Population 421 (2011 census) State electorate(s) Ovens Valley Local time Sunday 10:00 PM | Postcode(s) 3733 Postal code 3733 Federal division Division of Indi | |
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Location 50 km (31 mi) from Wangaratta
60 km (37 mi) from Mansfield
245 km (152 mi) from Melbourne LGA(s) Rural City of Wangaratta Weather 12°C, Wind SE at 8 km/h, 70% Humidity Points of interest Pizzini Wines, Dal Zotto Wines, Gracebrook Vineyards | ||
Whitfield is an agricultural township in the King Valley in north-eastern Victoria.
Contents
Map of Whitfield VIC 3733, Australia
Overview
The township is immediately west of the flood-prone King River and has State Forest to its west and east. Agriculture extends along several stream valleys which are tributaries of the King River. At the 2011 census, Whitfield and the surrounding area had a population of 421.
History
Pastoral runs were established in the area in the 1840s but population was small until the 1870s, the Post Office opening on 1 May 1874 as Upper King River and being renamed Whitfield in 1889. The name Whitfield is believed to come from the name of a pastoral run Whitefields. In the early 1900s Whitfield was the site of a Government experimental farm growing tobacco and hops. After World War II many European immigrants settled in the area and grew tobacco.
Today
It is close to the township of Cheshunt and the localities of Rose River and Dandongadale. Local places of interest include Paradise Falls, Mount Cobbler, Power's Lookout, Lake William Hovell and Wabonga Plateau. Cascading waterfalls, clear mountain streams, wildflowers and spectacular views of the Alps are all features of the Wabonga Plateau-Mount Cobbler area of the Alpine National Park. There is a variety of tours and places of interest for day visitors as well as those staying longer. Bushwalking, 4WD touring and camping are all popular pastimes.
Mount Cobbler and the Wabonga Plateau area of the Alpine National Park are best approached from Whitfield. From Melbourne, Whitfield can be reached via the Hume Highway to Wangaratta or via the Maroondah Highway to Mansfield and then via Tolmie. Roads from Benalla, Mansfield and Myrtleford also provide interesting scenic routes to the area.
Whitfield has a number of facilities as the principal town of the upper King Valley. It has a hotel/pub, Cafe Whitty (coffee shop & food), police station, golf course and caravan park. It is home of the King Valley football team competing in the Ovens and King Football League.
Tragedy struck the township when the only general store in town (which had recently been taken over by new owners) was tragically destroyed in a fire early in 2013. General store facilities and postal services are now being provided by the general store 5 klms further up the Upper King Valley in nearby Cheshunt until the Whitfield store can be rebuilt.
Transport
There is a link between Whitfield and Melbourne's tourist railway Puffing Billy. In 1897 the Victorian Railways accepted the tender from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, U.S.A. for narrow-gauge locomotives of the ‘A’ Class, (two 2 foot 6 inch-gauge locomotives) and the first two to be received were placed on the Whitfield/Wangaratta line construction project. Thus the line has the distinction of being the first narrow-gauge line to be built in Victoria. [1] Some of the whistle stop name-boards such as Angleside, Claremont, Dwyer, Pieper and Jarrott can still be seen. There is now a bus service that has replaced the old train system, still taking the same route in and out of Wangaratta. The bus runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.