Nagambie Lakes Sailing Club is located in NAGAMBIE which is about 120 km from Melbourne. Leaving 'smellbourne', drive north out of the pollution, along the Hume Freeway and turn left at the Goulburn Valley Highway which is the road to Shepparton and very clearly signed. NAGAMBIE is about 25km along the Goulburn Valley Highway. Don't look for the Nagambie Lakes sign as Nagambie Lakes doesn't exist. It simply refers to the local winegrowing region, which apparently has a 'distinctive soil type combined with an environment influenced by the stretches of water'. 'Wineys' may understand this but we don't, we just guzzle the stuff. However, some people are trying to change the name of our town to Nagambie Lakes by stealth, but it's still nagambie - NAGAMBIE - NAGAMBIE!!!!
The name NAGAMBIE is derived from the word nogamby which is the Kulin aboriginal people's word for the english word, lagoon. A quick look at the original path of the river clearly shows why it was called this.
Where are the lakes one asks??? There is a lake at NAGAMBIE where we sail, and an 'expanse' of water at Goulburn Weir where we also sail. In between there's the river and some backwaters teeming with water birds and stumps. Nagambie Lakes indeed!!!The lake, which laps the main street, was created when the Goulburn Weir was built for irrigation purposes in the late 19th century and has always been a popular water sport location. The weir wall is some forty five feet high and made of granite blocks which were quarried and shaped at Mt.Black. The blocks were then carried the fifteen or so miles to Goulburn Weir by bullock drawn wagons. Evidence of this work is still clearly visible at Mt Black. It is said that there are granite blocks still lying along the path as a result of the wagons becoming bogged in winter, but I suspect that this is rural myth. An open channel carries the water twenty five miles to Waranga Basin, where it is then moved a further 320 miles by open channel, providing irrigation along the way. It was a remarkable engineering feat then, as it is now. The remains of the last timber barges which are seen in the centre of the lake 'bowl' are a relic of the days when firewood cutting was an important part of the township economy. These were owned by Mr Caelli who had an unloading wharf located where the Lakeside Cafe now stands. They were scuttled in the late 1920s after bringing across the last loads. Mr Caelli had a mill alongside the railway line where firewood was cut for transport to the 'smellbourne' suburbs. There were four other mills in this area giving an indication of the importance of firewood to the town economy. These four used road transport to bring the timber from the forest. While on the subject of economy, the wine industry plays an important part these days. We have eight wineries within a thirty minute drive from town. They are - in no particular order - Tabilk, Mitchelton, Traeger, Burramurra, 12 Acres, McGees, Goulburn Terrace and Osicka's.
There are also several eating places in town. Scullers and The Lake Resort are the local restaurants and the Tabilk Hotel (frequented by most of the local people) is the best country pub in town and, as a bonus has the cheapest beer . There are a couple of other pubs, The Royal Mail has good food, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesdays, and the Nagambie Lakes Entertainment Centre boasts the only pokies in town. And don't forget to look at the night sky, another feature of Nagambie. That mass of little white things are stars seen without 'smellbourne' light pollution. The original Nagambie Sailing Club was formed in 1933. It died some thirty years later and was reborn as Nagambie Lakes Sailing Club in February 2001. Goulburn Murray Water (GM-W) provided us gratis with clubhouse space in their boatshed and also donated a Corsair to the club fleet. Thank you GM-W, it is much appreciated.
We sail on the second and fourth Sunday of the month during the sailing season from the peninsular near the Rowing Regatta Centre. These details are very ad hoc, so it is strongly recommended that you contact any of the committee members below for the 'current' schedule of movements. After sailing we have a BBQ and one or two BYO cold beers or some local wine. There are about fifty members, three club boats and around seven privately owned. These numbers seem to increase every sailing day so if you want a share of the action turn up quickly.
For further information regarding NLSC, left click any of the following committee members to send an email. Sadly, due to lack of continued interest and stupid rules set by the Marine Board, the NLSC is no more
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Last update February 2007.
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