Benalla | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view from the east | |
  Benalla Location in Rural City of Benalla | |
| Coordinates:36°33′07″S145°58′54″E / 36.55194°S 145.98167°E /-36.55194; 145.98167 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| LGA | |
| Location |
|
| Established | 1840s |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Area | |
• Total | 315.3 km2 (121.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 169.5 m (556 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 9,316 (2021 census)[2] |
| • Density | 29.546/km2 (76.525/sq mi) |
| Postcode | 3672 |
| Mean max temp | 21.9 °C (71.4 °F) |
| Mean min temp | 8.7 °C (47.7 °F) |
| Annual rainfall | 668.3 mm (26.31 in) |
Benalla/bəˈnælə/[4]is a small city in theHume region ofVictoria, Australia. The town sits on theBroken River, about 212 kilometres (130 mi) north east of the state capitalMelbourne. As of the2021 census, the population was 9,316.[2] It is the administrative centre for theRural City of Benalla local government area.
Prior to theEuropean settlement of Australia, the Benalla region was populated by theTaungurung people, anIndigenous Australian people. A 1906 history recounts that prior to white settlement "as many as 400 blacks would meet together in the vicinity of Benalla to hold acorrobboree".[5] The area was first explored in 1824 byHamilton Hume andWilliam Hovell, who recorded an agricultural settlement called "Swampy". The expedition was followed by that ofMajor Thomas Mitchell in 1834.[6]
An attack by indigenous people on the camp of shepherds working for George and William Faithful became known as theFaithful Massacre; eight settlers were killed in the incident. Following the massacre, in 1839 a police station was established to provide protection of over-landers, and the name of the settlement became Broken River.[7]
The post office opened on 1 December 1844 originally namedBroken River.[8] A bridge was built over the Broken River in 1847 and the following year the town was surveyed.[citation needed] In 1849, it was proclaimed a town.[citation needed] It was proclaimed a city in 1965.[9]
In1936, the Benalla Centenary Race was held.
Benalla is situated on a mostly flatfloodplain of the Broken River catchment situated directly to the north and west of theGreat 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 agreen 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, 7 kilometres to the north east, was decommissioned beginning in 2009, with a wetlands area being developed for visitors. To the south of the freeway is the heavily forested Reef Hills State Park.
Benalla has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) bordering on anoceanic climate (Cfb). Summers are mostly warm to hot, sunny and dry with a very low relative humidity (a mean 3 pm reading of just 32% in January), while winters are cool and cloudy with modest rainfall. A heavy fall of snow was observed in Benalla on 31 May 1913.[10]
| Climate data for Benalla (Shadforth Street, 1903–2006, extremes 1957–2006); 170 m AMSL; 36.55° S, 145.97° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.5 (110.3) | 42.4 (108.3) | 39.4 (102.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 25.7 (78.3) | 29.5 (85.1) | 35.2 (95.4) | 40.5 (104.9) | 41.8 (107.2) | 43.5 (110.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 27.4 (81.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 13.8 (56.8) | 12.8 (55.0) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.4 (70.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 21.9 (71.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 12.2 (54.0) | 8.6 (47.5) | 5.8 (42.4) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.9 (55.2) | 8.7 (47.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.8 (40.6) | 2.8 (37.0) | −0.5 (31.1) | −3.4 (25.9) | −4.5 (23.9) | −4.2 (24.4) | −3.6 (25.5) | −2.5 (27.5) | −0.8 (30.6) | 1.3 (34.3) | 3.2 (37.8) | −4.5 (23.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 40.7 (1.60) | 35.9 (1.41) | 43.7 (1.72) | 49.2 (1.94) | 63.4 (2.50) | 73.7 (2.90) | 72.0 (2.83) | 71.3 (2.81) | 63.3 (2.49) | 64.7 (2.55) | 48.0 (1.89) | 42.8 (1.69) | 668.3 (26.31) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.7 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 9.2 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 10.6 | 9.3 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 98.2 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 32 | 35 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 66 | 67 | 61 | 55 | 49 | 41 | 35 | 49 |
| Source:Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Benalla (Shadforth Street) | |||||||||||||
Benalla's cultural facilities include the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre which includes a cinema and theatre. The city also has amajor art gallery which forms a landmark perched overLake Benalla on the site of the original police station.
Benalla has more than 50 murals on the CBD Benalla Street Art trail, and beyond including local villages such as Goorambat and Winton Wetlands. The annual Wall to Wall Street Art Festival has been held since 2015, curated by Juddy Roller Studios, usually the week before Easter. Over one long-weekend dozens of world class artists create one giant outdoor gallery in the town. The Wall to Wall Festival also includes workshops, artist talks, live music, markets, street art tours and more.
