| Wagga Wagga New South Wales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 An aerial view of central Wagga Wagga | |||||||||
  Wagga Wagga | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°7′8″S147°22′8″E / 35.11889°S 147.36889°E /-35.11889; 147.36889 | ||||||||
| Population | 57,003 (2021)[1] (26th) | ||||||||
| Established | 1829 (explored)[2] 1847 (village) 1849 (surveyed) 1849 (town) 1870 (municipality) 1946 (city) | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2650 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 180[3] m (591 ft) | ||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | AEDT (UTC+11:00) | ||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Wagga Wagga | ||||||||
| County | |||||||||
| Parish | South Wagga Wagga | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wagga Wagga | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Riverina | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Wagga Wagga (/ˌwɒɡəˈwɒɡə/;[4] informally calledWagga) is a major regional city in theRiverina region ofNew South Wales, Australia. Straddling theMurrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021,[5][6] it is an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia. The ninth largest inland city in Australia,[7] Wagga Wagga is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—Sydney andMelbourne—and is the major regional centre for theRiverina andSouth West Slopes regions.
The central business district is focused around the commercial and recreational grid bounded by Best and Tarcutta Streets and theMurrumbidgee River and theSturt Highway. The main shopping street of Wagga is Baylis Street which becomes Fitzmaurice Street at the northern end. Wagga is accessible from Sydney via theSturt andHume Highways, Adelaide via theSturt Highway and Albury and Melbourne via theOlympic Highway andHume Highway. Wagga is in analluvial valley and much of the city has a problem with urbansalinity.[citation needed]
The original inhabitants of the Wagga Wagga region were theWiradjuri people. In 1829,Charles Sturt became the firstEuropean explorer to visit the future site of the city.Squatters arrived soon after. The town, positioned on the site of aford across the Murrumbidgee,[8] was surveyed and gazetted as a village in 1849 and the town grew quickly after. In 1870, the town was gazetted as a municipality.
During the negotiations leading to thefederation of the Australian colonies, Wagga Wagga was a contender for the site of the capital for the new nation.[9] During World War I, the town was the starting point for theKangaroo recruitment march. TheGreat Depression and the resulting hardship saw Wagga Wagga become the centre of asecession movement for theRiverina region. Wagga Wagga became a garrison town during World War II with the establishment of a military base atKapooka andRoyal Australian Air Force bases atForest Hill andUranquinty. After the war, Wagga Wagga was proclaimed as a city in 1946 and new suburbs were developed to the south of the city. In 1982, the city was amalgamated with the neighbouringKyeamba andMitchell Shires to form theCity of Wagga Waggalocal government area.
Wagga Wagga is at the eastern end of theRiverina region where the slopes of theGreat Dividing Range flatten and form the Riverina plain. Wagga straddles theMurrumbidgee River, one of the great rivers of theMurray–Darling basin, and the city centre is on the southern bank, protected by alevee from potential flooding.
Wagga sits halfway between the largest cities in Australia, being 452 kilometres southwest of Sydney and 456 kilometres northeast of Melbourne with theSydney–Melbourne railway line passing through.[10] TheSturt Highway, part of Australia'sNational Highway network, passes through Wagga on its way fromAdelaide to its junction with the main Sydney–Melbourne route, theHume Highway, a further 45 kilometres east.
This location astride some of Australia's major transport routes has made Wagga Wagga an important heavy truck depot for a number of companies, includingToll Group. Wagga Wagga itself is the major regional centre for theRiverina and for much of theSouth West Slopes regions, providing education, health and other services to a region extending as far asGriffith to the west,Cootamundra to the north andTumut to the east.
Wagga Wagga is upstream from the Riverina plain in the mid-catchment range of theMurrumbidgee River in analluvial valley confined by lowbedrock hills.[11] Much of Wagga Wagga is on heavyclay soils in a largedrainage basin with a small catchment discharge point.Groundwater therefore cannot leave easily, leading to Wagga Wagga having a problem with waterlogged soil andsoil salination. Urban salination in Wagga Wagga is now the subject of a large multi-pronged approach to prevent further salination and reclaim salt-affected areas.[12]
The location of Wagga Wagga's Central business district was already well established by the late 1800s and remains focused around the commercial and recreational grid bounded by Best and Tarcutta Streets and the Murrumbidgee River and the Sturt Highway. The main shopping street of Wagga Wagga is Baylis Street which becomes Fitzmaurice Street at the northern end. The Wollundry Lagoon is the water focus of the city centre and has been a key element in the development and separation of the north (older) and south (newer) parts of the city centre.
