Benalla
| Benalla Victoria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aerial view from the east | |||||||||
| Population | 9,129[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1840s | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3672 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 169.5 m (556 ft) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Rural City of Benalla | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Benalla | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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Benalla (Template:Pron-en)[2] is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about 40 kilometres (20 mi) south of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.
Overview
The site was originally taken up as a pastoral run by the Reverend Joseph Docker in 1838 and called Benalta Run, from the Aboriginal word for Musk Duck. A town was laid out on the site in 1846. The Post Office opened on 1 December 1844 but named Broken River until 1 January 1854 [3]
The Broken River can cause extensive flooding. There is a park and walking track along the river at Benalla, featuring a ceramic sculpture community that was created as part of an employment project for local artists some years ago.
Industries include agricultural support services, tourism, a medium density fibreboard factory, Thales Australia ammunition factory and aviation. The rose gardens and the annual Rose Festival dating from 1967 have contributed to tourism.
Benalla has a regional airport YBLA (BLN) which began life as a major RAAF training base during World War 2 and now also serves as the home of the Gliding Club of Victoria as well as a ballooning and ultralight centre.
The Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE has a campus in Benalla which includes the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre opened in 2004 by Lynne Kosky MP, the then Minister of Education and Training.[4]
Benalla is where champion cyclist Baden Cooke was born and the place of war hero Sir (Ernest) Edward "Weary" Dunlop's education.
Benalla railway station is on the North East railway line and is served by VLine services between Melbourne and Albury as well as a twice daily Countrylink XPT service to and from Sydney.
In October 2002 Benalla was the scene of a rail accident when a B-Double semi trailer collided with a heritage steam train. Three people were killed and a fourth received severe burns when the locomotive rolled onto its side.[5][6][7] The driver of the truck was charged but later acquitted of culpable driving.
Retailers
Benalla has many large retailers, including a Coles, Safeway, Target Country, and a Mitre 10 Home & Trade. In recent years, an Aldi store started in Benalla.
Education
There are three pre-kinder/kindergartens in Benalla, Munro Avenue, Ride Avenue and Bernard Briggs. Benalla has 5 primary schools, Benalla 31, Benalla West, St Josephs Benalla, Benalla East and Benalla Christian School. It has three secondary schools, Benalla College (with two campuses), FCJ College Benalla and EdSpace. The Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE has a campus in Benalla.
Sport
The town has an Australian rules football team competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League[8] and a team ( Benalla All Blacks) competing in the Ovens & King Football League.
Benalla has a horse racing club, the Benalla Racing Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Benalla Cup meeting in early October.[9]
Golfers play at the Benalla Golf Club on Mansfield Road,[10] or at the course of the Golden Vale Golf Club on Golden Vale Road, Benalla.[10]
Notable residents
- Robin Close - Former AFL footballer - Essendon FC
- Baden Cooke - Olympic Cyclist
- Tommy Dunderdale - Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Edward "Weary" Dunlop - Surgeon and World War II Prisoner of War.
- Ivan Durrant - Prominent Australian artist, works displayed worldwide.
- Albert Ernest Kitson - Geologist and Naturalist
- Tom Long - Actor
- Lisa Maxwell - Rock/Pop/Alternative solo artist.
- Laurence Meikle - Opera Singer
- Tom Rockliff- AFL footballer for Brisbane FC
- Hugh Sawrey - Prominent Australian Artist, works displayed worldwide
- Mark Seymour - Lead singer of Hunters & Collectors and solo artist.
- Nick Seymour - Bass player in Crowded House.
- Jarrad Waite - AFL footballer for Carlton F C
- Hector Waller - captain of the light cruiser HMAS Perth in the Second World War
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Benalla (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
- ^ Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3
- ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 2008-04-11
- ^ Media Release, Minister for Education Kosky opens $4.2 Millon Benalla Performing Arts Centre, Lynne Kosky, Victorian Government, 12 November 2004. Accessed 8 September 2008
- ^ "Three dead, one critical in steam train crash". Sydney: Sydney Morning Herald. 2002-10-14. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ^ "Three killed in Benalla train crash". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2002-010-13. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Rail Safety Investigation Report - Final". Collision between steam passenger Train 8382 & Loaded B-double truck. Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ^ Full Points Footy, Benalla, retrieved 2008-07-25
- ^ Country Racing Victoria, Benalla Racing Club, retrieved 2009-05-07
- ^ a b Golf Select, Benalla, retrieved 2009-05-11 Cite error: The named reference "golf" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2007) |
- Wilson, Robert. The book of Australia LANSDOWNE PRESS 1980
See also
External links
Localities in the Rural City of Benalla | ||
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