| Population: |
90,000 |
| Councils: |
City
of Wodonga
PO Box 923
Wodonga VIC 3689
Ph. 02 6055 9200 |
Albury
City Council
PO Box 323
Albury NSW 2640
Ph. 02 6023 8111 |
Shire
of Hume
539-541 Kiewa St
Albury NSW 2640
Ph. 02 6051 3900 |
| Location: |
300km
north-east of Melbourne, 563km south-west
of Sydney and 250km north of
Canberra.
|
| Naming Origin: |
‘Albury’
is thought to have been named by Assistant Surveyor General, Thomas
Townsend in the early 1800s. Townsend originally named the settlement
‘Bungambrawartha’ but the landscape surrounding the area so
reminded him of the English village of
Albury, that the name was
altered.
Similarly, 'Wodonga' was originally called ‘Belvoir’ by
the Huon family after the Earl of Belvoir. When surveying the area,
Townsend named the road between the two settlements ‘Woodonga’,
after a Koori plant found in nearby lagoons. However, over time,
Belvoir became known as ‘Wodonga’.
|
| Tourist Information
Centre: |
Albury
Wodonga Visitor Information Centre
Lincoln Causeway, Wodonga VIC 3689
FREECALL 1800 800 743 |
General Information
Albury Wodonga is a
bustling inland city, the hub of a region which boasts a myriad
of nature
based tourism opportunities stemming from the nearby Alpine high country.
The area also offers rich contrasts of landscape, great for scenic touring
and abundant
flavours of food and wine from nearby Rutherglen and the King
Valley.
At Albury Wodonga, the Hume Highway, Australia’s busiest national
transport corridor,
crosses the Murray. For many years, Albury Wodonga has
been singled out by travellers
to break their journey overland from
Melbourne to Sydney. In fact, Hamilton Hume and
William Hovell passed
through the area in 1824 and the famous ‘Hovell Tree’, in which
Hovell
carved his initials, still stands on the banks of the Murray River at
Albury.
Magnificent parklands and reserves surround Albury Wodonga. The century
old, award
winning Botanic Gardens at the top end of Albury’s main street
are beautifully manicured
and cared for and well worth a visit. In
summertime, the Murray parklands offer relief from
balmy days. Cool off in
any one of the picturesque swimming holes, at Noreuil Park,
Mungabareena
Reserve or where the locals all head, down past the water works
along Borella Road. Pack a picnic and a cool drink and relax amongst the
river gums.
Mungabareena is also home to an old Aboriginal tradition of the meeting
of the
seven Koori tribes of the district. This was a ‘mini-parliament’
where inter-tribal law
was discussed in a peaceful manner, marriages were
performed and celebrated.
The tribes would then travel up the Kiewa Valley
to the alpine areas to feast on
the nutritious Bogong Moth for the summer
months. The annual ‘Mungabareena
Ngan-Girra Festival’ (‘gathering’
at Mungabareena) celebrates and commemorates
this wonderful tradition each
November.
Discover Lake Hume, which holds six times as much water as does Sydney
Harbour.
Work began on the Hume Dam in 1919 at the site of the junction of
the Murray and Mitta
Rivers. The Hume Dam was the Commonwealth Government’s
most ambitious public
project at the time and took 17 years to build. It was
built using horse power, steam
engines and manual labour and was constructed
to ensure water supplies for irrigation,
conservation and regulation
downstream. Two townships were immersed under water
when the dam was
completed. Tallangatta was relocated to its present day site
south-east of Albury- Wodonga, while most of the residents of the tiny township of
Bowna
moved into Albury.
Lake Hume is a
mecca for water lovers providing a year round playground. There are
many
picnic and camping sites on the shores of the Lake and countless sandy
beaches to sunbath and ski off. Fishing is also a popular pastime, as is
sailing,
jet skiing and wind surfing.
Bonegilla, a stone’s throw east of Wodonga, was Australia’s largest
post Second
World War migrant reception centre. Over 320,000 new Australians
came through
this camp from 1949 to 1972. Much of this rich history has been
captured in the
Bonegilla Collection at the local Albury Regional Museum and
part of the original
site, Block 19, has been preserved as a memorial.
Albury Wodonga is the perfect base to explore the wider
region offering city
standard, country style accommodation and services.
For
more information please visit our website
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