A vibrant rural community full of opportunity.
Home to the famous Mallee Bull, Mali Heart Street Art and Australia’s Best Vanilla Slice, Birchip is just the place to stop for lunch or to enjoy a weekend away at Tchum Lake. The centre of town boasts a great bakery and charming cafes – the perfect way to recharge before setting off to visit the surrounding areas.
With its fun, safe and family-friendly community, it’s easy to see why more people are making the move to Birchip a permanent one.
Where is Birchip?
Situated in the Shire of Buloke, Birchip is located on the southern edge of the Mallee in north-western Victoria, approximately 320 km from Melbourne. There are two main routes from the city, one through Ballarat via the Sunraysia Highway and another through Bendigo via the Calder Highway.
Birchip is a great central location for exploring the incredible Silo Art Trail, Pink Salt Lake Tyrrell, The Grampians, Murray River and more.
Travelling with kids? Head to the family-friendly and accessible park right in the centre of town. There are some great lunch spots nearby and, best of all, in the warmer months, the local swimming pool is right next door!
With its hot, dry summers, beautiful autumns, mild winters, glorious springs and amazing Mallee sunsets, it’s always a good time plan a road trip to Birchip. Or stop and stretch your legs on the way through to larger regional cities, such as Mildura, Horsham, Bendigo, Ballarat or Swan Hill.
Other townships within the Buloke Shire include Charlton, Donald, Sea Lake, Wycheproof, Watchem, Berriwillock, Culgoa, Nandaly and Nullawil. Each offering a choice of exciting events and tourist attractions for adults and children to enjoy.
“Birchip is a small rural town with a strong sense of community.”
— John Richmond
Farming
Birchip has a town population of 822 and an area population of 1200, with many farming families residing in the area who typically grow wheat, barley, lentils, canola, and other cereals. There are also some farmers raising pigs, turkeys, ducks and cattle, however the most common livestock in the district are sheep.
Find out more about Birchip and all it has to offer in the Birchip Brochure or by exploring our website further or by following us on the Birchip Facebook page.
Sharp’s Bakery, Birchip
Vanilla Slice Triumph
In 1998 former Premier Jeff Kennett declared that "The pursuit of the best vanilla slice baker in Australia should be of great national interest to encourage bakers throughout Australia to rise up and pit their skills against their peers..."
The challenge was met by Bakers from all over Victoria and South Australia and the event has continued to provide an avenue for all of the Vanilla Slice Bakers in the land to put their skills to the test and Sharp’s Bakery has come up trumps on several occasions.
This is no mean feat as the judges eyeball, smell, taste, savor and spit out each vanilla slice with all the snobbery you'd expect of wine connoisseurs. Each entry is given a score out of ten for symmetry, volume, color, taste and mouth-feel.
It is well worth travelling to Sharp’s Bakery, Birchip to taste the winning slice.