After leaving Rosebery on 20th October 2024, Marija and I headed south along the Henty Highway, with our next stop being the little town of Beulah.
Beaulah is located about 360 km northwest of Melbourne in northwest Victoria.
Above:- Map showing the location of Beaulah, Victoria. Map c/o Google Maps.
The origin of the name of this town is very interesting. The McKenzie family from Scotland subdivided land in the district in 1890. A survey was conducted and the town of Beulah was officially proclaimed in 1891. The McKenzie family were devout Presbyterians and Isaiah 62:4 was their inspiration in gaming the town:
“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” (Aussie Towns 2024)
Today Beulah is known as the ‘Centre of the Barley Belt.’ As you enter the town there is an excellent information board and also a pictorial board of the history of farming in the Beulah district from 1882-2002.
Close by is a wooden engraving of a cyclist and a bicycle. Cycling clubs were popular in Beulah during the 1920s and 1930s. In 2001 a cycling team called ‘The Beulah Blue Flames’ was formed to compete in the annual Murray to Moyne Cycle Relay Race. Sadly they disbanded in 2011.
The main street of Beulah contains a number of historic buildings and sadly many empty shops.
On the side of the old butcher shop is a mural of two horses. The mural was pained by Kaff-eine, the same artist who painted the Rosebey silo. (White 2024)
Pioneer Park in Beulah is well worth a visit. It is dedicated to the Beulah district pioneers.
There are information boards that detail the history of the district including a list of the original pioneers.
During 2019 Beaulah was one of 17 regional Victorian locations where ‘The Dry’ was filmed. The movie is a screen adaptation of Jane Harper’s best-selling novel. (ABC 2021)
Below is the official trailer for The Dry.
Beaulah has two sets of silos. On the northern edge of town you can find the Million Bushel Silo that was built in 1963. It has 14 steel bins holding 28,000 ton of grain. There are 8 of these in Victoria. The shed was added in 1970 holding 11,600 ton. Temporary bunkers on the far north end hold another 80,000 ton when needed. Grain delivered to these silos include wheat, barley and canola.
On the south entrance of the town are the older cement silos that were built for the 1839/1940 harvest to service the Geelong Terminal. Two steel annex bins were added later to make a total of 12,000-ton holding capacity. Wheat and barley is usually stored in these silos. These were the first silos to receive bulk peas and barley in Victoria. Before this, grain was delivered in bags and stacked, a very time- consuming and back-breaking job.
Adjacent to the cement silos is the old Beulah railway station. The railway line from Warracknabeal reached here in 1893.
We parked on the Henty Highway and operated from the 4WD for this activation. We ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 930 antenna with the 1/5 metre stainless steel whip.
Above:- the activation zone at the two silos at Beulah. Image c/o SiOTA website.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK3WSG
- VK1AO
- VK2MET
- VK3MRG
- VK2LEE
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- VK7PJM
- VK3WSG
- VK1AO
- VK2MET
- VK3MRG
- VK2LEE
- VK3APJ
- VK4SMA
Marija and I left Beulah and stopped at the Netting Fence monument. The fence was erected in 1885 from Tyntynder in Victorian to the South Australian border to prevent dingoes and rabbits over running and devastating pastoral and agricultural land to the south.
The cost of erection of the fence was 70 pounds ($140.00) per mile (1.6 km). The fence was generally known as the Wimmera Wild Dog Fence. In 1959 all Government funding towards the maintenance of the fence was cased as it was considered the fence had outlasted its purpose. The wild dogs had been poisoned and trapped.
Above:- Article from the Kerang Times & Swan Hill Gazette, Tues 11 Aug 1885. Image c/o Trove
We soon reached Warracknabeal and headed to one of the local hotels, The Creekside Hotel, where we enjoyed a very nice meal.
Marija and I then headed to our accommodation at the Warrack Motel.
References.
- http://www.abc.net.au. (2021). Drought, no pub and a burnt-down general store: Struggling town of 300 shines in major movie role. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-16/film-the-dry-brings-new-life-to-beulah-in-victoria/13056440. [Accessed 26 Dec. 2024].
- White, I. (2024). Beulah – Historical Murals, Bollards and Street Art – Wimmera – Outside Melbourne –. [online] Melbourneplaygrounds.com.au. Available at: https://www.melbourneplaygrounds.com.au/beulah-historical-murals [Accessed 26 Dec. 2024].
VK5PAS 