Yarrawonga

near Mulwalla

A town to the south of the River Murray. Mulwalla is on the northern bank

A police camp was established at Yarrawonga in about 1850.

Yarrawonga started to grow after 1891 with the arrival of the rail line to Melbourne and the bridge over the River Murray. The town became one of the gateways to the Riverina

Photograph

Map In 1868 a town was surveyed at Yarrawonga, occupying the four blocks bounded by Witt, Hume, Orr, and Hovell Streets near the river. Town blocks further south were surveyed in 1875

Population 170 Hotels Yarrawonga

Commercial

Royal Mail

.. School ... (1876) Churches Anglican

Catholic

..

Post Office Other things of interest In 1878 the Yarrawonga shire was created, extending from Cobramin the west to the Ovens River in the east and southwards to the boundary of Benalla shire.

Yarrawonga had its own newspaper

Joseph Halburtt punt owner

There were 2 flour mills, great wheat growing area

Coach to Jerilderie, Wangaratta, Peechelba and other places in New South Wales

Shire of Wodonga was cut out of Shire of Yarrawonga in 1876

See also the property called Yarrawonga

Insp Brook Smith took a search party with Const Johnson from Wangaratta to Yarrawonga on 6/11/1878 (RC12361) See also (RC13534) and (RC17381)

From the Sydney Morning Herald for 12/12/1878 (Argus6/12/78)

"The Wahgunyah correspondent of the "Albury Banner" on Thursday writes as follows:- 'Information reaches here to-day that four men stole a boat from the puntman at Yarrawonga 80 miles from here and crossed the river. The puntman states that on hearing the noise of oars he went out from his house at half past 12 (midnight), and saw four men in his boat. He challenged them and they turned head of the boat down stream. The puntman then ran inside and brought out a gun, ran after the men, and challenged again. The men in the boat then turned towards the Victorian side. The puntman fired two shots at them, and then lost sight of the boat in the darkness of the night. He then gave information to the police, and s search was instigated at daylight, when tracks of men landing on the New South Wales side were found and followed by the police. The men who took the boat are supposed to be the KellyGang . The Kellys have relations about Yarrawonga who are supposed to have contrived at their escape. Whether it was the Kellys or not who crossed, it is certain that the boat was stolen temporarly and four men crossed into New South Wales without the permission of the owner and without answering when fired at."

Later, in 1879 the KellyGang did some gold mining in the area between Beechworth and Yarrawonga according to Max Brown.

In about May 1880 a party of about six men, including Tom Lloyd, were stopped at the Yarrawonga punt by the police. They were acquaintances, and were apparently going shearing, and were equipped in what is termed a very "flash" style for shearers. (RC774)

John Bellis was a selector who lived near Yarrawonga. (RC1286)

With the opening of the railway and bridge over the River Murray in 1891 wheat and livestock were easily transported to Melbourne markets and the township rapidly grew from a few hundred persons to over one thousand.

The railway from Melbourne reached Yarrawonga in 1886. A bridge across the river to Mulwala was built in 1891.

In 1938 the Yarrawonga weir was built, forming Lake Mulwala.