Rutherglen is a town in north-eastern

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

, near 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 ...

border with

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The town was named after the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

town of

Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...

which lies just outside

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. At the , Rutherglen had a population of 2,579.

Features

Rutherglen is located north of

Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had a population of 29,808 per the 2021 Australian Census. The city is located at the confluence, junction of the Ovens River, ...

and west of

Wodonga Wodonga (pronounced ; ) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga L ...

, just 10 kilometres from the Murray River at the border towns of Wahgunyah and Corowa. Originally a gold-mining town of the mid-19th century, it has since developed into a major wine-producing area, with 17 wineries all located within a short drive from the town centre. Star Hotel Rutherglen 2021

The main street of Rutherglen maintains its historical charm, with most of the shop fronts retaining the same look they had a century ago. Attractions within the town include Lake King which is surrounded by Apex Park and Rutherglen Park, as well as the historical wine-bottle-shaped water tower in Campbell Street.

History

Rutherglen Post Office opened on 1 November 1860. The '' Rutherglen Sun and Chiltern Valley Advertiser'' newspaper was published between 1886 and 1979. The Rutherglen Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.

Wine

The Rutherglen wine region is a wine-producing area around the town of Rutherglen and is particularly noted for its sweet

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Command ...

styles including

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

, Topaque (formerly known as Tokay) and

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. The largest winery in the region is the All Saints Winery, located just a short drive north-west outside of Wahgunyah. Established in 1864, it features landscaped gardens, ponds, a restaurant and wine tasting facilities. The Rutherglen Wine Experience Visitor Information Centre, located in the town centre on Main Street, offers displays of the town's rich history, how wines are made, and comprehensive tourist information.

Sport

Unusually for a town of its size, Rutherglen has two

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

teams. The town in conjunction with nearby town Corowa 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 team ( Corowa-Rutherglen) competing in the

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

. Another Australian rules football team, Rutherglen Football Club, play in the

Tallangatta & District Football League The Tallangatta and District Football League (TDFL) is an Australian rules football competition in north-eastern Victoria (state), Victoria and the southern border area of the Riverina region of New South Wales. The clubs compete across four c ...

. Golfers play at the course of the Rutherglen Golf Club on Murray Street. The current club professional is Paul Black.

Climate

Rutherglen features a borderline oceanic /

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfb'' / ''Cfa''), with warm to hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters. Climate data are sourced at Rutherglen Research; established in 1912 and still operating today. It sits at an elevation of . The highest temperature recorded was on 14 January 1939, whereas the lowest was on 14 June 2006. The lowest maximum temperature was on 3 July 1984.

Notable people

* George Sutherland Smith (1830–1903), paddle-steamer captain and founder of All Saints winery * Sir John Harris (1868–1946), politician and sherry pioneer *

Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was an Australian-born New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government of New Zealand, First Labour Government from 1935 ...

(1872–1940), Prime Minister of New Zealand, lived at North Prentice *

Erle Cox Erle Cox (15 August 1873 – 20 November 1950) was an Australian journalist and science fiction writer. Life Cox was born at Emerald Hill, Victoria, on 15 August 1873, the second son of Ross Cox, who had emigrated from his native Dublin, Ir ...

(1873–1950), author * Robert Campbell (born 1982), former Hawthorn footballer

Festivals and events

*Rutherglen Regatta: second weekend of January *Tastes of Rutherglen: second weekend of March - third weekend of March *Winery Walkabout: Queen's Birthday long weekend of June *Rutherglen Agricultural Show: third weekend of October *Tour de Rutherglen: first weekend of November *Rutherglen Farmers Market: second weekend each month

References

Heritage citation
for the Victoria Hotel in the National Trust (Victoria) Register
Wine styles of Rutherglen
by Australian wine critic, James Halliday
Rutherglen Tokay and Muscat
by U.S. wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Wine styles of Rutherglen
by Australian wine critic, James Halliday
Rutherglen Tokay and Muscat
by U.S. wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr.

External links

Rotary Club of Rutherglen
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Indigo Mining towns in Victoria (state)