Alexandra is a town in north-east

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, 130 kilometres north-east of the State Capital,

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 ...

. It is located at the junction of the

Goulburn Valley Highway Goulburn Valley Highway is a highway located in Victoria, Australia, linking Tocumwal on the Murray River through North Central Victoria to Eildon. The section north of the Hume Freeway (part of which is Goulburn Valley Freeway) is part of the ...

(B340) and

Maroondah Highway Maroondah Highway (also known as Whitehorse Road from Deepdene to Surrey Hills) is a major east–west thoroughfare in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and a highway connecting the north-eastern fringes of Melbourne to Mansfield, at the lowe ...

(B360), in the

Shire of Murrindindi The Shire of Murrindindi is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in the Hume (region), Hume region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and, in Au ...

local government area. At the , the town had a population of 2,801 and the broader area (Alexandra District) a population of 6,828. Gold mining was the catalyst for the development of the town with many mines around Alexandra and particularly along Ultima Thule Creek, known locally as UT Creek, which runs through the town. The town's post office was opened in 1867. The town has a number of parks. Rotary Park is adjacent to UT Creek and the town's main street and includes toilets, barbecues and the Visitor Information Centre. Leckie Park is a larger, picturesque park of over 11 hectares, also along UT Creek. It includes the Alexandra Bowling Club, a playground and the town's cenotaph.

Lake Eildon The Eildon Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a controlled spillway, located on the Goulburn River between the regional towns of and within Lake Eildon National Park, in the Alpine region of Victoria, Australia. The dam's pur ...

, a major water storage, is 12 kilometres east of Alexandra and a major tourist attraction for boating and fishing. The nearby Goulburn River and other local streams such as the Rubicon River also attract many anglers. The Riversdale bridge across the Goulburn is only about 2 kilometres west of the town centre. Other popular activities in the area include hunting, four wheel driving, hiking and camping. Alexandra is the largest town in this part of Victoria and the headquarters of the Shire of Murrindindi as well as State government departments.

History

The original inhabitants of the area were members of two clans of the

Taungurung The Taungurung people, also spelled ''Daung Wurrung'', are Aboriginal people who are one of the Kulin nations in present-day Victoria, Australia. They consist of nine clans whose traditional language is the Taungurung language. Their Country ...

aboriginal people. The town was settled by Europeans in the late 1860s, with a Post Office opening on 15 March 1867 (known until 24 April 1867) as Redgate. The town was originally known as Redgate, or Red Gate Diggings.Kennedy, B: ''Australian Place Names'', page 4. ABC Books, 2006 The current name is thought to derive from either

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...

, when the shire was given a statue of her, or from three men named Alexander (Alesander McGregor, Alexander Don, and Alexander Luckie) who discovered gold in the area in 1866. Alexandra has a rich history encompassing gold mining, farming and timber. Industry and commerce has developed along with many other pursuits over a broad spectrum. Alexandra, at the gateway to the high country & the snow, has played a big part in the development of Victoria's high country, mountain cattle grazing and particularly the timber industry that has resulted in Victoria being able to develop. Alexandra was home to a number of large timber mills, especially during the mid to late 20th century. Farming has always been an important component of the local economy. This has diversified over the years with beef production continuing, still some sheep farming, but other activities also important including wineries, fruit growing, fish production & other pursuits including major commercial lawn growing. Electricity production from the nearby hydro stations at Rubicon and Eildon has been an important part of the local economy since the 1920s and employed many from Alexandra and district. The Rubicon 'A' switching facility has also been important for power generation in Victoria together with its maintenance workforce. Since the State Electricity Commission was privatised during the 1990s some changes in operations have reduced the local workforce and more automated equipment is being utilised. Tourism is fundamental to the Alexandra District and continues to attract many, for obvious reasons. The railway to Alexandra arrived as a branch line of the

Mansfield railway line The Mansfield railway line is a closed branch railway line situated in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. Constructed by the Victorian Railways, it branched from the Seymour line at station, and ran east to . The line was primarily b ...

in 1909, and closed on 18 November 1978. In 2012, the closed rail line was developed as part of the route for the 134 km long

Great Victorian Rail Trail The Great Victorian Rail Trail (previously the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail), is in north-central Victoria, Australia, about north-east of Melbourne, and is the second-longest rail trail in Australia, after the 161 km Brisbane ...

