# Serviceton, Victoria

Serviceton is a town in rural western Victoria, Australia. It is near the Victorian–South Australian border, 437 kilometres (272 miles) north-west of Melbourne. Named after James Service, who was Premier of Victoria in 1880 and from 1883 to 1886, it was established when the inter-colonial railway line between Adelaide and Melbourne was completed in 1887. The railway station served as the change-over point for train crews and locomotives of the Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways.
The 2016 census recorded a population in Serviceton and the surrounding area of 120; there were 77 dwellings.
The town is the subject of a Tom Waits song entitled "Town With No Cheer" from his album Swordfishtrombones.
Serviceton Post Office opened in 1886; from 1908 to 1911 it was known as Serviceton Railway Station post office. A Serviceton South office was open in 1926–1927, and Serviceton North office, on the Western Highway, operated from 1911 until 1954.
Golfers play at the course of the Serviceton Golf Club on the Western Highway.

## Border dispute

The eastern border of South Australia was declared in 1834 to be the meridian of the 141st degree of east longitude. In 1847, however, owing to the limitations of technology used for the first survey, markers were placed in error. Subsequently, the border was understood by both colonies to be about 2.25 miles (3.62 kilometres) west of the meridian.$^{:5}$ Nevertheless, a border was not formalised and it was reported that "a number of bad characters resort to this neutral ground, knowing that the police cannot interfere with them until the question of jurisdiction is determined."$^{:9}$ Seventy-five years of legal dispute were only resolved in 1914, with the judgement of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that the erroneously surveyed line was to be the legal border. Serviceton was thus placed within Victoria.$^{:28}$ Modern technology shows the border to be 1.94 miles (3.13 km) west of the 141st meridian and Serviceton 0.65 miles (1.04 km) west of the meridian.

## Railway station

The railway station was completed in 1889 as the point at which the Serviceton railway line of Victoria and the Adelaide-Wolseley railway line of South Australia – together comprising the Inter-colonial Railway line – joined. The station building, for which the cost was shared between the two colonies, had 15 main rooms, including a large refreshment room and two customs offices and two booking offices for the separate systems. When Australia federated in 1901, inter-state customs collection ceased, but locomotives continued to be changed until the 1980s. As of the 2010s, the building was leased by V/Line to the Shire of West Wimmera and managed by a committee elected from the local community to voluntarily operate, maintain and preserve it.
As of 2004, passenger trains, including The Overland interstate service, did not stop at the station.

## Climate

Climate data for Serviceton, elevation 119 m (390 ft) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.1 (113.2) | 43.7 (110.7) | 39.1 (102.4) | 34.3 (93.7) | 27.4 (81.3) | 23.9 (75.0) | 18.8 (65.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 32.8 (91.0) | 36.8 (98.2) | 41.7 (107.1) | 40.6 (105.1) | 45.1 (113.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 21.2 (70.2) | 17.0 (62.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 20.6 (69.1) | 24.1 (75.4) | 27.0 (80.6) | 21.2 (70.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.2 (54.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.5 (47.3) | 6.6 (43.9) | 4.9 (40.8) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.6 (40.3) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.1 (48.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.6 (40.3) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.2 (32.4) | −2.1 (28.2) | −4.9 (23.2) | −3.5 (25.7) | −3.4 (25.9) | −3.1 (26.4) | −3.8 (25.2) | 1.2 (34.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | −4.9 (23.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 18.5 (0.73) | 22.3 (0.88) | 22.0 (0.87) | 38.9 (1.53) | 54.7 (2.15) | 58.4 (2.30) | 59.0 (2.32) | 60.8 (2.39) | 53.3 (2.10) | 46.4 (1.83) | 33.2 (1.31) | 28.5 (1.12) | 496.7 (19.56) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 83 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology ||||||||||||||