Maffra

For the town in New South Wales, see Maffra, New South Wales.
See also: Mafra (disambiguation)

Maffra
Victoria
Maffra streetscape, 2013
Maffra is located in Shire of Wellington
Maffra
Maffra
Coordinates37°57′S 146°59′E / 37.950°S 146.983°E / -37.950; 146.983
Population5,384 (2021 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3860
Elevation27 m (89 ft)
Location
LGA(s)Shire of Wellington
State electorate(s)Gippsland East
Federal division(s)Gippsland
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
20.0 °C
68 °F		 8.1 °C
47 °F		 581.9 mm
22.9 in

Maffra is a town in Victoria, Australia, 220 kilometres (140 mi) east of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Wellington local government area and it is the second most populous city of the Shire. It relies mainly on dairy farming and other agriculture,[2] and was the site of one of Murray Goulburn Co-operative's eight processing plants in Victoria. Maffra is a detour off the Princes Highway and is near Sale, Stratford, Newry, Tinamba, Heyfield and Rosedale.[2] At the 2016 census, Maffra had a population of 4,316.[1]

History

The town began as an outstation of the region's first cattle run, Boisdale, named by pioneer grazier Lachlan Macalister after a village on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The town appears to have taken its name from a group of squatters from Maffra, a village in the Monaro region of NSW, with its location between current Maffra and Newry being written on an early map. The squatters moved on, but the name remained. The Monaro Maffra was probably connected to Mafra, a town in Portugal.

The township was settled in the 1860s, with the Post Office opening on 20 July 1864.[3] Maffra railway station on the Maffra railway line opened in 1887. The last regular passenger service ran in 1977. The station precinct is now an industrial precinct and the former station building is used for community purposes.

Maffra was long the beef cattle capital of West Gippsland and, for many years, the only beet sugar processing centre in the country. The Beet Museum, set in the Port of Maffra Park, has relics from the defunct sugar beet industry. The building is a relocated historic weighbridge building, and is lined with pine boards from the home of Charles and Grace Quirk, one of Maffra's first cottages.[2]

Today

Maffra hosts a Mardi Gras every March, the Maffra and District Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Show in October and a tennis tournament at Easter.

The Wellington Shire Council removed a row of 100+ year old trees that line the main street because of disease, but has since replaced them with young oaks.

Maffra has two primary schools, the Maffra Primary School and St Mary's Primary School (Catholic). Maffra also has a public secondary school, Maffra Secondary College, which has a student enrolment of around 700. Maffra Secondary has a strong academic program and is involved in a number of community service programs.

Plant toxicity for dogs

In July 2021, Victoria had over 50 pet dogs suffering liver toxicity, with 14 dogs known to have died from the condition. The source of the issue was traced to indospicine sourced from Indigofera spicata plants. Many of the dogs had eaten raw pet food sourced from a knackery at Maffra. No specific source for the contamination was immediately identified, as these plants are not normally found in southern Australia.[4] This toxicity has previously been seen in dogs fed meat from Australian feral camels, common in northern Australia.

Sport

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Gippsland Football League. Its senior side was at one point the most successful in the league, winning 6 premierships in the early 2000s.

Maffra is also home to a field hockey club, fielding junior, women's and men's teams in the East Gippsland Hockey Association playing at Cameron Sports Complex, Morison Street. Also at this complex, is Maffra's Amateur Basketball Association. This hosts junior and senior teams, as well as Men and Women's CBL teams.

Golfers play at the course of the Maffra Golf Club on Fulton Road.[5]

The soccer community in Maffra was also the driving force behind the formation of the North Gippsland Soccer Association in 1925, which originally proposed teams in Maffra, Sale, Nambrook and Bairnsdale.[6] Ultimately, Maffra Soccer Club was joined by Yallourn SC, Sale United SC and Glenmaggie SC - although the onset of the World War II saw the league halted.[7] This league helped form the early footprint of what later evolved into the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.

Events and attractions

The Berry Dairy – Located on a working dairy farm near Maffra, this family-owned venture offers a seasonal pick-your-own strawberry experience, an on-site café featuring locally sourced fare, a children’s play area, and a small petting zoo, creating a paddock-to-plate agritourism destination.[8][9] The café operates during the summer season and features dishes made with farm-fresh strawberries, grass-fed beef, and 90% Gippsland-sourced ingredients.[10] Since its opening, the farm has attracted thousands of visitors, with peak strawberry yields reaching hundreds of kilograms per day.[11][12]

In 2024, The Berry Dairy received multiple accolades, including the Tourism Ventures and Attractions Award at the Gippsland Business Awards and co-owner Nicole Saunders being named Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year by Food & Fibre Gippsland.[13][14][15]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Maffra (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Maffra, Victoria - Towns in Australia". Archived from the original on 6 June 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  3. ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 13 March 2021
  4. ^ Victorian dog deaths caused by toxin from native plant, but link to food still unclear, Emma Field, ABC News Online, 2021-07-21
  5. ^ Golf Select, Maffra, retrieved 11 May 2009
  6. ^ "SOCCER". Bairnsdale Advertiser and Tambo and Omeo Chronicle. 21 July 1925.
  7. ^ Lobley, Murray (31 May 2013). "History of the Yallourn SC, Episode 1". Virtually Yallourn. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Dairy takes a sweet detour". Dairy News Australia. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  9. ^ "New business serves up a unique paddock to plate experience in Maffra". Food & Fibre Gippsland. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference FFG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference DairyNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "News". The Berry Dairy. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Absolutely honoured to win some amazing awards this year". The Berry Dairy. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Food champions rewarded". Dairy News Australia. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Awards treble for Maffra businesses". Gippsland Times. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Maffra.

Media related to Maffra, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons



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