Natimuk is a town in Western Victoria, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is located about 300km northwest of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. A further 10km west of Natimuk is one of Australia's best climbing areas, Mount Arapiles

Mount Arapiles

Mount Arapiles is a rock formation that rises 369 metres above the Wimmera plains in western Victoria, Australia. It is approximately 10 km from Natimuk, Victoria and is part of the Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park. Arapiles is a very popular destination for rock climbers due to the quantity...

. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Natimuk had a population of 449.

History

The Post Office opened as Natimuk Creek on 1 July 1874 and was renamed Natimuk in 1884.

A railway line, built in a number of sections, once connected Horsham and Hamilton

Hamilton, Victoria

Hamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...

, running via Cavendish

Cavendish, Victoria

Cavendish is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia on the Wannon River. At the 2006 census, Cavendish and the surrounding area had a population of 454....

, Balmoral

Balmoral, Victoria

Balmoral is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Balmoral and the surrounding area had a population of 542....

 and East Natimuk.

In 2004 Natimuk hosted 10000 people for Triple J's One Night Stand

Triple J's One Night Stand

Triple J's One Night Stand is a concert hosted in a remote town or city in Australia annually. It is promoted and organised by national radio station Triple J. In previous years, the host town was selected in the form of a competition where residents of the town must gain approval from local...

.

Description

Natimuk has traditionally survived as a rural service centre for the surrounding grain and sheep farming community. More recently it has diversified into tourism and staved off the decline common in other Wimmera towns. People from all over the planet flock to Natimuk because of the rock climbing at Mount Arapiles and the nearby Grampians.

Around 60 rock climbers (locally known as goats) have made Natimuk their home due to the climbing and lifestyle. Every two years Natimuk hosts its arts festival, the Nati Frinj

Nati Frinj

The Nati Frinj is an arts festival that happens in Natimuk, Victoria, Australia. It runs over the first weekend in November in odd numbered years....

.

Sport

The town has traditionally had strong Netball

Netball

Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...

 teams - The Ewes. Natimuk also fields three or four Australian Rules teams who compete in the Horsham & District Football League

Horsham & District Football League

The Horsham & District Football League is an amateur Australian rules football league based in the Wimmera area of Western Victoria.-History:...

.

Golfers play at the course of the Natimuk Golf Club at Mount Arapiles State Park.

There is also a lawn bowls club, tennis club, cricket club and people come from miles around to compete and train with the Natimuk Gymnastics Club.

Environment

There are many small wetlands in the district, and the town lies close to the Natimuk-Douglas Wetlands

Natimuk-Douglas Wetlands

The Natimuk-Douglas Wetlands comprise a chain of freshwater, brackish and saline wetlands in the semi-arid Wimmera region of western Victoria. Australia...

 Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

, so identified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 because of its importance for a variety of waterbirds.

External links

• Information about Natimuk and the Nati Frinj