Most residential growth in Wagga Wagga has been on the higher ground to the south of the city centre, with the only residential areas north of the Murrumbidgee being the flood prone suburb ofNorth Wagga Wagga and the university suburb ofEstella. Major industrial areas of Wagga Wagga include the northern suburb ofBomen and the eastern suburb ofEast Wagga Wagga.
Thomas Mitchell, the surveyor who served underLord Wellington, named many of the streets afterPeninsular War veterans.[13]
Wagga Wagga has atemperate climate with hot dry summers and cool to cold winters.[14][15] Under theKöppen climate classification, the city has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa),[16] with asemi-arid influence in its vegetation.[17] At a latitude of 35 degrees and altitude of 212 metres (696 ft), Wagga Wagga has four distinct seasons. Winters can be cold by Australian standards. The mean maximum temperature falls in July to 12.7 °C (54.9 °F) and a mean minimum of 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The lowest temperature recorded at Wagga was −6.3 °C (20.7 °F) on 21 August 1982. The lowest maximum temperature did not surpass 3.4 °C (38.1 °F) on 16 July 1966.
Fog and heavyfrosts are common in the winter; whilesnow is now a very rare occurrence, with the last snowfall in June 1975 (though with several occurrences prior to that year).[18][19] Summers in Wagga Wagga are warm to hot, with mean maximum temperatures ranging between 29 and 32 °C (84 and 90 °F). The hottest temperature on record was 46.1 °C (115.0 °F) on 4 January 2020.[20]Relative humidity is low in the summer months with a 3 pm average of around 30%. Wagga Wagga is considerably sunny with 124.3 clear days annually, averaging 8.1 sunshine hours daily or 2,961.5 hours annually (with the majority in the warmer months).[19]
In 2009 the city recorded an anomalous maximum of 25.03 °C (77.05 °F), which was 2.33 °C (4.19 °F) above the country's average of 22.7 °C (72.9 °F) and the highest anomalous maximum in Australia for 2009.[21] This preceded theearly 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave, in which Wagga Wagga recorded 13 consecutive days over 38 °C (100 °F).
Wagga Wagga has a mean annual rainfall of 571.5 millimetres (22.50 in) per year.[20] This rainfall is distributed fairly equally over the 12 months, with a slight peak in winter and spring.[19] On 8 March 2010, Wagga Wagga Airport recorded 110.2 mm (4.34 in) of rain. This broke the previous all-time record of 104.1 mm (4.10 in) set on 16 March 1966, with 127 mm (5.0 in) of rain recorded at Gurwood Street in the city's CBD.[22] In December 2010, the city recorded its wettest year on record and the first yearly rainfall recording of 1,000 mm (39 in).[23][24]
| Climate data for Wagga Wagga AMO (1941–2020); 212 m AMSL; 35.16° S, 147.46° E | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 46.1 (115.0) | 45.2 (113.4) | 39.9 (103.8) | 35.8 (96.4) | 28.7 (83.7) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 26.6 (79.9) | 32.9 (91.2) | 36.3 (97.3) | 42.8 (109.0) | 43.2 (109.8) | 46.1 (115.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 27.7 (81.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 17.4 (63.3) | 13.9 (57.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 14.5 (58.1) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 25.9 (78.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 22.2 (72.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 13.5 (56.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.7 (38.7) | 2.8 (37.0) | 3.5 (38.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.8 (46.0) | 10.9 (51.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 9.1 (48.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 3.4 (38.1) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.6 (36.7) | −2.1 (28.2) | −4.4 (24.1) | −5.2 (22.6) | −6.3 (20.7) | −5.4 (22.3) | −3.8 (25.2) | −2.2 (28.0) | −0.2 (31.6) | 3.4 (38.1) | −6.3 (20.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 40.1 (1.58) | 40.2 (1.58) | 44.6 (1.76) | 39.7 (1.56) | 50.6 (1.99) | 50.4 (1.98) | 54.1 (2.13) | 50.7 (2.00) | 48.8 (1.92) | 55.8 (2.20) | 46.5 (1.83) | 46.1 (1.81) | 571.5 (22.50) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 9.2 | 11.3 | 13.6 | 12.9 | 10.4 | 9.3 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 103.6 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 29 | 33 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 64 | 65 | 59 | 54 | 46 | 36 | 30 | 46 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 334.8 | 285.3 | 288.3 | 246.0 | 195.3 | 138.0 | 148.8 | 198.4 | 228.0 | 285.2 | 291.0 | 322.4 | 2,961.5 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 10.8 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 8.2 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 10.4 | 8.1 |
| Source:[20] | |||||||||||||
The original inhabitants of the Wagga Wagga region, who maintain a relationship with the area to this day, are theWiradjuri people and the wordwagga in theWiradjuri language was thought to mean 'crow', sowagga wagga could be taken to mean 'the place of many crows'. Other interpretations hadwagga to mean 'reeling' (a sick man or a dizzy man); 'to dance, slide or grind'.[25] In August 2019, theCity of Wagga Wagga dropped the definition 'crow' and adopted the city's Aboriginal meaning as 'dance and celebrations'.[26] The new meaning was officially enshrined in the city's first Reconciliation Action Plan.
