Hopetoun is a town which serves as the major service centre for the Southern Mallee area of Victoria, Australia.[2] Hopetoun is situated 400 km (249 mi) north-west of Melbourne on the Henty Highway in the Shire of Yarriambiack. In the 2016 census, Hopetoun had a population of 739.[1]
The town was named after the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, the Governor of Victoria from 1889 to 1895 and later the first Governor-General of Australia.[3] The post office opened on 12 September 1891 when the township was established.[4]
During the early 2009 Australian heatwave, the town experienced several days of intense heat, with a peak of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F). The reading was the highest temperature nationwide during the heatwave and also broke the record for the highest temperature in Victoria.[5]
The town has one hotel, a supermarket (IGA), a newsagent, post office, chemist/pharmacist, hairdressers, service station, one Catholic primary school and a combined primary and secondary school, Hopetoun P-12 College, which caters for surrounding townships. It also has a fast food cafe and an op shop. It has a hospital with urgent care, an acute ward and a residential aged care facility. Hopetoun Airport serves the town.
Local attractions include Wyperfeld National Park, Yarriambiack Creek and Lake Coorong.
With neighbouring townships Rainbow, Jeparit, and Beulah, Hopetoun has a football and netball club, the Southern Mallee Thunder, competing in the Wimmera Football Netball League. The town also has a golf course, lawn bowls, cricket and tennis competitions, basketball and many other sporting and recreational activities for all ages.
Golfers play at the Hopetoun Golf Club on Rainbow Road.[6]
