Nathalia ( ) is a town in northern Victoria,

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 ...

. The town is located within the Shire of Moira

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 ...

on the banks of Broken Creek and on the

Murray Valley Highway Murray Valley Highway is a state highway located in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all b ...

. At the 2021 census, Nathalia had a population of 1,982.

History

Prior to European settlement, the area around Nathalia was occupied by the

Yorta Yorta people The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales ...

. In 1838, Charles Sturt was the first European to explore the area, following the Murray River downstream. The

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

, W.J Locke established Kotupna

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

on the future site of Nathalia in 1843. The station was broken up for closer settlement in 1869. A selector, Richard Blake took up the townsite in 1875 and established a sawmill and flour mill soon after. Hotels, a post office (opened on 7 September 1878), schools and churches followed and Nathalia was officially gazetted as a village in 1880. The railway arrived in 1888, allowing local production to increase and a butter factory was established in 1895. The Nathalia Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.

Economy

Agriculture is the mainstay of the Nathalia area's economy, particularly cropping, dairy farming, and grazing. Some of the town's major businesses are Rex James Stockfeed, Trans Tank International (TTi), Remax Products, and Ryan's abattoirs.

Education

Nathalia has five schools, both a government high school and primary school as well as a regional Catholic college and a Catholic primary school. There is also a campus of the Glenvale School, an independent primary and secondary school. There is also a pre school and a new child care facility in Nathalia.

Barmah Forest Heritage and Education Centre

The Barmah Forest Heritage and Education Centre is a large building featuring displays on the history and the environment of the nearby Barmah Forest and

Barmah National Park The Barmah National Park, formerly Barmah State Park, is a national park located in the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The park is located adjacent to the Murray River near the town of Barmah, approximately north of Melbourne ...

. The centre opened in 2011 with funding from the Victorian government and the Moira Shire Council. A feature of the building is the use of redgum timber recycled from the old wharf at

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest s ...

. It is open from 9.00am-5.00pm every day.

Sporting

The town is well known for quality sporting facilities for its size. Notable sporting clubs in Nathalia include Nathalia Football Club competing in the Murray Football League. Recent premierships for the NFNC are 2005 (undefeated) 2006,2007,2008, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Golfers play at the course of the Nathalia Golf Club on Paynes Road. Nathalia also has an active Canoe club, Lawn tennis club, bowls club and the Nathalia Association Cricket Club. The annual agricultural show is held on the first Saturday in October. The Nathalia and Lower Moira Agricultural Pastoral and Horticultural Association held its first agricultural show in 1888, after a prolonged drought in the district. A

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

carnival is held every year. Nathalia is developing its creative arts tourist potential through the Nathalia Living Arts/ Rural Arts Project under the guidance of internationally recognised resident artist William Kelly.

Natural Attractions

The Barmah National Park and Murray River is only a short 15-minute drive from Nathalia. The national park is the world's largest redgum forest and is listed as a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Goulburn River and

Lower Goulburn National Park The Lower Goulburn National Park is a national park located in the Goulburn Valley district of Victoria, Australia. The linear national park protects the lower Goulburn River from Shepparton to its river mouth near Echuca where it forms co ...

is also a short drive from Nathalia and is a good fishing and camping destination.

References

External links

Community WebsiteLocal History of Nathalia
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Goulburn Valley Shire of Moira