European exploration of the future site of Wagga Wagga began in 1829 with the arrival of CaptainCharles Sturt during his expedition along the Murrumbidgee River.[27] Settlers arrived shortly thereafter with Charles Tompson establishing the Eunonyhareenyha 'run' in 1832 on the north bank of the river, and also in 1832 the Wagga Wagga 'run' established by Robert Holt Best[28] (died September 1853),[29] on the south bank. Other settlers followed, allsquatting illegally, but by 1836 the colonial government regulated the tenure of land and established a licensing scheme.[30] Within a few years settlers' numbers increased greatly and before 1850 a local bench ofmagistrates and a place for holdingpetty sessions was established.[31] The beginnings of a village formed near the ford used by most traffic passing through the area and included a crudeblacksmith's shop, ahotel, and a post office. By 1849 the town was marked out bysurveyor Thomas Scott Townsend and formallygazetted as a village.[8]
Wagga Wagga grew quickly, reaching a population of 627 in 1861 and during that decade a number of hotels and stores opened, as well as professional services in the form of banks, solicitors, doctors and dentists.[32][33] TheWagga Wagga Advertiser (today'sDaily Advertiser) commenced publication in 1868.[32] Until the 1860s most goods were transported to markets bybullock wagon. For a short time, the arrival of faster, cheaper and more reliableriverboats allowed goods to be transported more easily to export markets. The riverboat era ended when the New South Wales government extended the railway line to North Wagga Wagga in 1878 and across the river to Wagga Wagga itself in 1881.[34]
As in most rural towns Chinese people made a significant contribution as storekeeper, scrub clearers and in other occupations. As observed in 1879: "Chinamen seem to pervade everywhere. It is evident that the yellow agony doesn't annoy the good folks of Wagga Wagga much. Chinese cooks, Chinese "boots" Chinese labourers, Chinese servants are everywhere." "Most of the "ringing" on the surrounding runs and selections is in the hands of Chinamen, who, be it noted, have so far advanced in the civilisation of the west as to understand fully the advantage of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. Chinese cheap labour is unknown here. The Celestial business establishments seem well patronised by Europeans as well as by their compatriots."[35]
On 15 March 1870, Wagga Wagga was incorporated as a municipality and George Forsyth was chosen as the firstmayor of Wagga Wagga.Gas lighting was installed throughout the streets of Wagga Wagga in 1881, although once again North Wagga Wagga was neglected. By 1885, a townwaterworks and reservoir was established although water quality remained a problem. Poorsanitation caused a horrific stench in the town and was blamed for a large increase ininfectious diseases such astyphoid fever in the 1890s and early 1900s. In 1908 the council approved asewerage scheme and by 1914 most of the main streets were sewered. A free public library was opened in 1875 and the council began to establish parklands such as Bolton Park and the Town Hall Gardens.[36]
In September 1859 local residents formed a committee for the construction of apile bridge over the Murrumbidgee River. After the New South Wales Government refused to support this type of bridge the committee decided to finance it themselves. The bridge was completed in October 1862 and opened on 27 October at just over 91 metres long and 7 metres wide. In 1884 the New South Wales Government purchased the bridge and it was demolished in 1895.[37] In 1895 atruss bridge called theHampden Bridge, was built across the Murrumbidgee River at Wagga. The bridge served the Wagga Wagga community for over 100 years until 16 August 2006 when it was closed and fenced off to the public due to the bridge being declared a safety risk after one of the trusses failed.[38][39] In 2014 the Hampden Bridge was demolished.[40][41]
With its increasing prosperity and population, Wagga Wagga and the surrounding district became a place of interest to several infamousbushrangers. The Wagga police magistrateHenry Baylis was bailed up byMad Dog Morgan in 1863.[42]Captain Moonlite and his band arrived in the district on 15 November 1879 and held up 39 people atWantabadgery Station. Moonlite and his gang escaped a police pursuit only to be captured at another nearby property when police from the neighbouring townships ofGundagai andAdelong arrived.[42]
Along with most of theRiverina region, the majority of Wagga Wagga residents supported thefederation of the Australian colonies, in large part due to the prospect offree trade across colonial borders. In 1898, a group of residents promoted Wagga Wagga for consideration as the site of the future national capital due to its location equidistant from Sydney and Melbourne and its ample water supply. Despite the bid's lack of success, in the 1899referendum Wagga Wagga residents voted strongly in favour of federation.[9]
