Yarrawonga

{{other uses}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Use Australian English|date=April 2013}} {{Infobox Australian place | type = town | name = Yarrawonga | state = vic | image = YarrawongaStreetscape.JPG | caption = Belmore street | use_lga_map = yes | coordinates = {{coord|36|01|0|S|146|0|0|E|display=inline,title}} | lga = Shire of Moira | postcode = 3730 | pop = 8,661 | pop_year = {{CensusAU|2021}} | pop_footnotes = <ref name="ABS2016">{{cite web |title=2016 Census QuickStats Yarrawonga |url=http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC22904 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=24 January 2019 |archive-date=16 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116060449/http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC22904 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | est = | elevation = 128.9 | maxtemp = 23.0 | mintemp = 9.0 | rainfall = 477.2 | stategov = Ovens Valley | fedgov = Nicholls | dist1 = 268 | dir1 = NNE | location1 = Melbourne | dist2 = 92 | dir2 = W | location2 = Albury (NSW) | dist3 = 81 | dir3 = NE | location3 = Shepparton | dist4 = 89 | dir4 = W | location4 = Wodonga | dist5 = 433 | dir5 = WSW | location5 = Canberra | near-nw = Burramine | near-n = ''Mulwala (NSW)'' | near-ne = ''Mulwala (NSW)'' | near-w = Burramine | near-e = Bathumi | near-sw = Telford | near-s = Yarrawonga South | near-se = Bundalong }} '''Yarrawonga''' {{IPAc-en|j|ær|ə|ˈ|w|ɒ|ŋ|ɡ|ə}}<ref>''Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition'' (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. {{ISBN|1-876429-14-3}}</ref> is a town in the Shire of Moira local government area in the Australian state of Victoria. In the 2021 census, Yarrawonga had a population of 8,661 people.<ref name=":3" />

== Geography == The town is located approximately {{convert|264|km|mi}} north-east of the state capital, Melbourne,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Boon |first=Robert |title=The Concise Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand |publisher=Horwitz Grahame Pty Limited |year=1991 |isbn=0 7255 2236 4 |edition=10th |volume=2 |location=Sydney |pages=887}}</ref> situated on the south bank of the Murray River, the border between Victoria and New South Wales.

Yarrawonga's twin town of Mulwala is on the other side of the Murray River.<ref name=":1" />

==History== Yarrawonga is Aboriginal, meaning 'cormorant’s nesting place,'<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Yarrawonga {{!}} Murray River, Lakes, Fishing {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yarrawonga |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> 'where the cormorant builds'<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1984 |title=Yarrawonga |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |publisher=Helen Benton |location=Chicago |edition=15th |volume=Micropaedia - Ready Reference and Index Volume X |page=803 |isbn=0 85229 413 1}}</ref> or 'yarra' meaning 'waterfalls,' and 'wonga' meaning 'pigeon.'<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It is believed the Mulla Walla people occupied the area before the first white settlers arrived in 1842.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2008-11-27 |title=Yarrawonga - Culture and History |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/traveller/inspiration/yarrawonga-culture-and-history-20081127-6jt0.html |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=The Brisbane Times |archive-date=2 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602080442/https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/traveller/inspiration/yarrawonga-culture-and-history-20081127-6jt0.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

Yarrawonga was founded as a village in 1868,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> with a Post Office being opened on 28 November 1874,<ref name="a">{{Cite web | website=Premierpostal.com| title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | access-date = 2008-04-11}}</ref> and a courthouse the very same year.<ref name=":2" /> It was connected by rail to Melbourne in 1886.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Yarrawonga was proclaimed a shire in 1891,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It was renamed from 'North Yarrawonga Shire' (1891) to 'Yarrawonga Shire' in 1893.<ref name=":0" />

Yarrawonga Weir and Lake Mulwala were constructed in the late 1930s as part of the Murray-Darling Irrigation Scheme.<ref name=":2" />

