Wangoom

Wangoom
Wangoom Uniting Church, c1861
Wangoom
Coordinates: 38°20′S 142°35′E / 38.333°S 142.583°E / -38.333; 142.583
CountryAustralia
StateVictoria
LGA
Location
Established1870s
Government
 • State electorate
 • Federal division
Population
 • Total378 (2006 census)
Postcode
3279

Wangoom (/ˈwɒŋɡm/ WONG-goom) is a town in the Western District of Victoria, 255 kilometres (158 mi) from the state capital, Melbourne and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the regional centre of Warrnambool. The population at the 2006 census was 378.

After European settlement of the area in the 1840s mixed farming was conducted by many landowners and leasees until the introduction of the milking machine followed by a period where most farms derived a large proportion of their income from dairying. Since 1970 most of the smaller dairies have ceased operating and the few remaining farms are considerably larger in size often using land previously used by smaller dairy farms.