During World War I the town was the starting point of the "Kangaroo March", one of a series ofsnowball marches conducted in New South Wales during the war in which groups of recruits marched towards Sydney and appealed to men in the towns along the route to join them and enlist in theAustralian Imperial Force. 88 recruits left Wagga Wagga on 1 December 1915, farewelled by a large crowd and to the accompaniment of a band. The marchers includedJohn Ryan, who later won theVictoria Cross for his actions in theBattle of the Hindenburg Line in 1918.[43] The march finished atCampbelltown with over 220 recruits.[43][44]
After the war some of the area around Wagga Wagga was designated forsettlement by returned soldiers, who faced insurmountable difficulties due to poor and unwatered land, lack of farming experience and lack of access to markets. Many walked off the land after years of backbreaking work.[45] Residential growth continued with a population in 1921 of 11,631.[46] Much of this residential growth was housed in the higher ground to the south, extending to the south of the railway tracks. A suburb consisting of tents and crude huts, known as "Tent Town", developed along the river providing housing for the poorer residents of Wagga Wagga.[47] In 1922, electricity was provided for the town, withhydro-electric power available fromBurrinjuck Dam from 1928.[48]
Hardship as a result of theGreat Depression, and the election ofJack Lang of theLabor party asPremier of New South Wales, sparked the formation of the "Riverina Movement". Throughout the Riverina in early 1931, a series of rallies were organised by the movement, culminating in a great meeting in Wagga Wagga on 28 February 1931. The meeting called on the State and Federal governments to alleviate the concerns of producers in the district or hold a referendum to determine if the Riverina shouldsecede. The movement petered out following the dismissal of Lang in 1932 and the recovery of the regional economy.[49]
The outbreak of World War II sawRoyal Australian Air Force bases established atForest Hill in 1940 andUranquinty in 1941. A majorAustralian Army camp was constructed atKapooka in 1942 and one year later there were 8,000 troops in training there with Wagga taking on the characteristics of a garrison town.[50]
After the war, Wagga Wagga grew steadily and was proclaimed a city on 17 April 1946. Suburbs such asTurvey Park andKooringal were developed to the south of the city and in the 1960s, residential growth expanded to cover areas such asTolland andLake Albert. The main commercial district also moved south to the Baylis Street end with the development of the Sturt Mall in 1979. The City Council developed a series of industrial areas including areas for service and general industries, and agricultural processing and noxious industries were established in a new industrial estate inBomen.[51]
In the 1950s the defence bases in Wagga Wagga again became an important part of the city. The Army camp at Kapooka was reopened as a recruit training centre from 1951, a role it maintains to this day.RAAF Base Wagga at Forest Hill also expanded, with training of defence force aircraft technicians there from 1969.[52] After a series of major floods in the early 1950s, the City Council protected the city area on the southflood plain through construction of alevee, completed in 1962. The levee was designed to provide protection from floods at levels expected once every one hundred years. North Wagga Wagga was initially excluded from protection however by 1982 another levee was constructed to protect the village, although at a lower standard.[53]
In 1971, following pressure from the Wagga Wagga community for a university, the teachers' college established in 1947 became the Riverina College of Advanced Education and was relocated to a site adjacent to the Wagga Agricultural College, with which it amalgamated in 1975. In 1989, the college amalgamated with the College of Advanced Education atBathurst to becomeCharles Sturt University.[54] In 1981, the New South Wales government forced the amalgamation of Wagga Wagga City Council with neighbouring Kyeamba Shire and Mitchell Shire to form the newCity of Wagga Waggalocal government area, containing 4,886 square kilometres.[55]
In February 1993, Wagga Wagga was the first city in the world to be proclaimed as a Rotary Peace City, with a Rotary Peace Monument unveiled on the corner of The Esplanade and Best Street.[56][57]
Wagga Wagga has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The Wagga Wagga city flag was designed by H Ellis Tomlinson and adopted in 1965.[60] Wagga Wagga City Council holds the copyright to Tomlinson's design. The flag is officially square and takes its design from the shield of the city's coat of arms.
The upper quarter of the shield contains eight stalks of wheat positioned to form two capital letters W on a vert (green) field. The lower quarter of the upper half of the flag contains a wavy blue line on gold (yellow) representing the river winding through the wheat fields. The lower half of the flag contains the head of a ram positioned centrally on a vert (green) field.
The crest has a gold (yellow) mural crown on a knight's helmet. Inside the mural crown are a yellow caduceus with black wings, and eight gum leaves arranged as two letters W.
