Goroke, Victoria

A small pastoral town in the Wimmera servicing regional wheat, barley and sheep farmers. The town hosts a Country Music Festival each February.
Location: 365km north-west of Melbourne; 339 km east of Adelaide via Bordertown.
Origin of name: the local Aboriginal name for the magpie.
Brief history: the town was laid out in 1882 and served as a supply centre for local selectors. By 1887 there was a flour mill, two stores, a school, a mechanics' hall, an hotel and a blacksmith's. The only linkage to Nhill and Kaniva was by a desert track. A railway line to Natimuk was completed in 1894.
Natural features: Mount Arapiles-Tooan State Park (Climbing Mt Arapiles); Lake Charlegrark; Lake Ratzcastle; Johnson's Lake; Redgum Swamp; Bulls Lake; No Where Else Lake; Fire Shovel Swamp; Lake Booroopki; Broughton's Water Hole
Heritage features: 'Mortat House' and stables (1864)