Tallangatta

Tallangatta Victoria
File:Tallangatta from lookout.jpg Tallangatta viewed from the town lookout in January 2004. The Mitta arm of Lake Hume can be seen behind the town
Tallangatta is located in Shire of Towong Tallangatta Location in Shire of Towong, Victoria
Coordinates
Population	950 (2006 census)
Postcode(s)	3700
Location	349 km (217 mi) NE of Melbourne 38 km (24 mi) SE of Wodonga
LGA(s)	Shire of Towong
State electorate(s)	Benambra
Federal Division(s)	Indi

Tallangatta /təˈlæŋɡætə/ is a town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The town lies on the banks of the Mitta Arm of Lake Hume, approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) south-east of Albury-Wodonga along the Murray Valley Highway. At the 2006 census, Tallangatta had a population of 950.

History

Tallangatta was founded in the 1870s, the Post Office opening on 15 May 1871.

On the arrival of the railway it served as a rail gateway for the Mitta and Upper Murray valleys (the Upper Murray only until the railway was extended to Cudgewa). A considerable amount of gold and tin mining occurred in the late 19th and early 20th century, though, unlike Beechworth, little evidence for this remains. While initially profitable, the mining generally ended because the deeper reefs contained not only gold but other metals, and mining technology at the time was not advanced enough to cope with these and extract the gold profitably.

Since that time, Tallangatta has been a service centre for the local farming community, with a butter factory operating throughout much of the 20th century. Improved road transport links finally ended both the dairy and the rail link in the 1970s (with dairy processing operations now concentrated in Tangambalanga, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) to the west).

The most distinctive aspect of the town's history is that it was moved 8 kilometres (5 mi) to the west in the 1950s to allow for the expansion of Lake Hume. Stories of the transition from old town to new town were captured in the book 'Slates and Suet Puddings' by Carmyl Winkler. On 14 April 1955 the Post Office was renamed Tallangatta East and a new Tallangatta office opened at the new town location. The sign welcoming motorists to town reads "Tallangatta, the town that moved in the 1950s".

The grid layout of the streets of Old Tallangatta are clearly visible in Google Earth.

Economy

Beef and dairy cattle farming is the dominant industry, with a small abattoir the only substantial secondary industry. Because of the lake and the through travellers (including many motorcyclists who enjoy the twisty roads in the area) the town also supports a small tourist industry, with a motel and caravan park.

Services include a small hospital, and two primary schools and a secondary school. A considerable number of residents now commute to work in Albury–Wodonga. A successful community initiative is the Uniting Church Op Shop, described as 'the hub of the town'.

In recent years the largest impact on the town has been the decline of the water frontage which has led to a decline in tourism. The town has a high proportion of retirees, with some elderly people cared for at Bolga Court Hostel. The main street is long for a town of its size and is unusual because all of the shops were built in the 1950s. This heritage is celebrated in the popular annual Tallangatta Fifties Festival.

Sport

Tallangatta has an Australian rules football team, the Tallangatta Football Club competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League.

Golfers play at the Tallangatta Golf Club on Coorilla Street.

Notable residents

• Phillip Law, scientist and Antarctic explorer was born in Tallangatta in 1912
• Matt Norman, actor, writer, director and producer was born in Tallangatta in 1971
• Doug Smith, North Melbourne footballer grew up in Tallangatta
• William Yates, a politician who served in both the British and Australian parliaments, spent his last years in Tallangatta

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Photos of old Tallangatta at Culture Victoria