Both the supporters are crows, each with a gold (yellow) collar in the shape of the letter W.
The base of the coat of arms is grassy with a river in between, indicating that Wagga Wagga is built on both sides of the river.
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Crows are considered a symbol of the city of Wagga Wagga, appearing in the council's logo, coat of arms, and throughout branding of local businesses, as well as in public artwork. This is due to the debated interpretation of 'Wagga Wagga' being derived from aWiradjuri language term meaning 'place of many crows'.
Since 2019, the Wagga Wagga City Council has recognised this meaning as incorrect, instead adopting "many dances and celebrations", which was supported byWiradjuri elderStan Grant. Crows remain a ubiquitous civic symbol of Wagga Wagga. Both the council andABC Riverina have promoted the use of thebarking marsh frog as an alternative animal emblem for the city, originally suggested by Canberra resident Dec Browne.[61][non-primary source needed]
Wagga Wagga is the major city of the Riverina and the second largest inland city in New South Wales after Maitland,[62][6] In 2021 the urban area of Wagga Wagga was home to 57,003 people.[1] Wagga had grown, on average, 0.65 percent year-on-year during the previous five years.[63] Much of this growth is attributable to the "sponge city" phenomenon as Wagga Wagga attracts residents from smaller towns in the region such asUrana. Other factors include Wagga's role as a regional centre and its hosting of major defence establishments and aCharles Sturt University campus.[64]
In the2021 census, there were 57,003 people in the Wagga Wagga Urban Area.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 7,679 | — |
| 1933 | 11,631 | +51.5% |
| 1947 | 15,340 | +31.9% |
| 1954 | 19,235 | +25.4% |
| 1961 | 22,092 | +14.9% |
| 1966 | 24,904 | +12.7% |
| 1971 | 27,719 | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 32,984 | +19.0% |
| 1981 | 36,837 | +11.7% |
| 1986 | 37,577 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 40,875 | +8.8% |
| 1996 | 42,848 | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 44,272 | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 46,735 | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 46,913 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 48,263 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 49,686 | +2.9% |
| Source:Australian Bureau of Statistics data.[65][66] | ||
Wagga is home to approximately 39% of Australia'sYazidi population.[67]
Wagga Wagga falls within the boundary of theAnglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Anglican parishes include St John's, Wagga Wagga (Church St); St Paul's, Turvey Park (Fernleigh Rd); St Alban's, Kooringal (Lake Albert Rd); Community of the Redeemer, Ashmont (Blakemore Ave).
Wagga Wagga is the seat of aRoman Catholic diocese, with its principal church being St Michael's Cathedral.
Wagga attracts people from all over the Riverina and southwestern New South Wales to its shopping facilities. It is the major support city for over 200,000 people who live across the region.[citation needed]
Wagga's shopping centres include two notable centres of metropolitan standards,Wagga Wagga Marketplace and Sturt Mall in the central business district, and suburban shopping centres such as the South City Shopping Centre inGlenfield Park, the Lake Village Shopping Centre,Lake Albert, theTolland Shopping Centre and Kooringal Mall inKooringal. Wagga has a large HomeBase store located on theSturt Highway.
Wagga's central business district, with both Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets and other surrounding streets, offers hundreds of speciality retailers including national chains such asBig W,Myer andKmart.Target Country closed its store on Baylis Street in March 2021.[68] The dairy companyFonterra (formerly Murrumbidgee Dairy Products[69]), is based on the Sturt Highway, and is a supplier of dairy products in the Riverina, Other major industries includeCargill andHeinz, which are in the suburb ofBomen.
TheAustralian Army base atKapooka includes theArmy Recruit Training Centre, where general enlistment members of theAustralian Army undertake their initial training.[70] The barracks at Kapooka are named after World War II military commanderSirThomas Blamey, born atLake Albert Wagga Wagga and Australia's onlyField Marshal.[42][71] Following recruit training, soldiers move on to take specific training at training establishments throughout Australia. The soldiers club at Kapooka is named forJohn Hurst Edmondson, Australia's firstVictoria Cross winner in World War II, who was born in Wagga Wagga.[72][73]
There is a separateRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base atForest Hill,RAAF Base Wagga, which is the administration and logistics training base for Air Force personnel and the tri-service (RAN/Army/RAAF) electronic (White hander) and aircraft (Black hander) trades school. SomeRoyal Australian Navy Aircraft Technicians assigned to the naval air stationHMAS Albatross are based at RAAF Base Wagga as an Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU). As of 2008, No 1 Recruit Training Unit (1RTU) has moved from RAAF Edinburgh to RAAF Wagga Wagga.[74] RAAF Base Wagga is also the home of theWagga Wagga RAAF Museum.
