Trawool is in central Victoria, Australia. The area lies on the middle reaches of the Goulburn River and on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of the state capital, Melbourne. Originally named Traawool, the indigenous word for ‘turkey’, the district is dominated by agriculture and scenery. First explored by Hume and Hovell in 1824, it was later settled as a large sheep station. Michael "Patrick" Burns selected land once a part of the Tallarook Run in 1867. He had come from Sydney in 1857 to work for Michael Hickey at Camp Hill, Tallarook. He and his then family of three, settled there on 20 March 1871, thereafter adding a further seven children-ten in all, Mary Ann, Margaret, Bridget, Michael, Sarah, Richard, Patrick, Katherine, Arthur and Elsie Violet. Patrick Snr. was keen to procure a school for his children and those of his neighbours. To this end he wrote letters to the authorities and donated over an acre of land between the railway and the road. A portable school building was erected in 1885 and following the appointment of Helen McKay as Head Teacher, classes began on Monday 28 September 1885. Patrick was also a strong force in having the railway pass through Trawool. His dedication and commitment to the community in which he lived cannot be questioned. His eldest daughter took over the Post Office in December 1886 and together the family worked tirelessly for the betterment of themselves and the community of Trawool. When it came time to relax, they still thought of their neighbours. The Burns family were noted for their musical evenings and gave much pleasure and entertainment to the servicemen from Seymour Army Camp during the 1914-1918 war. Patrick Snr. died on 21 March 1904. His wife and family carried on the farm and various members of the family operated the Post Office until it finally closed in 1972. Patrick Jnr. was a surveyor for the district until joining up, along with brother, Dick, to serve at the Boer War. After discharge from the Army, Patrick was engaged in survey work on the Eildon Weir, returning to Trawool Valley Resort after his retirement. Trawool Valley Resort is listed in the National Trust Heritage Register recognised for its importance as a scenic, geological and cultural site, and for its great diversity of flora and fauna The Trawool Hotel was established at a river crossing site. A punt was used to ferry passengers across the river until a bridge was built. When a railway branch line from Tallarook to Yea was created in 1883 the Trawool railway station was built. After a period of growth in the 1880s, the settlement went into decline although a granite quarry was established in the area in the early 1890s. Australian and American troops were stationed at Trawool during World War II. Electricity arrived in the district in 1945. However Trawool school closed in 1959, the post office relocated in 1972 and the last train travelled on the local railway line in 1978.
