant bird life and located on the edge of the township. It is encircled by a track suitable for walking, running or bike riding, with plenty of shade and wildlife. Lake Wall ...

is also a waterbird haven where

black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...

s nest in spring. There are bird hides and a 5 km scenic walking track around the lake. Lake Wallace dries up at times of extreme drought but is now filling again after the return of better seasons. The waterbird population is slowly increasing. On Lake Street in the grounds of the Secondary College, there is a cairn commemorating the first all-Aboriginal cricket team to go to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

is named after William Wallace.

Historical buildings

The Edenhope Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1983. Opposite the Court House is the Back Swamp, home to local bird life which can be viewed from the bird hide and bird walk.

Recreation

Edenhope has a horse racing club, the Edenhope Racing Club, which holds the Edenhope Cup meeting on the

Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...

weekend in March. The Apsley Racing Club also hold their Cup meeting there in April. Golfers play at the Edenhope Golf Club on Laidlaw Avenue. The Edenhope-Apsley Football Netball Club was created from a merger with the team from nearby Apsley in 1999. The team competes in the

Horsham & District Football League The Horsham District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria (Australia), Victoria. History The league in its present form was created in 1946. Prior to World War 2 a number o ...

, after competing in the

Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League The Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, Australia. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League. One unusu ...

until 2006. Previously Edenhope and Aspley had a healthy rivalry that developed in the

Kowree Naracoorte Football League The Kowree Naracoorte Football League was an Australian rules football competition based around Naracoorte, South Australia and the Shire of Kowree, Kowree region of Victoria (state), Victoria. History Prior to the Kowree Naracoorte Football Leag ...

. Edenhope hosts Henley on Lake Wallace on the second Saturday in February. The regatta and related events date back to 1921, when funds were raised to erect a memorial to soldiers of the

First World War 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 ...

Notable people

Phil Carman Phillip Carman (born 4 September 1950 in Edenhope, Victoria) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Norwood in the SANFL and , , and in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. A flamboyant player wh ...

former , , & footballer * Don Dixon former footballer * Alex Forster former player at the Fremantle Football Club * Max Galpin former footballer * Bruce Greenhill former footballer * Richard Charles Guthridge, early settler *

Emma Kealy Emma Jayne Kealy (born 29 May 1977) is an Australian politician. She has been a National Party of Australia – Victoria, National Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing the Legislative Assembly seat ...

politician * Graeme MacKenzie former footballer * Tom McDonald current footballer * Oscar McDonald current footballer

Climate

References

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Wimmera Fishing communities in Australia