Harrow is a town in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of West Wimmera Local Government Area, 391 kilometres north west of the state capital Melbourne, overlooking the Glenelg River valley. At the 2006 census, Harrow and the surrounding area had a population of 96. a map showing Harrow

The first European explorer of the area was Thomas Mitchell and a monument marks the spot where he crossed the Glenelg River. A town originally known as Upper Glenelg was established in the 1840s and is claimed to be the oldest inland town in Victoria. The Post Office opened on 1 March 1849 as Upper Glenelg (Harrow from 1854). At its peak, the town included a range of shops and services including two hotels.

Harrow is the burial place of Johnny Mullagh (13 August 1841 – 14 August 1891), member of the Australian Aboriginal cricket team, the first Australian cricket team to tour England. He was a skilful all-rounder, being a right arm bowler and right-handed batsman. Click for more about Johnny Mullagh

He was born in Australia in 1841 on Mullagh Station, a member of the Jardwadjali people, about 10 miles north of Harrow, Victoria, and learned to play cricket whilst working on the adjoining Pine Hills agricultural property. He was given the name “Black Johnny” to distinguish him from a “White Johnny”.

In recent years, there has been a drift away from Harrow to larger towns in the region. In an effort to counteract this, Harrow has pioneered several popular events such as the regular “Beaut Blokes” events. The event was established to offset a perceived gender imbalance by introducing women from cities such as Melbourne and Geelong to single men from the district. The concept has now been picked up by other rural communities throughout Australia. A sound and light show is held throughout the year, retelling the history of Harrow in a humorous and interactive manner.

The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Balmoral has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Horsham & District Football League.

There is an excellent winter/spring course at the Harrow Golf Club on Nhill-Harrow Road.

Written on October 6th, 2011

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