Ouyen

Ouyen has prime position in the Mildura Murray Outback region, right at the crossroads of the Mallee Highway connecting Adelaide with Sydney and the Calder Highway linking Melbourne with Mildura. This busy dry-land farming town with a population of more than 1200 is surrounded by a beautiful array of national parks in the heart of the Victorian Mallee. It is the ideal base from which to visit Wyperfeld, Hattah-Kulkyne and Murray Sunset National Parks.

The northern area of Wyperfeld is 60 kilometres to the south-west , Hattah Lakes are only 40 kilometres north and the Pink Lakes part of the Murray Sunset National Park, are only 70 kilometres to west. All three parks have an abundance of drought-resistant wildflowers (as many as 100 varieties), unique wildlife and breathtaking landscapes.

Equally strong sporting and cultural activities add to the appeal of the town with bowls, tennis and golf clubs which attract players and guests from around Australia. Accommodation is available in three motels, a caravan park and the historic Victoria Hotel which also provides hearty Mallee country meals.

The reason the Mallee was the last region to be settled in Victoria is evident in the town's choice of symbols. Beside the Calder Highway, in the heart of town, lies the largest mallee stump in Australia. It is a reminder of not only of the difficulties faced by European settlers in clearing the area, but also of the agricultural basis of the region. The scrubby territory was once covered in the drought-resistant eucalypt, which proved immensely difficult to uproot and destroy. Any remnant of the subterranean root system led to regeneration and a heartbreaking renewal of efforts at clearing. Today the dense wood is used for wood turning and burning.

Before European settlement the area is thought to have been occupied by the Wergaia Aborigines. Some believe the name Ouyen derives from the Wergaia term 'wuya-wuya', the name of a pink-eared duck, presumably once common in the area. Others say it means 'ghost waterhole'.

Ouyen developed around a railway station, which was established in 1906 after the Melbourne to Mildura line was built. Blocks in the area were sold in 1910 and cleared for sheep, wheat and oats.

Ouyen is now a transport and service centre for a vast area occupied by agricultural and pastoral properties. Enormous convoys of trucks line up at harvest time to ship oats to Portland and wheat to regional flour mills.

Ouyen is home to the Great Vanilla Slice Triumph (www.ouyenvanillaslice.com.au) annually in September. This event includes the Ouyen Criterium of the Tour of Sunraysia, The Mallee Art Show and Patchwork Display.