Seymour (/ˈsiːmɔːr/, locally [ˈsiːmoː]) is a township in Mitchell Shire in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located 98 kilometres (61 mi) north of Melbourne. At the 2011 census, Seymour had a population of 6,360. The township services the surrounding agricultural industries (primarily equine, cattle, sheep and wine) as well as the nearby military base of Puckapunyal (population 1,176), which is an important training centre for the Australian Army. Other important sectors of employment in Seymour include retail, light engineering, agricultural services support, medical services, and education.
History
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. A British settlement was established in 1839 at the crossing of the Goulburn River, or Warring as it is called by the Taungurung people, on the Melbourne-Sydney route (now known as the Hume Highway) where an inn was first built. The town was named Seymour by Thomas Mitchell after the British parliamentarian Lord Seymour. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1844. 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.
Puckapunyal Army Base
The Australian Army first established a large training camp 4 kilometres , with three of the Army's five Schools located on site. Additionally there are smaller training centres and facilities as well as a road transport squadron based in Puckapunyal. The base is home to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Museum.
Education
Seymour has two schools.
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), formerly Seymour High School(ref New Crossing Place - A History of Seymour and Its Shire Author: MARTINDALE H/ G),Seymour Primary School (SPS) Seymour East Primary School (SEPS) and Seymour Special School (SSS). Major building works currently underway (in 2012) will ultimately see the merged school located on the one site in Loco Street, Seymour, previously shared by STHS and SPS.
St Mary's College is a Prep to Year 10 Catholic school located in High Street.
Services
A number of fraternal, service and community organisations are active in Seymour including Freemasonry (established in Seymour in 1883), Rotary, the Lions Club, Scouting, and Apex Clubs of Australia. Seymour has an excellent indoor multi-purpose sports centre and indoor swimming complex as well as a number of large playing fields for athletics, cricket and football. The township has a number of successful and well resourced sporting clubs including the Seymour Turf Club, the Seymour Football Club (Goulburn Valley Football League Premiers 2005, 2006 and 2007), Lawn Bowls, Kick Boxing, Basketball and Netball.
The Seymour campus of the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, opened in 1998, provides a variety of short courses and vocational education and training.
Transport
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-Wodonga and Shepparton lines. The station was once a major freight marshalling location and the home of a significant locomotive depot. The depot is now the home of 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) that is opened to the public regularly for inspection.
Victoria's electronic ticketing system, Myki, was implemented on rail services between Seymour and Melbourne on 24 June 2013.
Tourism
For over 150 years, Seymour has held an agricultural show the Seymour Show, the first Saturday in October every year, drawing thousands across the state to compete in many competitions. Other local tourism events include Tastes of the Goulburn and Victorian Wines Show.
Seymour also hosts an annual Alternative Farming Exposition each February which draws many thousands of visitors from around Australia. The township is also home to a well-established railway museum and art Galleries - Old Courthouse and Old Post Office Seymour. Seymour offers a wide selection of dining options to visitors that include The Prince of Wales Hotel, Old Post Office Seymour, Fine Art Gallery & Restaurant, The Seymour Club, The Royal Hotel, and The Railway Hotel, which all provide visitors with a selection of fresh locally produced foods and wines.
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.
There are several wineries near the township. Seymour is also home to a horse racing facility, with regular meetings held throughout the year. The Hume International Raceway is located 10 kilometres West of the township and holds regular go-cart racing meetings on most weekends.
Seymour is the second town mentioned in the original (Australian) version of the song "I've Been Everywhere".
Community
Seymour is host to many community and service groups. These include local Rotary, Lions, and Probus. In addition, local advocacy groups include The Seymour We Want, and locally based offices of statewide organisations including Berry Street, 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 also host to a major regional market - The Seymour Market operates on the third Saturday of every month
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League
Local sports {Seymour Football Netball Club (seniors) and Seymour Blasters Basketball} teams are broadcast live to air for all home and away games by the local community radio station 103.9 FM.
The township is well equipped with sporting facities that include an indoor multi-purpose sports complex, an indoor heated pool, an Olympic outdoor pool, several cricket ovals, as well as all season basketball, netball and tennis facilities.
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.
Golfers play at the course of the Seymour Golf Club on Yea Road.