South Purrumbete, Victoria

A dairy-farming district in western Victoria near Camperdown, where the Whillas family farmed through the mid-to-late 1950s.

Connection to the family

• c. 1954, D & C bought a dairy farm here in shares with neighbour Vin Witwer (from Bray); about 125 cows. Volcanic soil, productive but cold and wet. Dick caught pneumonia here (and possibly recurring malaria).
• The children attended the local Tandarook South School (one teacher, ~20 kids) and bussed daily to Camperdown HS. Nan met John Walsh on the bus.
• Teena recalled the family moving to “Cobden” and attending Tandarook South School. The relation between that description and the South Purrumbete farm is unresolved; see the open question and Teena's interview.
• Several children were born nearby at Camperdown in this period (Jim, Mark, Fiona, Susan, Craig).
• The family left c. late 1959/early 1960 for a drier climate at Invergordon.

Sources

• Whillas–McLeod family history spreadsheet (Rev 4), 1950s sheet.
• Interview with Teena McLean, interviewed by Erika Whillas, 16 Aug 2026.