Jeparit

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Jeparit
Town
Roy Street, the main street of Jeparit
Roy Street, the main street of Jeparit
Jeparit is located in Shire of Hindmarsh
Jeparit
Jeparit
Coordinates: 36°08′0″S 141°59′0″E / 36.13333°S 141.98333°E / -36.13333; 141.98333
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
LGA
Location
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Elevation
85 m (279 ft)
Population
 • Total342 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode
3423
Mean max temp22.3 °C (72.1 °F)
Mean min temp8.6 °C (47.5 °F)
Annual rainfall381.9 mm (15.04 in)

Jeparit (/dʒəˈpærɪt/ jə-PARR-it) is a town on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres (230 mi) north west of Melbourne. At the 2016 census Jeparit had a population of 342,[1] down from 394[2] five years earlier.

History

The area around Jeparit is originally home to the Gromiluk Aboriginal peoples prior to European settlement. The name Jeparit is believed to be derived from a Gromiluk word meaning "home of small birds". European settlement began in the 1880s when German Lutheran immigrants began to settle and grow wheat.

The town was surveyed in 1883 and gazetted in 1889, the post office opening on 31 August 1889[3] though known as Lake Hindmarsh until December 1889. Two earlier post offices called Lake Hindmarsh had existed in the area at various times since 1861 to serve a smaller population of graziers.[4]

Jeparit's most famous resident is former Australian Prime Minister and founder of the Liberal Party, Sir Robert Menzies, who was born in the town in 1894. He is commemorated with a spire and a memorial bust installed at the town square. The spire, topped with an ornament resembling a Scottish Thistle, is inscribed:

This spire has been erected by the people of Jeparit and district, to honour Sir Robert Menzies. The spire symbolises the rise to world recognition of a boy who was born in Jeparit and who rose by his own efforts to become Australia's Prime Minister and a statesman recognised and honoured throughout the world.

Jeparit is the setting for Peter Carey's 1985 novel Illywhacker.

Climate

Climate data for Jeparit, elevation 81 m (266 ft)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 46.1
(115.0)		 45.0
(113.0)		 40.0
(104.0)		 34.4
(93.9)		 29.5
(85.1)		 22.8
(73.0)		 25.7
(78.3)		 26.6
(79.9)		 30.9
(87.6)		 36.2
(97.2)		 40.6
(105.1)		 43.2
(109.8)		 46.1
(115.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.7
(87.3)		 30.2
(86.4)		 27.6
(81.7)		 22.2
(72.0)		 17.9
(64.2)		 14.4
(57.9)		 14.0
(57.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 18.9
(66.0)		 22.3
(72.1)		 25.6
(78.1)		 28.9
(84.0)		 22.4
(72.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 13.5
(56.3)		 13.6
(56.5)		 11.7
(53.1)		 8.8
(47.8)		 6.5
(43.7)		 4.4
(39.9)		 4.0
(39.2)		 4.6
(40.3)		 6.1
(43.0)		 7.9
(46.2)		 10.0
(50.0)		 12.2
(54.0)		 8.6
(47.5)
Record low °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1)		 5.6
(42.1)		 1.7
(35.1)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −3.3
(26.1)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 3.3
(37.9)		 4.1
(39.4)		 −3.3
(26.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 22.5
(0.89)		 24.5
(0.96)		 20.6
(0.81)		 25.6
(1.01)		 38.1
(1.50)		 40.0
(1.57)		 38.7
(1.52)		 40.4
(1.59)		 39.7
(1.56)		 36.7
(1.44)		 29.2
(1.15)		 27.2
(1.07)		 383.2
(15.09)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.7 6.3 7.5 8.5 8.5 7.3 5.9 4.2 3.2 62.8
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[5]

Sport

Golfers play at the course of the Jeparit Golf Club on Nhill Road.[6]

Jeparit Football Club

The Jeparit Football Club appears to of first played a game of Australian Rules Football against Dimboola in June 1899 at Jeparit.[7] The club wore black and white strips in their 1929 and 1934 North Wimmera Football Association premiership photos. When the club joined the Wimmera Football League in 1937, the club wore the red and black colours.[8]

1928 Stawell Gift winner, Lynch Cooper played football with the Jeparit Football Club.

Senior Football Premierships
  • North Wimmera FA
    • 1925 - Jeparit: 7.11 - 53 d Yaapeet: 4.8 - 32
    • 1926 - Jeparit: 3.10 - 28 d Rainbow: 2.7 - 19[9]
    • 1929 - Jeparit: 6.12 - 48 d Peppers Plain: 5.8 - 38[10]
    • 1932 - Jeparit: 13.21 - 99 d Rainbow: 4.8 - 32[11]
    • 1933 - Jeparit: 13.12 - 90 d Rainbow: 12.10 - 82[12]
    • 1934 - Jeparit: 13.14 - 92 d Rainbow: 7.10 - 52[13][14]
  • Mid Wimmera FA
    • 1936 - Jeparit: 16.22 - 118 d Murtoa: 9.9 - 63[15]

In November 1995, Jeparit FC merged with the Rainbow FC to form the Jeparit Rainbow "Lakers" FNC and played in the Southern Mallee Football League from 1996 to 2014. The club then played in the Horsham District Football League from 2015 to 2023.

From 2024, along with neighbouring townships Rainbow, Hopetoun, and Beulah, Jeparit has a football and netball club called the Southern Mallee Thunder, competing in the Wimmera Football Netball League.

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Jeparit (Locality)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Jeparit (Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  3. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List -Jeparit, retrieved 17 January 2021
  4. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List - Lake Hindmarsh, retrieved 17 January 2021
  5. "Climate statistics for Australian locations- JEPARIT". 8 July 2024.
  6. Golf Select, Jeparit, retrieved 11 May 2009
  7. "1899 - Sporting Notes". The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 - 1954). 2 June 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  8. "1939 - Ball at Jeparit". The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 4 September 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  9. "1926 - Jeparit, Tuesday". The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954). 8 September 1926. p. 19. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  10. "1929 - Like Collingwood in club colors". Trove. The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956). 29 August 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  11. "1932 - Record Crowds for Final Football Matches: Rainbow". The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 - 1954; 1956). 5 September 1932. p. 22. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  12. "1933 - Jeparit win second premiership". Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954). 23 September 1933. p. 68. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  13. "1934 - Matches in the Country". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957). 20 August 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  14. "1934 - Premier Football and Other Sports Teams". Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954). 8 December 1934. p. 41. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  15. "1936 - JEPARIT'S POLISHED DISPLAY". The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 - 1954). 22 September 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 24 April 2026.

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