Boort

Boort () is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is next to Lake Boort, in the Shire of Loddon. The town is known for its native birdlife. 

Most people work in retail, olive processing and tourism. Agriculture is a major industry and employer in the Boort region. Farms produce cereal crops, tomatoes, canola, olives, hay and wool.

History
The original people of Boort are the Djadjawurrung. The word "Boort" means "Smoke from the hill" in their language. The area has many scar trees, which are very important to their culture. There are over 500 scar trees around Boort.

The town of Boort got its name from a farm called the Boort pastoral run, started in 1846 by John Bear. This farm was first set up southeast of Lake Boort, and it was one of the first European settlements there. The town itself grew northwest of the lake. In the late 1840s, Frederick Godfrey bought the farm and changed the water flow from the Loddon River into Keningapanule Creek, which created the swampy area now called Lake Boort. By the 1870s, many farms were being set up in the Boort area. Water systems were built too, starting with the Loddon Waterworks Trust in 1882 and later a local irrigation trust in 1888. The Boort railway station opened in 1883, connecting the town to nearby places like Wedderburn Junction and Quambatook. 

In 1905, the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission took control of Boort's irrigation and extended a water channel to the area in the 1920s. This gave people better water access, helping more people move to the town. Important changes were a new hospital in 1923, which was upgraded in 1961. A high school opened in 1963. Farmland west of Boort had salty soil problems because of high water tables, but using laser tools to shape the land helped water drain better and kept the farms productive.

Population
At the , there were 873 people living in Boort; 83.8% were born in Australia and 87.9% spoke only English at home.

Sporting activities
Boort is known as The Northern Oasis.  Lake Boort is central to the town and is used for water sports including skiing, sailing, duck hunting, fishing and swimming.

Boort has an Australian rules football team, Boort Football, Hockey, Netball Club which plays in the North Central Football League. Famous players from Boort are VFL Brownlow Medallist John Schultz. The team previously recruited ex-AFL player Lance Picioane. The club colours are black and white.

Golfers play at the Boort Golf Club on Charlton Road.

Infrastructure
The Post Office opened on 14 August 1874, and the railway arrived in 1883.

Boort has a hospital, pharmacy, P-12 school, butcher shop, newsagent, hairdresser, supermarket, hardware store, tyre service, mechanic, veterinary service and community centre.

Notable residents
 Prof. Ruth Fincher AM, Australian geographer and university leader, born in Boort 1951.

 Metal Sculpture Competition 
Boort was the home of John Piccoli (died 22 April 2021), called the "The Spanner Man". Piccoli was a farmer who made sculptures from unwanted spanners. Boort now has an annual competition for artists in metal sculpture. These have been used to make a trail of art works around Little Lake Boort.

Climate

References