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._small.JPG)
Heritage diary 
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