Historically, one of the major industries in the Yarrawonga/Mulwala area has been the explosives factory, which was constructed in Mulwala over 1942–43.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Redevelopment of Propellant Manufacturing and Other Specified Capabilities at Mulwala |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pwc/mulwala/subs/sub1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403224243/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/pwc/mulwala/subs/sub1.pdf |archive-date=3 April 2011 |access-date=20 July 2010 |website=Parliament of Australia - Department of Defence}}</ref> It is now operated by French company Thales but remains an Australian Department of Defence asset.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thalesgroup.com/Markets/Defence/Home/ |title=Defence Home - Thales Group |access-date=20 July 2010 |archive-date=23 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723125801/http://www.thalesgroup.com/Markets/Defence/Home/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Yarrawonga Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/lawrefrom/legal_services/final_report.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404125854/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/lawrefrom/legal_services/final_report.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=4 April 2012 | title=Review of Legal Services in Rural and Regional Victoria | publisher=Parliament of Victoria Law Reform Committee | date=May 2001 | access-date=12 April 2020 |pages=291–292}}</ref>

== Demographics == In the 2016 census, Yarrawonga recorded a population of 7,930, 51.1% female and 48.9% male. The median age of the Yarrawonga population was 50 years, 12 years above the national median of 38. 81.9% of people living in Yarrawonga were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 2.4%, Scotland 0.7%, New Zealand 0.5%, India 0.4% and the Philippines 0.4%. 88.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.2% Italian, 0.2% Gujarati, 0.2% Punjabi, 0.2% French and 0.1% German.<ref>{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC22904|name=Yarrawonga (State Suburb)|access-date=2 June 2024|quick=off}}</ref>

In the 2021 census, Yarrawonga recorded a population of 8,661 people, 51.5% female and 48.5% male. The median age of the Yarrawonga population was 52 years, 14 years above the national median of 38. 84.8% of people living in Yarrawonga were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 2.2%, New Zealand 0.7%, the Philippines 0.6%, Scotland 0.6%, and Germany 0.5%. 90.6% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.3% Filipino, 0.3% Italian, 0.3% Punjabi, 0.3% Cantonese, and 0.2% Urdu.<ref name=":3">{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL22919|name=Yarrawonga (Suburb and Locality)|access-date=2 June 2024|quick=off}}</ref>

== Sport == The Yarrawonga Football Club (the 'Mighty Pigeons') participates in the Ovens and Murray Football League in the sport of Australian rules football, which has produced Barry Mitchell, Joel Smith, Ben Dixon, and Tom Lonergan as well as Caleb Mitchell.{{citation needed|date = December 2021}}

== Transport == Yarrawonga is served by a standard gauge branch railway, which branches off the Melbourne-Sydney line at Benalla and terminates at Oaklands in New South Wales.

== Attractions == Yarrawonga's main attraction is Lake Mulwala, formed by the damming of the Murray River. The lake is a popular location for activities such as boating, kayaking and fishing. There are two crossings of the Murray between Yarrawonga and Mulwala; across the weir (Walking path only); and a bridge over Lake Mulwala. This bridge contains an unusual bend and dip in the middle, a result of miscommunication between the two state governments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Early Transport & Bridges of Yarrawonga Mulwala |url=http://www.yarrawongamulwala.com.au/about/history/transport-bridges.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427015457/https://www.yarrawongamulwala.com.au/about/history/transport-bridges.html |archive-date=2013-04-27 |access-date=2016-02-06 |publisher=Yarrawonga Mulwala Tourism Inc}}</ref>

==Climate== Yarrawonga has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'') with hot, dry summers and cool, cloudy winters. The weather radar at Yarrawonga has proven a useful tool in monitoring important weather systems as far south as Marysville, west to Bendigo and north to Griffith, meeting its eastern limit at the Snowy Mountains and is thus a reliable monitor of snowfall systems approaching from the west.<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/vic_info.shtml| title=Yarrawonga Radar|website=Bureau of Meteorolgy|access-date=2024-11-14}}</ref>

