Nathalia ( ) is a town in northern Victoria,

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 ...

. The town is located within 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 August 2021 the population was 30,522. It includes the towns of C ...

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

on the banks of Broken Creek and on the Murray Valley Highway. 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. In 1838, Charles Sturt was the first European to explore the area, following the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

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 Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...

, 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

gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

d 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.

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.

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 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 (state), 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 cen ...

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

Cultural Activities

The annual

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 ...

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 refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

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

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 The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the Alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...

and Lower Goulburn National Park 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 (state) Shire of Moira