Benalla

History

Prior to the European settlement of Australia, the Benalla region was populated by the Taungurong people, an Indigenous Australian people.

It was first sighted by Europeans during an expedition of Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824, when the area, first named "Swampy" was noted as agricultural settlement. The expedition was followed by that of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1834.

Reverend Joseph Docker settled in 1838 creating a pastoral run called Benalta Run, said to be from an Aboriginal word for musk duck. An attack by indigenous people on the camp of sheep herders George and William Faithful became known as the Faithful Massacre; eight settlers were killed in the incident. Following the massacre in 1839 a police station was established and the name of the settlement became Broken River.

The post office opened on 1 December 1844 originally named Broken River

A bridge was built over the Broken River in 1847 and the following year the town was surveyed. In 1861 it was proclaimed a town.

It was proclaimed a city in 1965.

Geography

Benalla is situated on a mostly flat floodplain of the Broken River catchment situated directly to the north and west of the Great Dividing Range. Lake Benalla is an artificial lake created in 1973 from the Broken River as an ornamental feature for the centre of the city. Broken river forms a green belt along the north-south spine of the city. There are three major crossings of the river at Benalla. The main street in the Central Business District is Bridge Street East.

Another large artificial lake, Lake Mokoan is 7 kilometres to the north east. To the south of the freeway is the heavily forested Reef Hills State Park.

Government

Benalla is the seat of local government and administrative headquarters for the Rural City of Benalla.

In the Victorian Legislative Assembly, it is represented by the Electoral district of Euroa.

In the Parliament of Australia, it is represented by the Division of Indi in the Australian House of Representatives.

Economy

Industries include agricultural support services, tourism, a medium density fibreboard factory, Thales Australia ammunition factory and aviation.

As a service economy for the region, Benalla has many large retailers, including a Coles, Woolworths, Target Country, Aldi and a Mitre 10 Home & Trade.

Education

Benalla has two major secondary schools, Benalla College (which has two campuses), FCJ College and primary schools St. Joseph's Primary School Australian Christian College - Hume. McCristal's College was a private grammar school that also existed in Benalla. There are also state primary schools.

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. The campus includes GRADA, a regional academy of dramatic art offering courses in Acting, Dance and Production.

Culture

Benalla's cultural facilities include the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre which includes a cinema and theatre. The city also has a major art gallery which forms a landmark perched over Lake Benalla on the site of the original police station.

The Rose Festival is an annual local garden festival dating from 1967.

Sport and recreation

The town has an Australian rules football team (Benalla Saints) competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League 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.

Golfers play at the Benalla Golf Club on Mansfield Road, which celebrated its centenary in 2003 or at the course of the Golden Vale Golf Club on Golden Vale Road, Benalla.

Benalla is also the closest major centre to Winton Motor Raceway, a privately owned motor racing circuit which holds motor racing event at all levels of domestic competition, including V8 Supercar.

Benalla Gardens Oval is the home of the Benalla & District Cricket Association. The ground has hosted touring teams since the 19th century. In the Rural City of Benalla there are numerous cricket grounds.

Benalla is also home to the Benalla Bandits Baseball Club who compete in the North East Baseball Association, The team plays out of Racecourse Reserve, Benalla.[1]

Benalla is home to the Gliding Club of Victoria at the State Gliding Centre located on the Benalla airfield. This club is the longest continuous operating gliding club in Australia and has played host for the World Gliding Competition in 1987 and 2016. Many of the club's members travel from Europe each summer to enjoy the warm weather and ideal soaring conditions of the region.

There is a park and walking track that circumnavigates Lake Benalla, featuring a ceramic sculpture community that was created as part of an employment project for local artists.

Heritage

The following sites are National Trust sites.

Another heritage site is Lake Benalla - the site of the former Police Station. The listed Police Members were Corp. Thomas Whitwell, Troopers John Phealy, Patrick Monahan, Thomas Cornwark and Dismounted Trooper Edward Beech; these officers were Gazetted on 30 April 1839. Benalla Police is Victoria's longest serving.

Notable residents

Media

Benalla has a local newspaper, the Benalla Ensign, which is published weekly.

Infrastructure

Health services are provided by Benalla Health, which operates the Benalla & District Memorial Hospital.

Transport

Road transport and the motor vehicle is the main form of transport. The Hume Freeway (National Highway M31) bypasses Benalla to the south, while the Midland Highway (A300) runs through the city centre. The road system is also the main form of public transport. Benalla Bus Lines run a service every hour on each of two routes, servicing the west and east sides of the city. Its main terminal is at the ANZ Bank in Nunn St.

Rail transport includes both passenger rail and freight rail. The city's only station is Benalla railway station which is on the North East railway line. The Albury V/Line rail service stops at Benalla as does the twice dailyNSW TrainLink XPT service to and from Sydney.

Benalla Airport YBLA (BLN) began life as a major RAAF training base during World War II and now also serves as the home of the Gliding Club of Victoria as well as a ballooning & ultralight centre and the Benalla Aviation Museum.

Utilities

Water is supplied by North East Water. The main water supply is Loombah Weir and McCall Say Reservoir in the Ryan's Creek Catchment approximately 13 kilometres south of the city with a total 1800 megalitre capacity.