Wahgunyah
Wahgunyah /wəˈɡʌnjə/ is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia. The town is on the southern bank of the Murray River, opposite Corowa, New South Wales, in the Shire of Indigo. Wahgunyah is 298 kilometres (185 mi) north east of the state capital, Melbourne and 51 kilometres (32 mi) west of Albury/Wodonga. At the 2016 census, Wahgunyah had a population of 1,098.[1]
| Wahgunyah Victoria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The main street of Wahgunyah, looking from the Murray River crossing to Corowa. | |||||||||
  Wahgunyah | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°00′33.3″S 146°23′39.3″E | ||||||||
| Population | 1,098 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3687 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 143 m (469 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Indigo | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Benambra | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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The name is believed to be an aboriginal phrase meaning the resting place of crows.[2]
History
The Wahgunyah cattle run was leased by John Foord and John Crisp in 1841. The township was established by Foord in 1856 and became important before the arrival of the railway in 1879 as the furthest upstream port on the Murray.[3] The Post Office opened on 1 July 1858 [4] and a school opened the same year.
All Saints Estate winery to the north of town was established in 1864 by Scottish emigrants George Sutherland Smith and John Banks and its extensive cellar building was, at least in part, modelled on one of the Queen's castles, the Castle of Mey near Smith and Banks's home town Caithness.[5]
The town today
The main factory of Nestlé’s breakfast cereal arm Uncle Tobys is on the outskirts of Wahgunyah.
The town has an Australian rules football team in the Tallangatta & District Football League after having been in the Coreen & District Football League until 2007.
References
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Wahgunyah (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- The Aboriginal and Other Meanings of many of our Region's Town Names TourismInternet
- Kelly Gang story, Wahgunyah, retrieved 11 April 2008
- Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 31 January 2021
- "Guide to George Sutherland Smith and Sons (All Saints) Records". University of Melbourne archives. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