{{Weather box |location = Yarrawonga (1993–2024); 129 m AMSL; 36.03° S, 146.03° E |metric first = Yes |single line = Yes |rain colour = green |Jan record high C = 46.0 |Feb record high C = 46.0 |Mar record high C = 39.9 |Apr record high C = 36.7 |May record high C = 28.9 |Jun record high C = 23.0 |Jul record high C = 21.0 |Aug record high C = 25.7 |Sep record high C = 34.0 |Oct record high C = 36.4 |Nov record high C = 42.4 |Dec record high C = 44.3 |year record high C = 46.0 |Jan high C = 32.9 |Feb high C = 31.7 |Mar high C = 28.1 |Apr high C = 23.0 |May high C = 18.1 |Jun high C = 14.5 |Jul high C = 13.6 |Aug high C = 15.3 |Sep high C = 18.6 |Oct high C = 22.8 |Nov high C = 27.2 |Dec high C = 30.3 |year high C = 23.0 |Jan low C = 16.1 |Feb low C = 15.7 |Mar low C = 13.0 |Apr low C = 9.1 |May low C = 6.1 |Jun low C = 4.0 |Jul low C = 3.4 |Aug low C = 3.7 |Sep low C = 5.1 |Oct low C = 7.5 |Nov low C = 11.1 |Dec low C = 13.4 |year low C = 9.0 |Jan record low C = 4.4 |Feb record low C = 4.7 |Mar record low C = 3.3 |Apr record low C = -0.5 |May record low C = -1.9 |Jun record low C = -5.3 |Jul record low C = -4.4 |Aug record low C = -6.0 |Sep record low C = -3.4 |Oct record low C = -1.4 |Nov record low C = 0.6 |Dec record low C = 2.2 |year record low C = -6.0 |Jan rain mm = 36.4 |Feb rain mm = 39.0 |Mar rain mm = 35.4 |Apr rain mm = 31.9 |May rain mm = 35.8 |Jun rain mm = 42.4 |Jul rain mm = 44.9 |Aug rain mm = 39.1 |Sep rain mm = 42.8 |Oct rain mm = 42.1 |Nov rain mm = 48.1 |Dec rain mm = 41.2 |year rain mm = 479.4 |Jan rain days = 5.7 |Feb rain days = 5.4 |Mar rain days = 5.1 |Apr rain days = 6.2 |May rain days = 10.3 |Jun rain days = 14.7 |Jul rain days = 17.1 |Aug rain days = 14.1 |Sep rain days = 10.2 |Oct rain days = 8.6 |Nov rain days = 8.1 |Dec rain days = 6.1 |unit rain days = 0.2mm |humidity colour = green |Jan afthumidity = 29 |Feb afthumidity = 32 |Mar afthumidity = 33 |Apr afthumidity = 42 |May afthumidity = 54 |Jun afthumidity = 65 |Jul afthumidity = 66 |Aug afthumidity = 58 |Sep afthumidity = 53 |Oct afthumidity = 43 |Nov afthumidity = 34 |Dec afthumidity = 29 |source 1 = Bureau of Meteorology<ref>{{BoM Aust stats|site_ref=cw_081124_All|site_name=Yarrawonga|accessdate=27 April 2022|date=April 2022}}</ref> |date=April 2022}}

==Popular culture== * Neil McBeath wrote the song "I'm Going Back To Yarrawonga", published in 1919 and later recorded by Ella Shields and Leonard Hubbard in 1992 and 1996 respectively. * Yarrawonga is also home to Australia's Tallest Man, Kewal Shiels, measuring {{convert|7|ft|3|in|cm|lk=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Konrad |date=2019-02-15 |title=It's all smiles as Australia’s tallest man takes life in his stride |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/it-s-all-smiles-as-australia-s-tallest-man-takes-life-in-his-stride-20190212-p50x6g.html |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

==Gallery== {{commons}} <gallery> File:YarrawongaTownHall.JPG|Yarrawonga Town Hall File:ForeshoreYarrawonga.JPG|Foreshore of Lake Mulwala at Yarrawonga File:Victoria Police checkpoint at Yarrawonga on January 12th 2021.jpg|COVID-19 Victorian Border Checkpoint at Yarrawonga in January 2021 </gallery> == Notable people == *Anne Curtis, actress, TV host personality

==See also== * Yarrawonga Airport

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://shawfactor.com/gazetteer/victoria/yarrawonga/ Local history of Yarrawonga] * [http://www.moira.vic.gov.au Moira Shire Council] – Official website * [http://www.yarrawongamulwala.com.au/ Yarrawonga – Mulwala tourism] * [http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=VIC:Yarrawonga&line=VIC:oaklands:0 Yarrawonga Railway Station & Silos]

Category:Towns in Victoria (state) Category:Shire of Moira Category:Populated places on the Murray River