Murtoa Victoria | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°36′S 142°29′E / 36.600°S 142.483°E |
Population | 865 (2016 census)[1] |
Postcode(s) | 3390 |
Location | |
LGA(s) | Shire of Yarriambiack |
State electorate(s) | Lowan |
Federal division(s) | Mallee |
Murtoa is a town in Victoria, Australia, situated around Lake Marma on the Wimmera Highway, 305 kilometres (190 mi) north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the 2016 census, Murtoa had a population of 865[1] and is located around 30 kilometres from Horsham, a major city in the Wimmera region.
The name Murtoa is believed to come from a local Aboriginal word meaning "home of the lizard". Murtoa's post office opened on 1 August 1874.[2] Many of Murtoa's pioneer farmers were German immigrants, attracted from South Australia by Victorian government incentives.[3]
The working section of the present-day Murtoa Grain Receival Centre can hold up to 400,000 tonnes of grain and is the largest inland Receival Centre in Australia.