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The sole provider of higher education in Wagga Wagga is the local campus of the multi-campusCharles Sturt University, located on the outskirts of the suburb ofEstella. The university was established on 1 July 1989[75] following the enactment of The Charles Sturt University Act, 1989 and involved the merger of several existing separately-administeredColleges of Advanced Education including the Riverina College of Advanced Education in Wagga Wagga. At the time of its establishment it became the ninth university in the state and its inaugural vice-chancellor wasC.D. BlakeAO who at the time was the principal of the Riverina College.[75]
TheRiverina Institute, a collection ofTAFE institute campuses has its headquarters in Wagga Wagga and Wagga is home to three campuses.[76] The Primary Industries Centre, at North Wagga Wagga is set on 250 hectares and runs courses on agriculture and horticulture.[77] The National Aerospace Training Centre of Excellence, atRAAF Base Wagga provides training support to theAustralian Defence Forceaerospace traineeship program. The commercial contract with the ADF is the largest technical training contract in Australia.[78] In addition Wagga Wagga is home to eight secondary schools and 22 primary schools.
Local government for the city is provided by theWagga Wagga City Council. As well as Wagga Wagga itself the City Council area includes the outlying towns ofTarcutta,Ladysmith,Mangoplah,Collingullie andUranquinty covering an area of 4,824 km2.[79] The local government area was formed as a result of the amalgamation of the City of Wagga Wagga with the Mitchell and Kyeamba Shires in 1981. The council itself consists of 9 councillors elected for a four-year term and from these amayor and deputy mayor are elected each year by the council.[80]
Wagga Wagga is the largest city in theAustralian House of Representatives electorate ofRiverina, currently represented byMichael McCormack of theNational Party. At the state level, the city is represented in theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly byJoe McGirr, Independent member for theElectoral district of Wagga Wagga.
Busabout Wagga Wagga provides bus services from most Wagga Wagga suburbs to the CBD 365 days a year, including public holidays.
Allen's Coaches of Coolamon and Junee Buses provide weekday connections to Coolamon (routes 1W, 2W and 3W) and Junee (routes 21–25) respectively.
Wagga Radio Cabs run taxis 24/7 in the city with taxi ranks at Station Place, Forsyth Street, Gurwood Street,Wagga Wagga Base Hospital and Kooringal Mall.
Baylis Street in the CBD was a thoroughfare for theOlympic Highway until the Gobbagombalin Bridge (referred to locally as theGobba Bridge and is believed to be the longest continuous-span viaduct in New South Wales) about 6 km northwest of the CBD was opened on 26 July 1997.[81] TheSturt Highway passes through the centre of Wagga Wagga.
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Wagga Wagga railway station is located on theMain Southern railway line with twice dailyXPT rail services provided byNSW TrainLink, the state owned passenger rail service.
Wagga Wagga Airport atForest Hill has scheduled daily flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane operated by two carriers,Rex Airlines andQantasLink bringing approximately 210,000 passengers through the region every year. Coupled with Rex's major maintenance base and the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA), the Airport is one of the busiest in regional Australia. The airport itself is owned by theRoyal Australian Air Force and the civil side is leased by the Wagga Wagga City Council. The sealed runway can cater for aircraft up toBoeing 737-800 andAirbus A321.[82]
Wagga's location approximately midway between Melbourne and Sydney on the "Barassi Line" contributes to high levels of football participation in all codes:Australian rules football,Rugby league,Rugby union andSoccer. Other popular sports in Wagga includecricket, tennis, andlawn bowls.
The city has eight Australian rules football clubs, including:Mangoplah–Cookardinia United-Eastlakes,Wagga Tigers, Collingullie–Wagga and Turvey Park in theRiverina Football League and East Wagga-Kooringal, North Wagga and Rivcoll (CSU) in theFarrer Football League. There are four Rugby union teams which include: CSU Reddies, Wagga Agricultural College, Wagga City and Wagga Waratahs in theSouthern Inland Rugby Union. Four soccer teams based in the city include: Henwood Park, Wagga United, Tolland and Lake Albert, with the first grade competition for men being thePascoe Cup and for women theLeonard Cup. Three local rugby league teams compete in theGroup 9 Rugby League competition and include Wagga Brothers, South City and Wagga Kangaroos. National Rugby League games played in Wagga Wagga are held at McDonald's Park. The city also hosts the Group 9grand final, a major event.
