training track, bowling green, football and cricket oval, tennis courts and a caravan park near Honeysuckle Creek. There is also a memorial hall, swimming pool, library, museum and several art galleries. The Strathbogie Ranges are visible to the south. Violet Town holds a Community Market on the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Recreation Reserve in Tulip Street - it has been going since 1978 and features many local producers. Volunteers make pizza in the community wood fired pizza oven. The town has a range of local businesses including hardware store, cafe, hotel, chemist, hairdresser, supermarket and petrol station, and is surrounded by rural land used mainly for cropping and cattle and sheep grazing, although some horse studs are present. The town's Bush Nursing Centre provides residential aged care for up to 64 people. Murrnong is a permaculture farm and training facility. Major features of the area include the Honeysuckle Creek Walking Track, Shadforth Reserve with community forest(originally a racecourse), Sunnymeade Garden, the community built Violet Town Swimming Pool and the local Peranbin primary school. Violet Town has connections with Australian rock music - during the 1980s a song by The Church was named for the town, and more recently the town has been known for being the home of Jesse and Ella Hooper, members of rock band Killing Heidi. Their best known single Weir was written about the local railway reservoir weir. Violet Town is one of few small rural towns (population under 1000) that has shown growth. The town's population in 2016 was 684. Violet Town Football Netball Club plays Australian Rules football and netball in the Kyabram District Football Netball League. Transport Road access to town is via the Melbourne to Sydney Hume Freeway or through the Violet Town-Murchison Road from the west (from Bendigo), or the Nalinga/Dookie Road from the north. The passenger railway station is serviced by daily V/Line services between Melbourne and Albury. References External links Community website Australian Places (Monash University) - Violet Town, Victoria Further reading Chambers, Don, Violet Town or Honeysuckle in Australia Felix 1836-1908, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, 1985. Towns in Victoria (Australia) Shire of Strathbogie City of Greater Shepparton Hume Highway