Mulwala (locally , elsewhere also ) is a town in the

Federation Council The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. Each of the 89 federal s ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

in the

Riverina The Riverina () is an agricultural list of regions in Australia, region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, a climate with significant seaso ...

district of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. Situated on

Lake Mulwala Lake Mulwala, a man-made reservoir created through the construction of the Yarrawonga Weir across the Murray River, is located between and in Hume region of Victoria and in the Riverina region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The w ...

, an artificial lake formed by the damming of the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

, it forms a "twin town" with the larger town of

Yarrawonga Yarrawonga is a town in the Shire of Moira Local government in Australia, local government area in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. In the 2021 Australian census, 2021 census, Yarrawonga had a population of 8,661 people. ...

across the border in Victoria. At the 2021 census, Mulwala had a population of 2,557 people. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word for 'rain'. Mulwala is a popular destination for water sports and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

, especially for tourists from nearby

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, to the south. Other popular attractions include three major licensed clubs.

History

In 1847 James McRae arrived in the district to take charge of "Mulwala" and "Boroge" stations on behalf of the squatter Linbourne. McRae built a punt and a public house at the locality. He obtained a licence for his Travellers' Rest Hotel in 1853. In 1858 Surveyor Adams marked out a township at the site. In 1866 a new hotel was opened at Mulwala and a school established at the township. Mulwala Post Office opened in 1864 for about six weeks, closed due to a large fire, and was reopened on 1 June 1866. The pioneer, James McRae, died in 1866. In 1872 Mulwala was described as a small township of about 100 inhabitants, possessing a church, a school, a post-office and a public house. In 1887 it was reported that Mulwala had two hotels and two stores; a court-house had been erected and a sawmill started. In 1972, Mulwala was the site for a large outdoor pop music festival, which despite boasting big Australian names (

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

Doug Parkinson Douglas John Parkinson (30 October 1946 – 15 March 2021) was an Australian pop and rock singer. He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus (1968–1970, 1971), Fanny Adams (1970� ...

, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs) and some overseas artists (

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

Manassas Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisdi ...

), was considered a flop, after rain had washed out the site by the third day. On 21 March 2013, Mulwala was one of the areas affected by a tornado, injuring over 20 people and damaging several buildings and houses. A caravan park approximately 5 km east of Mulwala was severely affected with most of the park's caravans damaged beyond repair.

Heritage listings

Mulwala contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * North Road: Mulwala Homestead

Transport

Mulwala Railway Station is a station with a silo on the Oaklands railway line.

Sport

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

are the most popular sports. The Mulwala Football Club, founded 1882 and based at the Lonsdale Reserve, competes in the

Murray Football Netball League The Murray Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria and southern New South Wales ...

and is a successful club with 8 premierships. In cricket, the Yarrawonga Mulwala Cricket Club (based in Yarrawonga) represents in the local competition.

Notable people

* Col Anderson, Australian rules footballer * Caleb Mitchell, Australian rules footballerCaleb Mitchell's confidence soaring after pushing into AFL Draft contention
By Steve Tervet 18 October 2022 * Mark McGough, Australian rules footballer

References

External links

*
Mulwala Rail Platform
{{authority control Towns in the Riverina Towns in New South Wales Mulwala, New South Wales Federation Council, New South Wales