Murtoa, Victoria

Murtoa is a wheat district town in Victoria, Australia, situated around Lake Marma on the Wimmera Highway, 305km north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the, Murtoa had a population of 991. Murtoa is also a close 30k from the major Wimmera City of Horsham.The name Murtoa is believed to come from a local Aboriginal word meaning "home of the lizard". Murtoa's post office opened on 1 August 1874.The working section of the present day Murtoa Grain Receival Centre can hold up to 400,000 tonnes of grain, and is the largest inland receival centre in Australia.Murtoa's Lake Marma, situated in the centre of town, has always been a haven for wildlife and one of the most attractive lakes in the Wimmera. It is currently being improved with restored surrounds. A main feature is the impressive 1890s avenues of sugar gum trees around most of the lake. There is a playground, BBQs, Rotunda and large lawned areas adjacent. Rabl park immediately to the North of Lake Marma is a series of waterways and ponds with attractive treed surrounds. It also incorporates a Skate Park, playground, 1896 Railway's walking bridge, BBQ and large grassed areas. Both Lakes are great fishing and recreational areas, with abundant birdlife and pleasant, formed walking tracks surrounding both.The Lake Marma precinct also includes a quality swimming pool, well shaded both naturally and by shade.The Mighty Murtoa Stick ShedMurtoa is the site of the largest rustically-built structure in the world, the Murtoa No. 1 Grain Store, known locally as the "Stick Shed". Because wheat could not be exported during the Second World War, a "temporary" grain shed, 270m long and 60m wide, was built in late 1941 and early 1942, using 560 un-milled tree trunks. These "sticks", braced with iron tie rods, are set in a concrete floor and support a hipped corrugated iron roof. The impressive cathedral-like structure was last used to hold wheat in 1989-90.