Yarrawonga is a town in 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 ...

in the Australian state of Victoria. The town is situated on the south bank of the Murray River, the border between Victoria and New South Wales, and is located approximately north-east of the state capital, Melbourne. Yarrawonga's twin town of

Mulwala Mulwala (locally , elsewhere also ) is a town in the Federation Council local government area in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated on Lake Mulwala, an artificial lake formed by the damming of the Murray ...

is on the other side of the Murray River. At the , Yarrawonga had a population of 7,930. Yarrawonga is served by a

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

branch railway, which branches off the Melbourne-Sydney line at Benalla and terminates at Oaklands in New South Wales. Yarrawonga's main attraction is Lake Mulwala, formed by the damming of the Murray River. The lake is a popular location for activities such as boating, kayaking and fishing. There are two

crossings Crossings may refer to: * ''Crossings'' (Buffy novel), a 2002 original novel based on the U.S. television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' * Crossings (game), a two-player abstract strategy board game invented by Robert Abbott * ''Crossings'' ...

of the Murray between Yarrawonga and Mulwala; across the weir (a stock route carrying a single lane of traffic); and a bridge over Lake Mulwala. This bridge contains an unusual bend and dip in the middle, a result of miscommunication between the two state governments. The Yarrawonga Football Club (the 'Mighty Pigeons') participates in the Ovens and Murray Football League in the sport of

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 ...

, which has produced Barry Mitchell,

Joel Smith Joel Smith (born 3 May 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer. Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club. Smith played in St Kilda’s 1996 AFL Ansett Australia ...

, Ben Dixon, and Tom Lonergan.

History

Yarrawonga Post Office opened on 28 November 1874. Historically, one of the major industries in the Yarrawonga/Mulwala area has been the explosives factory, which was constructed in Mulwala over 1942–43. It is now operated by French company Thales but remains an Australian Department of Defence asset. The Yarrawonga Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.

Climate

Popular culture

* Niel McBeath wrote the song "I'm Going Back Again to Yarrawonga", published in 1919 and later recorded by Ella Shields and

Leonard Hubbard Leonard Nelson Hubbard (1958/1959 – December 16, 2021), also known simply as Hub, was an American musician who was best known for being the bass guitarist for The Roots, a Philadelphia band, from 1992 to 2007. He played on all of their records u ...

in 1992 and 1996. * Yarrawonga is also home to Australia's Tallest Man and Cleo's 2012 Bachelor of the Year runner-up Kewal Shiels, measuring .

Gallery

File:YarrawongaTownHall.JPG, Yarrawonga Town Hall File:ForeshoreYarrawonga.JPG, Foreshore of Lake Mulwala at Yarrawonga File:Victoria Police checkpoint at Yarrawonga on January 12th 2021.jpg, COVID-19 Victorian Border Checkpoint at Yarrawonga in January 2021

References

External links