Yarrawonga is a town in the

Shire of Moira Moira Shire Council is a Local Government Area in the Northern Victoria Region of Victoria, Australia. Located in the north-east part of the state, it covers an area of . As at June 2021 the population was 30,018. It includes the towns of Cobra ...

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 Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The town is situated on the south bank of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

, the border between Victoria and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, 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

. 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 Lake Mulwala, a manmade reservoir created through the construction of the Yarrawonga Weir across the Murray River, is located between and in Hume region of Victoria and in the Riverina region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The weir ...

, 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 of the Murray between Yarrawonga and Mulwala; across the weir (a

stock route A stock route, also known as travelling stock route (TSR), is an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another in Australia. The stock routes across the country are colloquially ...

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 Yarrawonga Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Pigeons'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the town of Yarrawonga, Victoria located on the Murray River. Club history The Yarrawonga teams have been competing in ...

(the 'Mighty Pigeons') participates in the

Ovens and Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...

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 Ella Shields (27 September 1879 – 5 August 1952) was a music hall singer and male-impersonator. Her famous signature song, " Burlington Bertie from Bow", a parody of Vesta Tilley's " Burlington Bertie", written by her manager and first husba ...

and Leonard Hubbard 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

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