TheWagga Wagga Gold Cup, said to be Australia's second oldestthoroughbredhorse race, is held in the first week of May.[83][84]
East Wagga is home to the Wagga Wagga Gun Club and the Australian Clay Target Association, which has an Olympic-standardclay target shooting range and "The Range" function centre, at 308 Copland Street. The centre, which opened in October 2018, was made possible through a NSW Government grant of $5.5 million.[85]
The "Wagga Effect" is a term that has been used frequently in the Australian media to describe the disproportionately large number of elite sportsmen and women that originate from the city.[86] It is speculated that the phenomenon may arise in rural areas where the population is large enough to sustain the presence of a large number of sporting codes, but small enough to ensure that talented individuals are exposed to adult-level competition at an earlier age.[86]
Notable sportspeople from Wagga include:
In 1993, theCity of Wagga Wagga instituted a Sporting Hall of Fame as part of theMuseum of the Riverina dedicated to the elite sportspeople from Wagga Wagga and the surrounding area.[101]
According to the local urban myth, at precisely 5 o'clock a giant wave moves down the Murrumbidgee River, a result of water being released from theBlowering andBurrinjuck Dams. The wave is said to continue down river at high speed, and visitors are told it is so powerful that surfers can ride it along the meandering river until it reaches the town ofNarrandera.[102]
TheMurrumbidgee River at Wagga Wagga forms into a large sandy beach, and is a popular location for swimming, picnics andbarbecues during the warmer months. Between 1977 and 1995 the beach played host to the Gumi Races, where people were encouraged to make rafts from inner tubing and sabotage their competition by throwing rotten eggs and flour at them.[102] Visitors and local residents still take every opportunity[editorialising] during the warmer months to float down the river from the area known as "The Rocks" some 600 metres upstream from the main beach area.
Wollundry Lagoon,Lake Albert and parks provide recreational facilities. Sporting facilities include the Oasis Regional Aquatic Centre, with Australia's only wave ball.[103]Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre and the Forum 6 Cinemas provide entertainment venues. TheWagga Wagga Botanic Gardens are home to a music bowl, a small zoo with a walk through aviary, a tree chapel,Willans Hill Miniature Railway and acamellia garden. Located on the banks of the Wollundry lagoon and officially opened in 1927, theVictory Memorial Gardens were established amidst some controversy as a tribute to those who fought and died in World War I.[104]
The main cultural precinct for Wagga Wagga can be found in central Wagga Wagga, at the Wagga Wagga Civic Centre on the banks of Wollundry Lagoon. The precinct includes theWagga Wagga Civic Theatre,Museum of the Riverina, Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery and Wagga Wagga City Library.
The Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre was officially opened in 1963 at a cost of£165,000. During its design and construction and again after opening the theatre was the subject of severe criticism. Critics lamented the destruction of rose gardens removed to allow construction, the size of the orchestra pit, the amount of seating (497 seats) as well as the design of the feature mural. A considerable refurbishment was carried out in the 1990s and now the theatre is regarded as one of the best in regional Australia, playing host to national and international touring acts.[105]
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The Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery hosts local collections and travelling exhibitions and has space for anartist in residence. The centrepiece of the collection is theNational Art Glass Gallery, a nationally significant collection of studioart glass hosted in a separate, specially designed gallery. The collection was first established by the former director of the Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery, Judy Le Lievre, in response to a request by theAustralia Council for regional galleries to develop a specialised collection to avoid duplication and competition. The collection consists of around 400 works, making it the largest studio glass collection in Australia.[106]
TheMuseum of the Riverina was established in 1967 by the Wagga Wagga and District Historical Society. Wagga Wagga City Council took over its operations in the late 1990s and it now operates at two sites. The Historic Council Chambers site on the corner of Baylis and Morrow streets in central Wagga, hosts travelling exhibitions and the main site at the Botanic Gardens is home to the main collection including the Wagga Wagga Sporting Hall of Fame. The museum has an important collection of memorabilia about theTichborne Case, including a set of four rare plaster figurines depicting characters from the trial, a complete set of hard-bound court transcripts and a monumental painting entitledThe Tichborne Trial painted in 1874 by Nathan Hughes, which hangs in the city's council chambers.[107]
TheWagga Wagga Jazz Festival was established in 1995 and has featured a range of Australian and international musicians.[108] Established in 1976 as the Riverina Trucking Company and renamed in 1983, the Riverina Theatre Company is one of Australia's longest running regional theatre companies and runs a full program of events each year at the Riverina Playhouse, which is located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River and owned by Charles Sturt University.[109]
Notable artists and performers from Wagga Wagga include poetDameMary Gilmore, who is featured on theAustralian ten-dollar note and veteran actorBill Kerr.[110][111] Former YellowWiggle,Sam Moran, is from Wagga Wagga, having replaced the original Yellow Wiggle,Greg Page, in November 2006.[112] The fictional creation of satiristBarry Humphries,Dame Edna Everage was said to have been born in Wagga Wagga.
