MURTOA Murtoa is a small diversion town, and is an option when traveling from Horsham to Stawell. Lake Marma gives the town resort status and is also popular for local day trippers.  The town is very spread out which suggest a bustling earlier period. Murtoa is a wheat and canola district town. 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 silos can hold up to 400,000 tonnes of grain. Because wheat could not be exported during the Second World War, a stick grain shed, 260m long and 60m wide, was built from 640 unmilled tree trunks in 1941. The stick shed is heritage listed and, in October 2008, the Victorian government allocated funds to upgrade it. Not noted this trip. In 2007 the drought took effect on Murtoa's lake, Lake Marma, and it dried up. Once home to many species of birds and animals, it is now a common mistake to believe it has been dry for decades. The lake is currently full. The Murtoa War Memorial is located adjacent to the lake. This is a very worthy acknowledgement. Murtoa has two widely separated hotels. The Railway by the station and the Gully Hotel near the lake. The Churches is Murtoa are a mix of the old and the new. The Murtoa Heritage Museum is located near the Rail Station and pub. Murtoa is a nice small town and is worth the diversion to visit. Heritage diary