Tallarook /tæləˈrʊk/ is a town the Shire of Mitchell local government area in central Victoria, Australia. The town is in on the Hume Highway, 88 kilometres (55 mi) north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2011 census, Tallarook had a population of 789. Tallarook Post Office opened on 1 April 1861. The town is known in Australia for the colloquialism, "Things are crook in Tallarook", believed to date to the Great Depression and unemployed travellers seeking work. The phrase became the basis of a song composed by Jack O'Hagan—Things Is Crook in Tallarook.