. The Rubicon Tramway connected Alexandra with the village of Rubicon (locally often known as 'The Tin Hut'), at the junction of the Rubicon and Royston Rivers. The Alexandra Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990. The

Black Saturday bushfires The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria. Saturday, 7 February 2009 was one of Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred ...

that burnt across much of Murrindindi Shire on, and following, 7 February 2009 impacted the area heavily. Alexandra provided support and shelter for many hundreds of people affected by the fires. The fire was managed from the Alexandra Incident Control Centre at the Department of Environment, Land & Planning (DELWP) Offices. Local DELWP and CFA firefighters were heavily involved in controlling the fires over many weeks and the town's service clubs, emergency services, agencies and community volunteers and townspeople provided immediate and long term assistance. Large numbers of firefighting resources, which were brought in to the town, were temporarily housed at a staging area at the Alexandra Showgrounds and at the rear of the Emergency Services Facility in Shamrock Street as well as other locations for many weeks during the firefighting operations. Alexandra was untouched directly by the fires but was under considerable threat for some time, on occasions, with the fire fronts being only about 9 kilometres distant for periods. Major fires have impacted Alexandra over the years with 1939 and 1969 also being especially disastrous for the area.

Alexandra today

Many tourists pass through this town on their way to

Mount Buller Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller (Victoria), Mount Buller, within Mount Buller Alpine Resort, an unincorporated area of the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It is located approximately n ...

ski resort from

and Lake Eildon. Fraser Camping Area bordering Lake Eildon within Lake Eildon National Park attracts many visitors to the area. To the south of Alexandra, Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, near Marysville, also attracts many day trippers to the mountain, especially during the winter snow. Cathedral Range State Park, near Taggerty, south of Alexandra is also a popular location for hiking and camping. The Great Victorian Rail Trail branches to Alexandra and is popular. The town of Alexandra contains the Timber Tramway and Museum (located at the Alexandra Railway Station), and the National Trust classified post office and law courts. There is a local market on the second Saturday of each month from September to May, an annual art show at

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

, an

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

and rose festival in November, and an annual Truck, Ute & Rod Show in June on the Queen's Birthday long weekend. An annual Christmas Tree Festival is held in December and in July 2015 Alexandra conducted its first Beanie Festival, which is now also an annual event.

Climate

Alexandra's climate is characteristic of central Victoria, with a pronounced 'Mediterranean' rainfall pattern. Summer heat is usually short-lived due to frequent cold fronts and cool changes off the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

, evident by its strikingly low minimum temperatures.

Local radio

Local Community Radio station 3UGE (UGFM- Radio Murrindindi ) is based in Alexandra. After many years of providing support to the local community during emergencies, UGFM became the first community station in Australia to be given official Emergency Broadcaster status. UGFM - Radio Murrindindi broadcasts across the Murrindindi Shire from four studios located at Alexandra, Marysville, Kinglake and Yea, and transmitters located at Alexandra & Lake Eildon on 106.9FM, Marysville & Lake Mountain on 98.5FM, Yea & Highlands on 88.9FM and Flowerdale on 98.9FM. The station has a large listening base throughout the Murrindindi Shire which is big and diverse in area. UGFM was formed during 1993 and commenced broadcasts a year later. Vision Alexandra 87.6 FM began broadcasting in Alexandra on 24 February 2018. This relay station is operated by Vision Christian Media.