Benalla is also home to a former artist's hub known as North East Artisans – an entirely self funded, not for profit community art gallery run by volunteers established in 2014, shutting down in 2022.[11] It featured a shop gallery with the works of local artists, an exhibition space, artist studios and a cafe, with regular exhibitions and live music events featuring local, national and international musicians. On 31 August 2022, the Gallery Shop at 28C Carrier street closed for business. They planned to keep the website as a "'virtual archive' celebrating the 'life and times' of NEA until the subscription ceases".[12] The website was last heard from on 12th December 2022.[13]
The Benalla Festival is another annual localgarden festival dating from 1967, then known as the "Rose Festival.[14] It is held over the first two weekends in November with dozens of free and low cost events including the community Street Parade, Music by the Lake and fireworks, and A Day in the Gardens Market held in the Benalla Botanical Gardens. Events in the festival are described as a "collaboration of community efforts that encompass art, music, dance, history, sport, family attractions, exhibitions and much more."[14]
The town has anAustralian rules football and netball club (Benalla Saints) with multiple teams competing in theGoulburn Valley Football League[15] and a team (Benalla All Blacks) competing in theOvens & King Football League.
Benalla has ahorse racing club, the Benalla Racing Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Benalla Cup meeting in early October.[16]
Benalla Wolfpack play rugby league inNRL Victoria's Murray Cup.
Golfers play at the Benalla Golf Club on Mansfield Road,[17] which celebrated its centenary in 2003[18] or at the course of the Golden Vale Golf Club on Golden Vale Road, Benalla.[19]
Benalla is also the closest major centre toWinton Motor Raceway, a privately owned motor racing circuit which holds motor racing event at all levels of domestic competition, includingV8 Supercar.
Benalla Gardens Oval is the home of the Benalla & District Cricket Association.[20] The ground has hosted touring teams since the 19th century.[21] In the Rural City of Benalla there are numerous cricket grounds.[22]
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.
There is a park and walking track that circumnavigatesLake Benalla, featuring a ceramic sculpture mural community that was created as part of an employment project for local artists.
There was once an annual Benalla Sports Carnival, consisting of athletics, cycling and wood chopping events that commenced in April 1932, initially to assist with funding for theBenalla Football Club, with the carnival being held on the Benalla Showgrounds and the foot running was held under the supervision of theVictorian Athletic League.[23] Unfortunately the 1932 carnival was cancelled due to wet weather.[24]
| Benalla Gift Winners | |||||
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| Year | Winner | City (from) | Handicap | Time (secs) | Comments |
| 1932 | |||||
| 1933 | |||||
| 1934 | |||||
| 1935 | |||||
| 1936 | |||||
| 1937 | |||||
| 1938 | |||||
| 1939 | |||||
| 1940 | |||||
The following sites areNational Trust sites.[25]
According to the2021 census of Population, there were 9,316 people in Benalla.[2]
Benalla is the seat of local government and administrative headquarters for theRural City of Benalla.
In theVictorian Legislative Assembly, it is represented by theElectoral district of Euroa.
In the Parliament of Australia, it is represented by theDivision of Indi in theAustralian House of Representatives.
Industries include agricultural support services, tourism, a medium density fibreboard factory,Thales Australia ammunition factory and aviation.[citation needed]
As a service economy for the region, Benalla has many large retailers, including aColes,Woolworths,Aldi and aMitre 10 Home & Trade.Target Country on Bridge Street closed in April 2021.[27]
Benalla has two secondary schools,Benalla P–12 College (which has four campuses comprising Prep–yr 2; yr 3–6; yrs 7–9 and 10–12),FCJ College and three primary schools: Benalla P–12, St Joseph's Primary School[28] andAustralian Christian College – Hume. McCristal's College was a private grammar school that used to exist in Benalla.[29]
The Benalla Flexible Learning Centre offers an alternative education model for students up to 22 years old also.
TheGoulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE has a campus in Benalla which includes theBenalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre opened in 2004 byLynne KoskyMP, the then Minister of Education and Training.[30] The campus included GRADA, a regional academy of dramatic art offering courses in Acting, Dance and Production and now specializes in Nursing and Engineering courses with direct links to local businesses for work placements. The other GoTafe campuses in the region include at Shepparton, Wangaratta and Seymour.
The Centre for Continuing Education also offers pre-employment programs in Benalla plus Aged Care programs with practical work experience at Cooinda Village.
Benalla has a local newspaper, theBenalla Ensign, which is published weekly.
Health services are provided by Benalla Health, which operates a 42-bed hospital, plus a variety of Allied Health and maternal and Child Health Services.
Benalla is a little over two hours from Melbourne by road or train. The Hume Freeway (National Highway M31) now by-passes Benalla to the south, while theMidland Highway (A300) runs through the city centre. Rail transport includes both passenger rail and freight.Benalla railway station is on theNorth East railway line, and threeAlbury V/Line rail services stop at Benalla daily, as does the twice-dailyNSW TrainLinkXPT service between Melbourne andSydney.
Benalla Bus Lines runs a local service every hour on two routes, serving the west and east sides of the city. The main bus terminal is outside theANZ Bank in Nunn Street.
Benalla Airport YBLA (BLN) began life as a majorRAAF training base duringWorld War II. It now also serves as the home of theGliding Club of Victoria, as well as aballooning andultralight centre, and is the home of the Benalla Aviation Museum.
Water is supplied byNorth 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.[31][32][33]
More than a hundred complaints were received byEPA Victoria from 2019 for the dust and particulates coming from Monsbent Pty Ltd, also known as D&R Henderson, situated in Yarrawonga road. The company was charged a fine of $80,000 in court in 2021 for failing to follow the requirements of its licence.[34] In September 2022, EPA laid 39 new charges for breaching their licence conditions by emitting an excess in dust, odours and other nuisible substances.[35]
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