Wangaratta, Victoria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wangaratta |
|
 Location of Wangaratta in Victoria (red) |
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| Population: | 19,000 (2004) |
| Time zone:
• Summer (DST) |
AEST (UTC+10) |
| Location: | 230 km from Melbourne |
| LGA: | Rural City of Wangaratta |
| County: | Moira, Delatite, Bogong |
| State District: | Murray Valley |
| Federal Division: | Indi |
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of about 19,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about 230 km (150 mi) from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla 45 km (25 mi) to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga 72 km (40 mi) to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the Victorian Alps. It is within the municipality of Rural City of Wangaratta.
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[edit] History
Gold was found in the surrounding area during the 1850s and this is reflected in the name of a nearby ghost town of Eldorado where the remains of an old dredge can still be seen today.
The nearby small town of Glenrowan located some 10km away is known as the site of the final shootout that led to the capture of Australia's most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly.
[edit] Geography and Landmarks
The geographical layout of the city is unusual in that the business district is located at the northeastern extremity of the urban area, with outlying suburbs extending only to the south and west. The reason for this arrangement is that the area beyond the rivers, to the north and east of the business district, was until the 1990s prone to flooding and so unsuitable for building. Levees were constructed in the 1990s to alleviate the flooding, however development in this area has been slow.
Wangaratta is the closest city or town of any size to Falls Creek and Mount Hotham, Victoria's best snowfields.
Notable buildings include the Anglican Cathedral and its Cathedral Close, St. Patrick's Catholic Church and the eccentric art déco courthouse.
[edit] Industry
There is a considerable wine and gourmet food industry in the nearby Milawa region.
[edit] Culture and Sport
The main annual event is the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues, which has been attended by thousands each year since 1990.
There are three Australian rules football clubs in Wangaratta, the Wangaratta Football Club, the Wangaratta Rovers Football Club (both competing in the Ovens and Murray Football League), and the North Wangaratta Football Club, which competes in the Ovens and King Football League.
The city hosted several games for the 2005 Australian Football International Cup event, with several countries competing in the sport of Australian rules football, and set the attendance records for the tournament to date.
[edit] Education
Wangaratta has four secondary schools: Galen Catholic College (private), Cathedral College (private), Wangaratta High School, Ovens Secondary College (to be amalgamated with Wangaratta High School in 2007). There is also the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE.
[edit] Nomenclature
Historically, there was disagreement about whether the first syllable should be pronounced 'Wong' or 'Wang', the latter pronunciation being perceived as slightly less cultured, at least by those within the city itself. The 'Wong' pronunciation was never used by a majority of the population, and never received any wide currency outside the district. It was officially disavowed by the Wangaratta City Council's declaration in favour of the 'Wang' pronunciation in the 1980s. Some locals, particularly the elderly, continue to use the 'Wong' pronunciation.
Locals often abbreviate the name of Wangaratta, to produce the unfortunate, yet amusing placename of 'Wang'.
[edit] Transport
The station is on the main railway line between Sydney and Melbourne and is served by V/Line services between Melbourne and Albury as well as a twice daily Countrylink XPT service in both directions between Melbourne and Sydney. Two railway gauges run in parallel to Melbourne and Albury; the Victorian broad gauge of 5' 3" and the standard gauge of 4' 81/2". The city is also serviced by a small regional airport. A city bus service runs every half an hour during the day on weekdays and on Saturday mornings on a route covering Wangaratta's West End, the business district and Yarrunga.
There was a branch line commenced in 1873, running east to Beechworth, reaching the town in September 1976, but this was closed in January 1977. (Larsen, MayDay Hills Railway). Another branch line ran to Bright until its closure. This has since been converted into a cycling track. Another short branch line ran west to a wheat silo located on the north side of the Ovens River at Boorhaman.
A narrow gauge railway (762mm) from Wangaratta to Whitfield was constructed during the late 1890s and opened in 1899. The line operated until 1953 and was famous for its special engines imported from Baldwin Locomotive Work in the USA. Some of these ancient 2-6-2T locomotives now operate on the Puffing Billy Railway outside Melbourne.(Oberg, pp.90-91)
[edit] Radio stations
- ABC Classic FM 96.1
- 3WPR Community FM 101.3
- The Edge 102.1 FM (commercial)
- Triple J 103.3/94.5 FM
- ABC Goulburn Murray 106.5 FM/97.7 FM
- Radio National 990 AM/756 AM
- 3NE 1566 AM (commercial)
- See also: List of Australian radio stations
[edit] Famous residents and former residents
- Sir John Bowser, premier of Victoria 1917-1918.
- Nick Cave, popular musician.
[edit] Bibliography
- Why Wangaratta, and Moments in Jazz (books on the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues).
- O'Callaghan, Bill and Bill Findlay (1984). "Wangaratta, 1959–1984: A Silver City", City of Wangaratta.
- (1927) "Wangaratta: Capital of North Eastern Victoria", Committee of the Back to Wangaratta Celebrations.
- Whittaker, D. M. (1963). "Wangaratta: Being the History of the Township that sprang up at Ovens Crossing and grew into a modern City", Wangaratta City Council.
- Antony O'Brien, Shenanigans on the Ovens Goldfields: the 1859 Election, Artillery Publishing, 2005.
- Wal Larsen, The Mayday Hills Railway, Wal Larsen, Bright, 1976.
- Oberg, Leon. Railways of Australia, Reed, Sydney, 1975.
Maps
- Dept of Minerals and Energy, Wangaratta, 8125, 1:100,000 (1971)(shows the district as it was in the 1960s with railways and before major sub-division redevelopments)
[edit] External links
 |
Cities of Victoria |
|---|---|
| Capital: | |
| Cities: |
Ararat | Ballarat | Benalla | Bendigo | Geelong | Hamilton | Horsham | Moe | Morwell | Mildura | Portland | Sale | Shepparton | Swan Hill | Traralgon | Wangaratta | Warrnambool | Wodonga |
