Seymour, Victoria

The Taungurung (Daung wurrung) people are the traditional owners and inhabitants of the area Seymour now occupies. Specifically, it is the land of the Buthera Balug clan who occupied the area when Europeans first settled the region in the early 1800s. In 1824, Hume and Hovell on their return from Port Phillip, camped by the Goulburn River not far upstream of Seymour. In 1836 Major Thomas Mitchell crossed the Goulburn at Mitchellstown and soon afterwards overlanders and other early settlers began to use this crossing place on the Melbourne–Sydney route (now known as the Hume Highway). The mail service between Melbourne and Sydney had been operating for just a year when it was found that a better route was available using the "New Crossing Place".

The Robert Burns Inn was operating there by the end of 1839. In 1841 the Government decided that the new crossing place was the likely spot for a town. Plans were laid before the Executive Council of NSW and Mitchell proposed the name Seymour which was approved on 21 December 1843. The town was named after Lord Seymour, the son of the 11th Duke of Somerset. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1844.[4] The railway arrived in 1872 along with substantial infrastructure to support it, establishing the town as an important rail hub for the Goulburn Valley, the Melbourne–Sydney railway and North Eastern Victoria. It was one of the first Victorian examples of the railway town phenomenon, in the heyday of the railway it employed 400 men and along with their families comprised one-third of the town, or 1500 people.[5]

The Australian Army first established a large training camp 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the township during the First World War. During the Second World War, the eastern camp diminished in importance and a substantially larger and more permanent military township was established 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the west at Puckapunyal.[6] As of 2008 Puckapunyal is the centre for the Australian Army's Land Warfare Development Centre (LWDC)[7] and Headquarters Combined Arms Training Centre (HQ CATC),[8] with three of the Army's five Schools located on site. Additionally, there are smaller training centres and facilities as well as the Road Transport Wing of the Army Logistic Training Centre's Army School of Transport based in Puckapunyal.[7] The base is also home to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Army Tank Museum.[9]

Seymour position on the banks of the Goulburn River and base of the Tallarook Ranges offers breath-taking hiking/riding and bushwalking for all fitness levels and many open public parks including the Australian Lighthorse Memorial Park located on Yea Road and the National Trust listed Old Goulburn Bridge access via Emily Street.

The Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk was opened in 2013, the only one of its kind in Australia dedicated to Vietnam Veterans. The Walk has been created using symbolic elements of Vietnam and over 60,000 names of every serviceman & servicewoman who served in the conflict are listed. The township is also home to The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre the heritage centre has a large collection of vintage and heritage locomotives, diesels and rolling stock (in various stages of restoration). The Seymour and District Historical Society Museum, is located in Tallarook Street in the Pioneer Library.

Seymour Alternative Farming Expo February each year. Established in 1991, the Expo has grown into one of the most successful alternative farming expos in the Southern Hemisphere which draws many thousands of visitors from around Australia. The Seymour Agricultural Show, held on the first Saturday in October every year, first established in 1858 it is the display of rural industry, including livestock and produce with its associated competitions and awards, drawing large crowds from the state to compete each year.

Tastes of the Goulburn food and wine festival is hosted in October each year, showcasing the best local produce from the Goulburn Valley and Central Victoria. This unique festival offers the option to travel by Steam rail from Melbourne

Seymour Cup in October each year. As one of the premier Country Cups in Victoria, the $150,000 Godolphin Seymour Cup attracts many of the State's leading trainers and jockeys.

Seymour offers a wide selection of dining options to visitors that include a number of wineries, cafes, three traditional Australian hotels including The Prince of Wales Hotel, The Seymour Club, The Royal Hotel, and The Railway Hotel, which all offer visitors a selection of fresh locally produced foods and wines.

The Hume International Raceway is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) West of the township and holds regular go-cart racing meetings on most weekends.

On a lighter note Seymour is the second town mentioned in the original (Australian) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere".

Seymour is located at the southern end of the Goulburn Valley wine region. The main influencing factors in the Goulburn Valley wine region are the hills of the Great Dividing Range and the Goulburn River which mitigates lengthy and warm summers.

Top varieties: Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Marsanne

Soil types: sandy clay loams, clay loams and gritty, gravelly quartzose sands

There are several wineries in and near the township which include Wine x Sam, Tahbilk, Mitchelton Winery, Fowles Wines, Kensington Wines and several other boutique vineyards Box Grove vineyard, Brave Goose vineyard, Somerset Crossing vineyard, Vitto Oles Wines and Traawool Valley wines.

Each year Tastes of the Goulburn food and wine festival is hosted in Seymour, showcasing the best local produce from the Goulburn Valley.[10] Seymour also hosts the Victorian Wine Show.[11]

Seymour College is the government school, providing classes from Prep to Year 12. The college was created in 2010 through a merger of Seymour Technical High School (STHS), Seymour Primary School (SPS) Seymour East Primary School (SEPS) and Seymour Special School (SSS) located in Loco Street.

St Mary's College is a Prep to Year 10 Catholic school located in High Street.

The Seymour campus of the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, opened in 1998, provides a variety of short courses and vocational education and training.

Seymour Station viewed from the main street.

Seymour is located adjacent to the junction of the Hume and Goulburn Valley Highway. The Hume Highway crossed the Goulburn River and diverted all Melbourne-Sydney bound traffic though the township for over 100 years until a freeway bypass was opened routing all non-local and interstate traffic around the township in 1982.

Seymour station is served by regular V/Line hourly services to and from Melbourne Southern Cross station as well as services on the Albury and Shepparton lines. The station was once a major freight marshalling location and the home of a significant locomotive depot.

Victoria's electronic ticketing system, Myki, was implemented on rail services between Seymour and Melbourne on 24 June 2013.[12]

Seymour is host to many community and service groups including Freemasonry (established in Seymour in 1883), Rotary, the Lions Club, Scouting, Apex Clubs of Australia and Probus. In addition, local advocacy groups include The Seymour We Want, locally based offices of statewide organisations including Berry Street and Closing The Health Gap (amongst others).

the food eXchange, is a local food group founded in Seymour, and promotes local, ethical, seasonal food in Seymour and surrounds. the food eXchange also present a popular radio show on Seymour FM 103.9 which is a community conversation all about local food, local farmers, food swaps, markets and healthy eating.

Seymour is well equipped with sporting facilities that include an indoor multi-purpose sports and aquatic centre, outdoor pool as well as a number of large playing fields for athletics, cricket and football. Seymour has a number of successful and well resourced sporting clubs including Cricket, Tennis, Football, Lawn Bowls, Kick Boxing, Basketball and Netball.

Eastern Hill Cricket Club whose home ground is at Kings Park, compete in the Seymour and District Cricket Association fielding 3 senior and 3 junior teams.

Seymour Football Club compete in the Goulburn Valley Football League.[13]

Seymour has a horse racing club, the Seymour Racing Club, which schedules around twenty race meetings a year including the Seymour Cup meeting in October.[14]

Golfers play at the course of the Seymour Golf Club on Yea Road.[15]

• John C. Jennings and Robert K. Whitehead (July 2005), Seymour – A Railway Town, Seymour and District Historical Society, ISBN 0-9751658-0-1

Media related to Seymour, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons

• Seymour Local Government Tourism Website
• Seymour Visitor Information Website
• The Seymour We Want Community Development Website
• the food eXchange Seymour
• Seymour FM Community Radio
• Seymour Show (Seymour Agricultural Society)
• Seymour and District Historical Society
• Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
• Seymour Alternative Farming Expo
• Seymour Business and Tourism Website