Notable people

* Bernhard Smith (1820-1885), sculptor, painter, police magistrate
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Ray Weinberg Raymond Henry Weinberg AM (23 October 1926 - 30 May 2018) was an Australian athlete and coach. He was one of Australia's finest hurdlers, being ranked in the Top 8 in the world for 4 years; an Olympic finalist; in 1952 having the fastest time ...

(1926-2018), Olympic athlete *

Arnold Downer Arnold Fielder Downer (4 February 1895 – 16 July 1984) was a New Zealand civil engineer, construction contractor and company director who founded the Downer Group in 1933. Early life Downer was born in Alexandra, Victoria, Australia, on 4 ...

(1895-1984), civil engineer, construction contractor and company director who founded the

Downer Group Downer Group is an integrated services company active in Australia and New Zealand. Listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and New Zealand Stock Exchange as Downer EDI (DOW), Downer is an ASX 200 company. Downer Group employs approximat ...

in 1933 * Dame Pattie Menzies (née Leckie) (1899-1995), was the wife of Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

* John William Leckie (1872-1947), was an Australian politician. He served as a Senator for Victoria from 1935 to 1947, having previously been a member of the House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919 and the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1913 to 1917 *

Bridget McKenzie Bridget Grace McKenzie (born 27 December 1969) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the National Party and has been a Senator for Victoria since 2011. She has held ministerial office in the Turnbull and Morrison governments, also s ...

(born 1969 at Alexandra District Hospital), Senator for Victoria, Deputy Leader of the National Party, Minister for Agriculture *

Matilda Alice Williams Matilda Alice Williams (1875–1973) was a New Zealand Methodist deaconess. She was born in Alexandra, Victoria, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of ...

(1875–1973), Methodist deaconess *Peter Vincent Rice AFSM (1949- ) born Alexandra. Former Chief Fire Officer, Australian Bicentennial Exhibition. Country Fire Authority Officer Victoria - Staff & Senior Volunteer. * T Jackson (1993 - ) State Dart Player - Victoria and Tasmania * Elizabeth Vivienne Conabere (1929-2009), botanical artist, writer and conservationist

Sport

The town one has an

Australian Rules 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

football / Netball Club that has competed in the Outer East Football Netball League, Division One from 2019 to 2025. The football club previously completed in

Waranga North East Football Association The Waranga North East Football Association was established in 1913 as an Australian Rules football association which was based in the North East and Upper Goulburn Valley regions of Victoria and was active up until 1976. History In May 1913 rep ...

for many years from 1927 to 1935 and from 1947 to 1976, before joining the Yarra Ranges Football & Netball League, where they competed from 1977 to 1985 and from 2006 to 2018. Alexandra has a horse racing club which schedules around four race meetings a year including one on New Years Day and the Alexandra Cup meeting in March. Golfers play at the Alexandra Golf Club on Gordon Street, or, prior to being overrun by

blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

plants in 2016, at the course of the Stonelea Country Estate on Connellys Creek Road. The Alexandra Speedway hosts dirt track motor racing throughout the year, with major events coinciding with the annual Truck, Ute and Rod show weekend. A swimming pool is located in Perkins Street and functions during the summer months. At Briggs Oval, opposite the Secondary College, gymnasium and other facilities exist.

References

External links

Australian Places - Alexandra

Alexandra Annual Truck Ute & Rod Show

Alexandra Tourism and Accommodation
* http://www.esplahme Alexandra Largest History & Tourism page
Alexandra FNC History
via AustralianFootball.com
Alexandra FNC website

Gallery

Image:AlexandraPrincessAlexandra.JPG, Princess Alexandra Image:AlexandraLibrary.JPG, Library Image:AlexandraBillsHorseTrough.JPG, HorseTrough Image:AlexandraBuilding1.JPG, Image:AlexandraPostOffice.JPG, Post Office Image:Australia Alexandra Brass Band, 1906.jpg, Alexandra Brass Band 1906 Image:Australia Alexandra Fire Brigade Band, 1912.jpg, Fire Brigade Band 1912 {{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Murrindindi