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Mr. Philip Gan, Lap Band Surgeon, Warrnambool Obesity Surgery Centre... warrnamboolobesitysurgery... |
Warrnambool is a regional city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia, located in the municipality City of Warrnambool, with a population of 28,200.[2] It is at the western end of the Great Ocean Road, but is more quickly reached along the Princes Highway, 265 kilometres and 3 1/2 hours from Melbourne by road or rail.
[edit] HistoryThe word Warrnambool comes from the local Indigenous Australians name for a nearby volcanic cone. It has been interpreted to mean many things including “land between two rivers”, "two swamps" or "ample water". The treacherous coast near the city is known as the "Shipwreck Coast" and evidence suggests the first ships to arrive were among the earliest international explorers. The legend of the Mahogany Ship is strongly linked to the city. Many believe the first Europeans to discover the area were Portuguese sailors, who surveyed the coastline nearby and possibly marooned near the site of the present town as early as the 1500s, however this is currently unproven. French explorer Nicholas Baudin recorded coastal landmarks in 1802. The area was frequented by whalers early in the 19th century. Matthew Flinders sailed the coast in the Investigator, and Lieutenant James Grant in the Lady Nelson also explored the area. The first settlers arrived in the 1840s in the Lady Bay area, which was a natural harbour. The town was surveyed in 1846 and established soon after, the Post Office opening on 1 January 1849.[3] During the Victorian Gold Rush, Warrnambool became an important port and grew quickly in the 1850s, benefiting from the private ownership of nearby Port Fairy. It was gazetted as a municipality in 1855 and became a borough in 1863. Warrnambool was declared a town in 1883 and a city in 1918. Post Offices opened at Warrnambool South in 1937 (closed 1973), Warrnambool East in 1946, and Warrnambool North in 1947 (closed 1975).[3] [edit] Economy Warrnambool is a popular tourist destination, with about 715,000 visitors each year. It is also a comprehensive regional service centre. The mainstay of the economy is agriculture and its support industry (particularly dairy farming and associated milk processing). Other major industries and services include retail, education, health, meat processing, clothing manufacture and construction. The Fletcher Jones and Staff Pty Ltd clothing factory opened in 1948 and was closed in 2005.[4] As well as the spectacular views from the Great Ocean Road, there are several beaches nearby, some of which are used for surfing. In the winter months, Southern Right whales are regularly seen in the waters near the city at the Logan's Beach nursery, and boats make whale-watching tours. [edit] EducationThe City's main education centres include Deakin University Warrnambool Campus, the South West Institute of TAFE, government and private primary and secondary schools, and pre-school centres. It also has the Mcdonalds Restaurant training centre which employs over 5 people and provides a diverse range of services for community members. [edit] Features The Warrnambool Botanic Gardens feature wide curving paths, rare trees, a lily pond with ducks, a fernery, a band rotunda, and was designed by notable landscape architect, William Guilfoyle. The post office and lighthouse date back to the early days of settlement. Eleven suburbs surround the CBD of Warrnambool: North, South, East and West Warrnambool, Brierly, Sherwood Park, Merrivale, Dennington, Woodford, Bushfield and Allansford, though only the four latter are recognised as localities of the city. Warrnambool's War Memorial is fondly referred to as the "Dirty Angel", due to the fact that, from certain vantage points, the statue appears to be holding an erect penis.[5][6] There are several bars and hotels in the city including The Flying Horse Bar and Brewery, the Seanchai, Warrnambool Hotel, The Whaler's Inn, The Royal, The Western, The Caledonian, Mac's, Rafferty's Tavern, The Gallery, The Loft, The Victoria, The Fishbowl, Your Break and, just out of town, The Junction Hotel. The Warrnambool foreshore is a popular swimming area, and is adjacent to the Lake Pertobe parklands. A number of caravan parks are also located in the area. [edit] Flora and faunaLogan's Beach on the eastern side of the city is recognised as a nursery site for the Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis. Most years one, two or three adult female whales arrive between late May and August, giving birth within days of their arrival. The young whale calf is then reared at the site, usually departing with its parent by mid to late September. Besides the Southern Right whale, the coastline is also visited by Australian Fur Seals, Fairy Penguins and the Common Dolphin. During the winter and early spring albatross cruise along the coastline and can be sighted from Thunder Point, a popular coastal lookout in the town. Middle Island has a colony of little penguins. Fox predation reduced numbers significantly. In 2005 only 4 penguins were remaining in the colony. Warrnambool City Council introduced a world first program using Maremma dogs to guard the penguins. This program has supported the re-establishment of a colony of over 100 penguins in 2009. [7] [8] [9] [edit] TransportWarrnambool can be accessed by road by the Princes Highway and the Hopkins Highway. It is at the western end of the Great Ocean Road. Rail and bus services also operate to Melbourne and Geelong. Trains call at Warrnambool's two stations, Warrnambool in the city and Sherwood Park in the city's outer east at Deakin University operating seven days a week. A daily container freight service is run by small operator El Zorro, which took over the service after the withdrawal of Pacific National in 2008.[10] Local buses cover Warrnambool's city and suburbs and extend to the nearby towns of Port Fairy and Koroit. V/Line buses connect Warrnambool with Portland, Mount Gambier, Ballarat and Hamilton. [edit] Events and culture   Warrnambool is home to the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, a prestigious race which attracts Australian and international drivers on the Australia Day long weekend. The city is also the finishing point of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic cycle race. It is the longest one-day bicycle endurance race in the world, held every October since 1895 to be the world’s second oldest bike race.[11][12] Warrnambool has a horse racing club, the Warrnambool Racing Club, which schedules around twenty race meetings a year including the Warrnambool Cup and Grand Annual Steeple three-day meeting in the first week of May.[13] The Woodford Racing Club also holds one meeting at Warrnambool racecourse. The Grand Annual steeplechase has 33 more jumps than any other horse race and is one of the longest steeplechases in the world. The Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club also holds regular meetings.[14] The Wunta festival held in Warrnambool every February is one of south-west Victoria's major community festivals. It incorporates a wide range of entertainment for all ages. The Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum is in Warrnambool. It includes a model of an 1800s port village and collections of material salvaged from some of the shipwrecks in the area, most notably the Minton peacock salvaged from the Loch Ard. From 1 to 3 September 2008, the city hosted, along with Melbourne, the 2008 Australian Football International Cup, featuring 14 nations from around the world playing Australian rules football.[15] The sport is highly popular in Warrnambool which has a competitive local league and is the origin of many high profile AFL players. The city has three Australian Rules football teams playing in the Hampden Football League (North Warrnambool, South Warrnambool and Warrnambool).[16] Golfers play on the Warrnambool Golf Club course on Younger Street.[17] [edit] Notable people from Warrnambool
[edit] Sister City[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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