Birchip

Postcode: 3483

Birchip is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Buloke Shire Local Government Area. At the 2001 census, Birchip had a population of 696.[1] It has a P-12 school, and an Australian rules football club, "The Bulls", also known as the Birchip-Watchem Bulls.

The farms in the area typically grow wheat, barley, canola, and other cereals. Some people have pig sheds, though most livestock in the district are sheep. There is a hospital which shares a lodge for elderly care.

Five main roads enter the town. It is located approximately 312 kilometres northwest of Victoria's capital city Melbourne. A road passes through Birchip that divides the Wimmera region of Victoria (to the south) from the Mallee region of Victoria (to the north). To travel to Birchip from Melbourne there are two preferred routes, one through Ballarat via the Sunraysia Highway and one through Bendigo via the Calder Highway. Each route's travel times are similar and the Ballarat route is more mountainous in some areas. There is an aerodrome for light aircraft.

Birchip is also home to the BCG (Birchip Cropping Group and Wimmera Farming Systems) - a farmer-driven agricultural organisation operating as a not-for-profit incorporated association, conducting applied research and extension on all the major crops grown in the Wimmera and Mallee. BCG aim to improve the profitability and long-term viability of Mallee and Wimmera communities through research, demonstration and exchange of ideas amongst farmers and industry groups. More information: Birchip Cropping Group website

For more information about this town, click here