Korumburra

Korumburra Victoria
File:Korumburra Commercial Street.jpg Commercial Street
Korumburra
Coordinates
Population	4,465 (2006 census)
Postcode(s)	3950
Location	120 km (75 mi) SE of Melbourne 15 km (9 mi) W of Leongatha
LGA(s)	South Gippsland Shire
County	Buln Buln
State electorate(s)	Gippsland South
Federal Division(s)	McMillan

Korumburra /ˌkʌrəmˈbʌrʌ/ is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area.

Surrounded by rolling green hills, the town is 227 metres (745 ft) above the sea level of coastal Inverloch, about 28 km (17 mi) away. At the 2006 census, Korumburra had a population of 4465.

History

The Post Office in the area opened on 1 September 1884, and moved to the township on the railway survey line on 1 November 1889, the existing office being renamed Glentress. The railway arrived in 1891.

The town has also enjoyed a wave of migration of European migrants who have added to the towns growth and culture. Antonio Radovick "Father of Korumburra" was the most successful Croatian pioneer in Victoria who contributed to the start and growth of the town in the 1890s and 1900s. There is a street bearing the name Radovick near the middle hotel. One of the old Korumburra Shire Council shire presidents was Italian migrant Vincenzo Fava [1990] which shows the contribution of Italians in Korumburra.

Today

Korumburra is known as the "Heritage Centre of South Gippsland". It is the home of Coal Creek Community Park and Museum. This village depicts life in the area over the period from the 1870s to 1920s, as the town rapidly expanded following the discovery of a coal seam. The outdoor museum covers 30 acres (120,000 m²) of bushland, including 60 exhibits. These include the Giant Earthworm, National Bank, Anzac exhibit, Mining exhibits, Dairy exhibit at the Boston Carriageworks and Railway Museum. The Park is free entry and open Thursdays to Mondays during termtime and seven days a week during school holidays. A tramway runs on weekends around the lower end of the park encompassing an old-time farm and bush oval. Many local organisations use the Park and environs and special events are held during the year.

Other town attractions include the Olympic pool (open November–March), two-court basketball stadium, art gallery, the South Gippsland tourist railway. The towns main industries include dairy and beef. The region is home to the world's largest earthworms. The town is also home to Burra foods which is a dairy company.

The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Bena has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Alberton Football League.

The town has a soccer team the Korumburra City Soccer Club competing in the South Gippsland Soccer League as well as an affiliation to the Spence Pro Soccer Academy.

Golfers play at the course of the Korumburra Golf Club on Warragul Road. (In the winter of 2005, Korumburra was blanketed in snow for the first time in almost twenty years. Local residents were seen skiing the tenth fairway at the Korumburra Golf Club.)

The town is now being developed with large areas of former farm land being developed for new residential estates, which within the next ten years will expand the size and population of the township by 75 to 100 percent.

In DC Comics, Korumburra, spelled Kurrumburra, is the home town of The Flash's notorious nemesis, Captain Boomerang.

Transport

Main article: Korumburra railway station, Victoria

Korumburra is also the base of the popular tourist railway South Gippsland Railway which operates a heritage railway service between the major centres of Leongatha and the market town of Nyora (formerly the junction to the Wonthaggi line). Heritage trains are operated each Sunday and on public holidays. Korumburra was formerly situated along the South Gippsland railway corridor that operated to its terminus at Yarram in the early 1980s and Leongatha in the mid 1990s. A V/Line road coach service replaced the rail service on July 24, 1993, running between Melbourne and Yarram. However, since the closure of the South Gippsland rail line with the exception of the locally run tourist railway between Nyora and Leongatha by the Kennett Victorian government on December 14, 1994, the South and West Gippsland Transport Group represented by the local council are campaigning for the rail services to be reinstated beyond the current terminus at Cranbourne by the 2020s. The line beyond Leongatha is being used as a rail trail for public use and also the former Wonthaggi line. Dandenong - Cranbourne is being used by the Melbourne Suburban train company, while the section beyond Cranbourne - Nyora is in an unusable state for trains to operate and is yet to have its fate decided.

Earthquakes

On 6 March 2009 an earthquake registering 4.7 on the Richter scale was recorded 7 km (4 mi) west of Korumburra. A second magnitude 4.7 tremor was recorded two weeks later on 18 March 2009; the epicentre was 5 km (3 mi) north of the town. No damage was reported.

As of 2 April 2009, fifteen earthquakes and aftershocks have been recorded around the town during 2009.

On 5 July 2011, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake with the epicentre on Korumburra was felt over much of suburban Melbourne as well.

Notable people

Notable people from Korumburra include:

• Bruce Hungerford, pianist
• Stan Savige. distinguished WWI soldier, founder of Legacy
• Ron Strykert Guitarist of Men At Work
• Frank Bladin

See also

• Korumburra railway station