Myrtleford is a town in northeast
Victoria, Australia, 282 km (175 miles) northeast of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and 47 km (29 miles) southeast of
Wangaratta
Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had a population of 29,808 per the 2021 Australian Census.
The city is located at the confluence, junction of the Ovens River, ...
. Myrtleford is part of the
Alpine Shire local government area and in 2021 the town had a population of 3,285.
[
]
History
The post office opened on 26 July 1858 as Myrtle Creek and was renamed Myrtleford in 1871.Great Alpine Road
The Great Alpine Road is a country tourist road in Victoria, Australia, running from Wangaratta in the north to Bairnsdale in the east, passing through the Victorian Alps. The road was given its current name because it was considered the mounta ...
.
During World War II No. 5 Prisoner of War Camp was established near Myrtleford. It accommodated Italian prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
from mid-1942 until they were repatriated or became emigrants to Australia in 1946. At its peak, 1,000 POWs were located in the camp.
Sport
Myrtleford Football Club
The Myrtleford Alpine Saints Football Netball Club, is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Myrtleford, in north east Victoria (Australia), Victoria on the Ovens River. The football and netball squads play in the O ...
compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (OMFNL or O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales ...
.Albury Wodonga Football Association
The Albury Wodonga Football Association (AWFA) is a soccer league encompassing much of North East Victoria & the Southern Riverina. The association's headquarters and half of the clubs are based in the City Of Albury (New South Wales), and ar ...
. They are based at Savoy Park.
Myrtleford Speedway is a speedway venue located on the northern edge of the town, off Odonnnell Avenue and adjacent to the golf course. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
and has hosted important events, including the Australian qualifying round of the Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...
in 1990 and the final of the Victorian Individual Championship in 1989/1990 and 1992/1993.
Features
The rich soil of the region is known for its fresh local produce including vegetables, berries, nuts and olives. Myrtleford is also famous for its vineyards spread across the Alpine Valleys wine region which includes production of Italian Michelini Wines and Gapsted Wines. The area has abundant greenery in the form of parks such as the Jubilee Park and Rotary Park.
Climate
Myrtleford has a temperate climate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
with more rain in winter than in summer and a high diurnal range throughout the warmer half of the year. Under the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, the town has an oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(''Cfb'').
Notable residents
* Gary Ablett Snr
Gary Robert Ablett Sr. (born 1 October 1961) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "God", Ablett is widely regarded as one of Australian football's greatest ...
, Australian Rules footballer.
* Cris Bonacci, Musician, Producer.
* Jack Crisp, Australian Rules footballer.
* Joff Ellen, comedian and actor.
* Merv Hughes
Mervyn Gregory Hughes (born 23 November 1961) is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia in 53 Test matches between 1985 and 1994, taking 212 wickets. He played 33 One Day Internationals, taking 38 wicke ...
, Australian Cricketer.
* Sam Kekovich, Australian Rules footballer.
* Alby Lowerson, WWI Victoria Cross recipient.
* Steve Mautone, retired professional football association goalkeeper.
* Chloe McConville, Australian racing cyclist and former cross-country skier.
References
External links
{{authority control
Towns in Victoria (state)
Alpine Shire