| Bonegilla Victoria | |
|---|---|
 Sculpture at the migrant camp. Some of the buildings that once housed migrants can be seen in the background. | |
  Bonegilla | |
| Coordinates | 36°08′S147°00′E / 36.133°S 147.000°E /-36.133; 147.000 |
| Population | 610 (2021 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 3691 |
| LGA(s) | City of Wodonga |
| Region | Northeast Victoria |
| State electorate(s) | Benambra |
| Federal division(s) | Indi |
Bonegilla is a town of theCity of Wodongalocal government area in north-eastVictoria, Australia, ten km (6 mi) east ofWodonga, and around 300 km (190 mi) north-east ofMelbourne. At the2021 census, Bonegilla and the surrounding area had a population of 610.[1]
Bonegilla Post Office opened on 20 August 1878 and closed in 1951.[2][3] Bonegilla Military Post Office was open from 1940 to 1947 and from 1983 to 1998, after which it relocated to nearbyBandiana.
Much of the development of the town was due to theCudgewa railway line which opened in 1889 and closed in 1981. The line was used both in the development of, and transporting materials for, theSnowy Mountains Scheme and the main method of transporting thousands of migrants to theBonegilla Migrant Reception Centre fromStation Pier inPort Melbourne. The rail line has since been removed, and is now theHigh Country Rail Trail, a bike path linking Wodonga toLake Hume.
As part of thePost war immigration to Australia, Australia's first migrant reception centre opened at Bonegilla in December 1947 with an intake of the first assisted migrants from Europe, Baltic refugees from Germany. Assisted migrants who had not been refugees began arriving in 1951. The Australian Army had established a camp and military hospital on the site in 1940 as Albury-Wodonga was considered strategically important during the Second World War. Initially the army provided transport and security services to the migrant centre. The camp at Bonegilla closed in 1971 by which time some 320,000 migrants from over 30 countries had spent time there.[4][5] It is estimated that over 1.5 million Australians are descended from migrants who spent time at Bonegilla.[6]
Localities in theCity of Wodonga | ||
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^ -Territory divided with anotherLGA | ||