Wangaratta Suburb Overview
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about 230 km from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla 45 km to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga 72 km to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the Victorian Alps. It the administrative centre and most populous city in the Rural City of Wangaratta local government area.
Historically, there was disagreement about whether the first syllable should be pronounced “Wong” or “Wang”. The “Wong” pronunciation was never used by a majority of the population, and never received any wide currency outside the district. It was officially disavowed by the Wangaratta City Council’s declaration in favour of the “Wang” pronunciation in the 1980s. Some locals, particularly the elderly, continue to use the “Wong” pronunciation.
The city’s name may be informally abbreviated to “Wang”, analogously to “Shep”, “Yack” and “Yarra”.
The original inhabitants of the area were the Pangerang Aborigines, who spoke a Gunai language. Many of the Pangerang were killed in the Gippsland massacres.
Major Thomas Mitchell was the first European to visit the area, passing on his return to Sydney during his 1836 expedition he made a favourable report of its potential as grazing pasture. The first squatter to arrive was Thomas Rattray in 1838 who built a hut founding a settlement known as “Ovens Crossing”.
The Post Office in the area opened on 1 February 1843 as Ovens. The Ovens office, and the Kilmore office which opened the same day, were the fifth and sixth to open in the Port Phillip District and the first two inland offices.
The name Wangaratta was given by colonial surveyor Thomas Wedge in 1848 after the “Wangaratta” cattle station, the name of which is believed to have been derived from an indigenous language and meaning “nesting place of cormorants” or “meeting of the waters”. The first land sales occurred shortly afterward and the population at the time was around 200. The first school was established by William Bindall on Chisolm Street with 17 students.
Gold was found nearby at Beechworth in February 1852 and by the end of the year more than 8,000 prospectors rushed the fields of Ovens and Beechworth. Wangaratta became a major service centre to these goldfields. As a result first bridge over the Ovens was completed in early 1855.
A seven member council incorporated the Borough of Wangaratta on 19 June 1863.
The 1870s saw the settlement establish a number of key infrastructure and services including the first water supply. Wangaratta hospital was opened in 1871 and the fire brigade was established in 1872. The railway to Melbourne was opened on 28 October 1873.
On 28 June 1880 in the nearby small town of Glenrowan located some 10 km away the final shootout that led to the capture of Australia’s most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly occurred.
Nearby Suburbs
