Overview
Close to the South Australian border in the northwest of Victoria, the welcoming towns of Dimboola and Nhill are a great mid-point road or rail stop-off on a trip between Melbourne and Adelaide.
Nhill
Nhill's name comes from an Aboriginal term thought to refer to morning mist or spirits rising over waters from the surrounding wetlands. Long a Cobb & Co stagecoach destination, this pretty Wimmera oasis has a storied history, including being the second town in Victoria to receive electricity after Melbourne.
The town is also known as the home to Aboriginal man Jungunjinuke – famous for leading a team of trackers to rescue three children lost in the Mallee scrub in 1864. He later toured England as part of the first all-Aboriginal cricket team.
Nhill has a show in October, a Pinball Museum, Racetrack and Aviation Heritage Centre. There is a crater named after the town on the planet Mars.
Dimboola
Just down the road in the centre of the Wimmera, Dimboola is the gateway to the Little Desert National Park and is also known for its famous Pink Lake. Depicted in a series of landscape paintings by Sydney Nolan, the town has long been associated with a Jack Hibberd play about a wedding called Dimboola.
Its grand wide streets have had a recent revival, led by the reopened National Bank building (now a hotel and Imaginarium), and the Wimmera Steampunk Festival, which takes place on its streets.
