Whorouly is a town in northeast
Victoria, Australia. Its name is possibly derived from an
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
word meaning a black (or red)
cockatoo, although another suggestion is that it means "underwater".
The town is in the valley of the
Ovens River and in the
Rural City of Wangaratta local government area, north-east of the state capital,
Melbourne and south-east of the regional centre of
Wangaratta. At the , Whorouly and the surrounding area had a population of 376.
Prior to the 1994 council amalgamations by the
Kennett Government (and the creation of the Rural City of Wangaratta), the township was in the disbanded
Shire of Oxley
The Shire of Oxley was a local government area in Victoria, Australia, immediately to the south of the city of Wangaratta, which housed the shire's council chambers. Oxley covered an area of , and existed from 1862 until 1994.
History
The O ...
.
The town can easily be missed, being sited off the two main valley highways, between the Snow Road (the C522 which runs from an interchange on the M31
Hume Freeway) and The
Great Alpine Road (B500), which runs between Wangaratta and
Omeo. It is, however, only five minutes from either road.
The town was surveyed and proclaimed in 1868, adopting the name of a nearby
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 ...
. Whorouly Primary School opened in 1874. The first European settlers established large grazing properties but after the
Victorian gold rush, closer settlement took place. Land was released in lots, on the condition that part of the land was cleared for agriculture.
Until the 1980s, much of the area along the Ovens River was planted with
tobacco. Other primary products in the area included beef and dairy cattle, orchards and market gardens. In recent years,
wine grape growing has been introduced
meaning that the area, being at the apex of the Ovens Valley and King Valley, is the centre of a significant food region, with many farm gate and cellar door sales.
The local
Australian rules football
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 ...
team,
Whorouly Football Club, competes in the
Ovens and 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 o ...
.
Town facilities currently include churches, a children's playground, a sporting ground and a public hall, a combined primary school and pre-school, a combined hotel/pub/general store, a local well renowned cafe called The 2 Cooks Cafe and several self-catering holiday rentals and B&B's. There is also a garage with fuel facilities. The garage was known as Whorouly Motors, but recently changed its name to Alpine Performance
to focus on supporting the growing performance car and motorbike market in the region.
References
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Towns in Victoria (Australia)
Rural City of Wangaratta