Muckatah is a locality in northern Victoria, Australia in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

of the Shire of Moira. The word Muckatah means 'a little plain'.

History

The post office opened on 1 November 1881 and was closed on 30 June 1920. Settlers arrived in Muckatah about 1876 when the area was thickly covered by huge trees. These were felled by axe, cut into lengths with a crosscut saw, shaped by broad axe and made into dwellings. The first crops of wheat were grown on areas of up to 10 acres or so with the bags of grain carted to Benalla and later, Numurkah. A bush track was used to travel to Shepparton for mail and supplies. The earliest selections were of 320 acres. A racecourse was in use by 1895 and a golf course on the same site in later years. Some early settlers were Nunan, Noonan, Salmon, Parnell, Gleeson, Lane, Hanrahan, Charles, Jessop, Flynn, Keady, Kennedy, Dunn, Walsh, McIntyre, Fields, Duffy and McCormack. In the early village was a hotel, post office and blacksmith. At Muckatah, an annual St Patrick's Day Race meeting commenced in 1881, and an athletics meet in 1883, the following results were recorded: * Running high jump J. Keating / W. Hamilton 1st. 5’3” 15/- * Drop Kick Football P. Brown 1st. 80 Yards 10/- * Hop Step & Jump J Keating 42’3” 10/- * Vaulting with Pole Thomas Nunan 11’2” 10/- A Coursing Club held its first event at Muckatah on 16 August 1890. On that day a prize of 10/- was offered to the winner. Moire Shire Council was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the

Shire of Cobram The Shire of Cobram was a local government area on the Murray River in the Goulburn Valley region, about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1953 until 1994. History ...

Shire of Nathalia The Shire of Nathalia was a local government area on the Murray River in the Goulburn Valley region, about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1879 until 1994. History ...

Shire of Numurkah The Shire of Numurkah was a local government area on the Murray River in the Goulburn Valley region, about north of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1957 until 1994. History ...

, and parts of the

Shire of Tungamah The Shire of Tungamah was a local government area in the Goulburn Valley region, about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1878 until 1994. History Tungamah was o ...

and

Shire of Yarrawonga The Shire of Yarrawonga was a local government area on the Murray River, in the Goulburn Valley region, about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1891 until 1994. ...

. Cobram's plan of an amalgamation of the five shires was accepted, but its suggested name for the newly created shire was not. 'Muckatah' was not seen as being sufficiently representative of all the amalgamating shires and so 'Moira' was chosen.

Muckatah Football Club

In 1888 the

Goulburn Valley Football Association The Goulburn Valley Football Association (GVFA) is an Australian rules football competition that was first established in 1888 in the Goulburn Valley of Victoria, Australia, with the foundation clubs being Cobram, Muckatah, Nathalia, Numurkah, ...

(GVFA) was formed and consisted of sides from Cobram, Numurkah, Wunghnu, Yarroweyah, Muckatah and Nathalia, with Muckatah going onto win five GVFA premierships and were runners up eleven times. They also won the two

Murray Border Football Association Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

premierships, as well as two

Federal District Football Association The Federal District Football Association (FDFA) was first established in 1897 at a meeting at Gedye's Victoria Hotel, Cobram, Victoria for the purpose of controlling the "Cobram Courier Cup" Australian rules football competition. History Football ...

premierships too! Muckatah joined the Katandra District Football Association in 1930 for one season only and were runners up to the

Yabba Football Club Stephen Harold Gascoigne, better known as Yabba, (19 March 1878 – 8 January 1942) was an Australian sports fan, remembered as a heckler at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) cricket and rugby league games in the early part of the 20th century. ''Ya ...

. Muckatah was one of the foundation clubs of the Murray Football League (MFL) in 1931, along with the following clubs,

Barooga Barooga is a border town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, located in the Berrigan Shire local government area. It is situated just north of the Murray River which forms the border with Victoria. Barooga's population at the 2 ...

, Cobram, Muckatah, Numurkah,

Strathmerton Strathmerton is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the Shire of Moira local government area on the Murray Valley Highway and Goulburn Valley Highway, about west of Cobram. At the , Strathmerton had a population of 1072. History ...

and Tocumwal. The Muckatah Football Club was disbanded in 1939. E.

Ted Bourke Edward Arthur Bourke (17 February 1904 – 27 November 1952) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1920s. Often playing at centre half back, Bourke sp ...

played with Muckatah prior to playing with

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

and

Charlie Fisher Charlie "Spot" Fisher (17 November 1892 – 4 Mar 1983) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Foortball Fisher played in three consecutive premierships for Muckatah in the Goulburn Valley Football Associat ...

played with Muckatah prior to playing with Carlton Football Club. ;Football Competitions Muckatah played in the following football competitions between 1888 and 1939.

* 1888 ;Muckatah FC * 1889 to 1892 - club in recess Gedye's Victoria Hotel Trophy * 1893

* 1894

* 1895

* 1896

* 1897

* 1898 to 1900

* 1901

* 1902 to 1929 Katandra & District Football Association * 1930 Murray Football League * 1931 to 1939 ;Premierships

*1894 & 1896

*1898, 1900, 1910, 1911 & 1912

*1897 & 1901

(Juniors) * 1912 ;Runners Up

*1888, 1895, 1902, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1914, 1915, 1925, 1926 & 1927

(Juniors) *1913 Katandra District Football Association *1930

References

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Shire of Moira