Frank Ottenson wrote a songWagga Wagga about the city in 1942, calling it a 'Riverina paradise'. It was recorded by Tom Davidson and his Orchestra.[113]
Wagga has strong cultural ties with three international sister cities which form part of atwinning program. Wagga's sister cities areLeavenworth, Kansas in the United States, which was established in 1962;Nördlingen in Germany, established in 1967; andKunming in China, mutually established in 1988.[2][114]
In April 2020, The Wagga council voted to cut ties with China's Kunming city. A week later they voted again, rejoining Kunming as a sister city.[115][116][117]
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Wagga has captured the interest of writers, novelists and songwriters over the years. Specifically the city's international notoriety surroundingArthur Orton and the Tichborne Case attracted a visit fromMark Twain when he visited Australia in the 1890s.[118] Wagga has been home to a number of famous Australian writers, includingFrank Moorhouse who worked as a journalist on the city's daily newspaper, and the poetsMary Gilmore andBarcroft Boake.[42]
HumouristSpike Milligan was quite taken with the double-barrelled names of Australian towns, and presented a show called "Australia: From Woy Woy to Wagga Wagga".[119]
In other cases the town's name has been directly referred to as part of the content of songs and novels. For example, the songDon't call Wagga Wagga Wagga, written byAustralian country music artistsGreg Champion andJim Haynes, was a minor hit on the Australian country charts and is a light-hearted take on the habit of Australians to refer to double named towns by one name only.[120] Other examples include theHarry Potter series of fantasy novels, where the characterGilderoy Lockhart claimed to have defeated the "Wagga Wagga Werewolf",[121] theBryce Courtenay bookThe Power of One, where the main character Peekay is said to have a cousin Lenny from Wagga Wagga Australia,[122] theBryce Courtenay bookJessica has several passages that take place in Wagga Wagga, including the judgement of Billy Simple,[123] and theRobert G. Barrett novel,"Mud Crab Boogie" which is partially set in Wagga Wagga.[124]
As a regional centre for theRiverina andSouth West Slopes, Wagga Wagga is home to a number of regional media outlets.
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Wagga receives theABC's four free-to-air national television channelsABC TV (formerly ABC1),ABC Family (formerly ABC TV Plus,ABC Comedy andABC2) together withABC Kids (formerly ABC 4 Kids),ABC Entertains (formerly ABC Me and ABC Me and ABC3) andABC News (formerly ABC News 24), as well asSBS's six television channelsSBS TV,SBS Viceland (formerlySBS Two andSBS 2),SBS Food (formerlyFood Network),SBS World Movies,SBS WorldWatch andNITV.
The commercial networks' main channels areSeven Network from Seven Regional (formerly Prime7 and Prime Television),Nine Network fromWIN Television (formerly carried bySouthern Cross Austereo) andNetwork Ten fromNetwork 10 (formerly carried by WIN Television and Southern Cross Austereo) and the commercial networks' multi channels7two,7mate,7Bravo (stylised as 7bravo in the logo) and7flix from Seven Regional (formerly Prime7 and Prime Television),9Go!,9Gem and9Life from WIN Television (formerly carried by Southern Cross Austereo) andSky News Regional,10 Bold Drama (formerlyOne,One HD,10 Boss and 10 Bold),10 Peach Comedy (formerly 10 Peach andEleven) andNickelodeon from Network 10 (formerly carried by WIN Television and Southern Cross Austereo).
Of the three main commercial networks:
Local radio stations broadcasting from Wagga Wagga includeABC Riverina,AM radio commercial stationTriple M Riverina (callsign2WG, 1152 kHz),FM radio commercial stationHit93.1 Riverina, racing and sports stationSky Sports Radio and a rebroadcast from radio reading serviceRadio 1RPH. Other local stations includeChristian radio stationLife FM and the community station2AAA FM. The ABC's national stationsABC Radio National,ABC Classic FM,ABC NewsRadio andTriple J and the multicultural networkSBS Radio are broadcast into Wagga Wagga.
The Daily Advertiser, published Monday to Friday and its sister publication,the Weekend Advertiser, service Wagga and much of the surrounding region. The newspaper was established by two wealthy local pastoralists, Auber George Jones and Thomas Darlow[127] and first printed on 10 December 1868 by editor Frank Hutchison, anOxford graduate. Originally printed bi-weekly, by 1880 it was tri-weekly and became 'daily' in December 1910. In 1962 the newspaper reduced in size from abroadsheet to atabloid format.[128]The Riverina Leader, the local free community newspaper was launched in May 1979.[129]
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence.
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