Milawa is a 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 ...

, located on Snow Road, south-east of

Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...

, in the

Rural City of Wangaratta The Rural City of Wangaratta is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in the Hume (region), Hume region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and, i ...

. At the , Milawa had a population of 588. It is at the northern end of the

King Valley The King Valley, or King River Valley is a wine-producing and agricultural region centred on the King River between Wangaratta and the Alpine National Park in the North East Victoria zone of the Australian state of Victoria. There are a number ...

wine region, between the King River to the west and

Ovens River The Ovens River, a perennial river of the north-east Murray catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine and Hume regions of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features Formed by the confluence of the East ...

to the north (they meet in Wangaratta). Milawa is the hub of the

Milawa Gourmet Region Milawa is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Snow Road, south-east of Wangaratta, in the Rural City of Wangaratta. At the , Milawa had a population of 588. It is at the northern end of the King Valley wine region, between the King River ...

which offers a wide range of produce. The town is the home to the Brown Brothers vineyards, which have operated in the town since 1889. Milawa is also home to the

Milawa Cheese Company Milawa is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Snow Road, south-east of Wangaratta, in the Rural City of Wangaratta. At the , Milawa had a population of 588. It is at the northern end of the King Valley wine region, between the King River ...

and Milawa Mustards.

History

Milawa was named in 1873 after being known only as The Square for many years prior. The word Milawa is aboriginal in origin. The word is made up of the words 'Mila' meaning 'Eyes' and 'Wah/Wa' meaning water. The Bpangerang people in the Milawa area were the ''water watchers'' who kept a close eye on the two main rivers, the King River (the Poodumbia) and the Ovens (the Torryong). In these early times the ''Emu Hotel'' occupied one corner (built by James Henley) and the ''Commercial'' was on the opposite corner (built by Colin Gardner). General merchandise was available at McKenzie's store and there were two blacksmiths, a saddler, a bootmaker, a carpenter and a doctor, Dr McSweeney. (Milawa mustards now occupies the ''Emu Hotel'' site, the ''Milawa Hotel'' occupies the ''Commercial Hotel'' site and Food on Wood the ''McKenzies'' site). The Post Office opened on 7 July 1862, known as Oxley until 1870 and Oxley Plains until 1874. A Mechanics Institute comprising a free library and a spacious hall opened in 1889. A court was established in Milawa in 1874 by the visiting Magistrate Mr Howitt, in a room leased from the Emu Hotel. The police station was located at the Commercial Hotel and in 1917 moved to McKenzies store upon becoming vacant. The lock-up adjoined the Emu Hotel. A dairy company was established in 1891 and by 1896 was one of the biggest dairy companies in Australia (''the Milawa Cheese Company now occupies this site'') Football and cricket began to be played on an organised basis in the 1890s. Milawa was connected to electricity from the Kiewa hydro scheme in 1939. A violent storm cut a narrow path through Milawa in 1977 and destroyed the Anglican church, tore the roofs from many buildings and destroyed crops. A second storm in 2000 followed a very similar path with similar results. Source: Memories of Oxley, Graham Jones (1995).

Attractions

Milawa Gourmet Region
* Brown Brothers has been established in Milawa since 1889 and is well known for its wide range of wines exported to many countries. * The

complex offers cheese tasting, a bakery, a restaurant, an ice creamery and an art gallery. * Milawa Mustards offers mustard tasting and sales and has an art gallery. * The Olive Shop * The General Store * Whiteheads Meadery & Honey * Cottonwoods Farmgate

Food

Lindenwarrah
offers restaurant Merlot.
Milawa Lodge
offers Coopers Restaurant.
Brown Brothers
offers Patricia's Table, an à la carte restaurant, and a relaxed food and wine venue, Epi.Curious.
The Milawa Cheese Company
offers a Bakery and Restaurant. * Food on Wood is on the central corner * The Milawa Hotel is also on the corner.

Sport

* The town 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

Ovens & King Football League The Ovens & King Football Netball League is a minor country Australian rules football league based in North-Eastern Victoria in the vicinity of Wangaratta and more recently Benalla. History The ''Ovens & King Football League'' was formed on ...

. * Squash: There are thre
squash
courts at Milawa and a number of competitions running throughout the year. * Tennis * Netball

References

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Rural City of Wangaratta