Rheola: Carnival and local history

Rheola combines an annual public holiday event with several datable points of reference in the town’s history. The Rheola Charity Carnival takes place on Easter Monday; the Anglican church of St John the Baptist and the Granite Memorial Cairn represent other chapters of local history. This gives you two main considerations when planning your trip: an event date and historical points of interest. The years 1870, 1871 and 1968 help place these themes in chronological context. You can then decide whether the Carnival or Rheola’s history should determine when you travel.

The Charity Carnival as a reason to visit

The Rheola Charity Carnival takes place every year on Easter Monday. As the dates and programme can change from year to year, check the details for the year of your trip if you are planning your stay around the Carnival. For the 2026 Carnival, the Rheola Public Hall & Recreation Reserve on Inglewood-Rheola Road was scheduled to be the venue. For later dates, check the venue again each year.

The first Rheola Charity Carnival was held on 24 May 1871, Queen Victoria’s birthday, to support Inglewood Hospital. The venue was Tyler's Rush Cricket Ground. The historic date of the first event and the annual Easter Monday date answer different questions: the first event’s date places the Carnival’s origins in context, while Easter Monday provides a recurring reference for planning your trip.

St John the Baptist: Rheola’s first Anglican church

The Anglican church of St John the Baptist was built in 1870 by Rev William Hall. It was the first Anglican church in Rheola, giving it local historical significance. The fact that Rev William Hall built it is also the specific connection between him and the church. Unlike the Charity Carnival, the focus here is not on a recurring public holiday, but on an early point of reference in the history of the church. The year 1870 precedes the first Carnival in 1871. This places a church building and the origins of a charity event as distinct themes in the town’s history.

Granite Memorial Cairn and the former school site

The Granite Memorial Cairn extends the historical timeline to 1968, when it was unveiled by Mr R S King, the Federal Member for Wimmera. It stands in the Rheola School Soldiers Memorial Plantation, opposite the former site of Rheola School, on the western side of Rheola on Dunolly-Wedderburn Road. The former school site and precise location on the road give the memorial a specific geographical context. Unlike the church building or the first Carnival, its unveiling in 1968 is a central historical point of reference.

When to visit and where to stay in Rheola

These different points of interest can help guide your choice of travel dates. If the Carnival is the deciding factor, Easter Monday provides the annual reference for your planning; if you are more interested in local history, the dated points of reference take priority. If people in your travel group have different interests, comparing a recurring public holiday event with historically significant places can help align expectations. Start your search for a hotel in Rheola by considering your preferred travel dates and the focus of your stay. Check specific hotel offers for those exact dates.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Keysborough, Mickleham, Bindi, Murrayville, Ultima, Blairgowrie, Nuggetty, Gembrook.

For the main travel overview: Victoria.