Wangaratta is a cathedral city of about 15,685 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about 230 km (140 mi) from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla 45 km (28 mi) to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga 72 km (45 mi) to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the Victorian Alps. It is within the municipality of Rural City of Wangaratta.

History

Gold was found in the surrounding area during the 1850s and this is reflected in the name of a nearby town of Eldorado where the remains of an old dredge can still be seen today. The Post Office in the area opened on 1 February 1843 as Ovens, and moved to the township and was renamed Wangaratta in 1854. The Ovens office, and the Kilmore office which opened the same day, were the fifth and sixth to open in the Port Phillip District and the first two inland offices.

The nearby small town of Glenrowan located some 10 km away is known as the site of the final shootout that led to the capture of Australia's most famous bushranger, Ned Kelly.

Geography and landmarks

Holy Trinity Cathedral - War memorials (Boer & WW1&2) in front of CathedralThe geographical layout of the city is unusual in that the business district is located at the north-eastern extremity of the urban area, with outlying suburbs extending only to the south and west. The reason for this arrangement is that the area beyond the rivers, to the north and east of the business district, was until the 1990s prone to flooding and so unsuitable for building. Levees were constructed in the 1990s to alleviate the flooding, however development in this area has been slow.

Wangaratta is the closest city or town of any size to Falls Creek and Mount Hotham, two of Victoria's three major snowfields.

Notable buildings include the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral and its Cathedral Close, St. Patrick's Catholic Church and the eccentric art déco courthouse.

Industry

There is a considerable wine and gourmet food industry in the nearby Milawa and King Valley region.

Culture and sport

The main annual event is the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, which has been attended by thousands each year since 1990.

There is one football team in Wangaratta, the Wangaratta City Football Club. Founded in 1951, they compete in the Albury Wodonga Football Association.

There are three Australian rules football clubs in Wangaratta, the Wangaratta Football Club, the Wangaratta Rovers Football Club (both competing in the Ovens and Murray Football League), and the North Wangaratta Football Club, which competes in the Ovens and King Football League. The close proximity of the Rovers and Wangaratta grounds reflects the historical sectarian split in membership of the clubs; Rovers membership being predominantly Catholic and Wangaratta being predominantly Protestant/Anglican.

The city hosted several games for the 2005 Australian Football International Cup event, with several countries competing in the sport of Australian rules football. The event was played at the City Oval and Showgrounds and set the attendance records for the tournament to date.

Cricket in Wangaratta is organised by the Wangaratta & District Cricket Association Clubs in Wangaratta include Wangaratta Rovers United, Wangaratta Magpies and City Colts.

Wangaratta has a horse racing club, the Wangaratta Turf Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Wangaratta Cup meeting in April.

The Wangaratta Greyhound Racing Club holds regular meetings at the same venue, Avian Park.