Kongwak is a small town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is located on the

Korumburra Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area. At the Korumburra had an urban population of 3,639. Surroun ...

Wonthaggi Wonthaggi is a seaside town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for its coal mining, it is now the largest town in South Gippsl ...

Road southeast of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, in the

South Gippsland Shire The Shire of South Gippsland is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the south-eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and, in June 2018, had a population of 29,576. It includes the towns of Leongatha, Korumburra, ...

. At the

2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

, Kongwak had a population of 197. The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Inverloch has an

Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

football team competing in the

Alberton Football League The Alberton Football Netball League was an Australian rules football league covering the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. History 1946: Reformation of Alberton Football Association (League) The Alberton Football Association wa ...

. The Kongwak Market is held every Sunday with collectables, retro, vintage and second hand items, plants, and books.

History

The land around Kongwak was largely cleared of native vegetation and is now used for agriculture, including dairying. This land was cleared by two brothers, Richard Nutter Scott and Frederick John Scott. Richard's memorial park can be seen on the Kongwak tennis grounds. Kongwak Post Office opened on 11 May 1898. Williams St is prominent in the Main St with three brothers; Alfred, George, and William all serving in the

first World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Terrestrial woodlice of the species ''

Porcellio scaber ''Porcellio scaber'' (otherwise known as the common rough woodlouse or simply rough woodlouse), is a species of woodlouse native to Europe but with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are often found in large numbers in most regions, with many spe ...

'' are present in the area, and were photographed by students of Kongwak Primary School in 2020, who submitted their observation to citizen science website

iNaturalist iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applic ...

. Signs of disease in this submission inspired scientific investigation, which led to Kongwak woodlice being the first genetically confirmed hosts of ''

Invertebrate iridescent virus 31 ''Invertebrate iridescent virus 31'' (IIV-31), also known informally as isopod iridovirus, is a species of invertebrate iridescent virus in the genus ''Iridovirus''. Oniscidea (commonly known by a variety of names including ''woodlouse'', ''pil ...

'' in the southern hemisphere.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Shire of South Gippsland