Benalla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Benalla (Rose City)Victoria |
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Aerial view from the east
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 Benalla (Rose City)
Location in Rural City of Benalla
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| Population | 9,316 (2021 census) | ||||||||
| • Density | 29.546/km2 (76.52/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Established | 1840s | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3672 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 169.5 m (556 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 315.3 km2 (121.7 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Rural City of Benalla | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Euroa | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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Benalla is a small city in Victoria, Australia. It's located on the Broken River in the north-eastern part of the state. Benalla is about 212 kilometers (132 miles) north-east of Melbourne, the state capital.
In 2021, about 9,316 people lived in Benalla. It's also the main center for the Rural City of Benalla local government area.
Contents
- Benalla's History and Early Days
- Exploring Benalla's Geography
- Benalla's Culture and Arts
- Benalla's People and Demographics
- How Benalla is Governed
- Benalla's Economy and Jobs
- Learning and Education in Benalla
- Media in Benalla
- Healthcare in Benalla
- Getting Around Benalla
- Utilities and Services
- Environmental Concerns
- Famous People from Benalla
Benalla's History and Early Days
Before Europeans arrived, the Benalla area was home to the Taungurung people. They are an Indigenous Australian group. Old records from 1906 say that up to 400 Indigenous people would gather near Benalla for special ceremonies.
European explorers first saw this area in 1824. This was during an expedition by Hamilton Hume and William Hovell. Later, Major Thomas Mitchell explored the area in 1834.
In 1838, there was a conflict between Indigenous people and shepherds. This event is known as the Faithful Massacre. After this, a police station was set up in 1839. It was built to help protect travelers and settlers. The settlement was first called Broken River.
The post office opened on December 1, 1844, also named Broken River. A bridge was built over the river in 1847. The town was officially surveyed in 1848 and declared a town in 1849. Benalla became a city in 1965.
Exploring Benalla's Geography
Benalla sits on a mostly flat floodplain near the Broken River. This area is just north and west of the Great Dividing Range.
Lake Benalla is a human-made lake. It was created in 1973 from the Broken River. It's a beautiful feature in the middle of the city. The Broken River creates a green space through the city. There are three main bridges crossing the river in Benalla. Bridge Street East is the main street in the city center.
Another large human-made lake, Lake Mokoan, was 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) north-east. It was closed down starting in 2009. Now, a wetlands area is being developed there for visitors. South of the freeway, you'll find the Reef Hills State Park. This park is full of thick forests.
Benalla's Climate and Weather
Benalla has a mild, temperate climate. Summers are usually warm, sunny, and dry. Winters are cool and cloudy, with some rain. It even snowed heavily in Benalla on May 31, 1913!
| Climate data for Benalla (Shadforth Street, 1903–2006, extremes 1957–2006); 170 m AMSL; 36.55° S, 145.97° E | |||||||||||||
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| 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) |
| Average precipitation 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 afternoon relative humidity (%) | 32 | 35 | 39 | 46 | 58 | 66 | 67 | 61 | 55 | 49 | 41 | 35 | 49 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; Benalla (Shadforth Street) | |||||||||||||
Benalla's Culture and Arts
Benalla has many cultural places to visit. The Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre has a cinema and a theater. The city also has a big art gallery. It's located right on Lake Benalla, where the first police station used to be.
You can find more than 50 murals in Benalla's city center. These are part of the Benalla Street Art trail. The annual Wall to Wall Street Art Festival started in 2015. During this festival, many world-class artists create a giant outdoor art gallery in the town. The festival also has workshops, artist talks, live music, and street art tours.
Benalla is also home to North East Artisans. This is a community art gallery run by volunteers. It has a shop with local artists' work, an exhibition space, and a cafe. They often have exhibitions and live music events.
The Benalla Festival is another yearly event. It started in 1967 as the Rose Festival. It happens over the first two weekends in November. There are many free or low-cost events. These include a community street parade, music by the lake, and fireworks. There's also a market day in the Benalla Botanical Gardens.
Sports and Fun in Benalla
Benalla has two Australian rules football teams. The Benalla Saints play in the Goulburn Valley Football League. The Benalla All Blacks play in the Ovens & King Football League.
If you like horse racing, Benalla has a horse racing club. They hold about eleven races each year. This includes the Benalla Cup in early October.
The Benalla Wolfpack play rugby league in the Murray Cup. Golfers can play at the Benalla Golf Club or the Golden Vale Golf Club.
Benalla is also close to Winton Motor Raceway. This is a private motor racing track. It hosts many racing events, including V8 Supercar races.
The Benalla & District Cricket Association plays at Benalla Gardens Oval. This ground has hosted cricket teams since the 1800s. There are many cricket grounds in the area.
The Benalla Bandits Baseball Club plays in the North East Baseball Association. They play at Racecourse Reserve.
Benalla is home to the Gliding Club of Victoria. It's located at the State Gliding Centre on the Benalla airfield. This is the oldest continuously running gliding club in Australia. It hosted the World Gliding Competition in 1987 and 2016. Many club members come from Europe each summer to enjoy the warm weather and great conditions for gliding.
There's a park and walking track around Lake Benalla. It has a special ceramic sculpture mural. This mural was created by local artists.
Important Heritage Sites
Here are some sites in Benalla that are protected by the National Trust of Australia:
- The Benalla Botanical Gardens.
- The Stringybark Creek Site, famous from the Ned Kelly story.
- The old Shire Offices building on Mair Street.
- The Kelly Gang camp site.
- The Benalla Migrant Camp is also a protected heritage site.
Benalla's People and Demographics
The 2021 census showed that 9,316 people lived in Benalla.
- About 2.0% of the population were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- Most people (81.4%) were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England (2.4%).
- About 87.6% of people spoke only English at home.
- For religion, the most common answers were No Religion (41.9%), Catholic (19.1%), and Anglican (11.6%).
How Benalla is Governed
Benalla is the main center for the local government area called the Rural City of Benalla.
In the Victorian State Parliament, Benalla is part of the Electoral district of Euroa.
In the Australian Parliament, it is part of the Division of Indi in the Australian House of Representatives.
Benalla's Economy and Jobs
Benalla's economy includes many different industries. These include services that support farming, tourism, and a factory that makes fiberboard. There's also a Thales Australia ammunition factory and businesses related to aviation.
As a service center for the region, Benalla has many large shops. These include Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi supermarkets. There's also a Mitre 10 Home & Trade store.
Learning and Education in Benalla
Benalla has several schools. There are two secondary schools: Benalla P-12 College and FCJ College Benalla. Benalla P–12 College has campuses for different age groups. There are also three primary schools: Benalla P–12, St Joseph's Primary School, and Australian Christian College – Hume.
The Benalla Flexible Learning Centre offers a different way of learning for students up to 22 years old.
The Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE has a campus in Benalla. This campus includes the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre. It opened in 2004. The campus now focuses on Nursing and Engineering courses. They have direct links to local businesses for work experience. Other GoTafe campuses are in Shepparton, Wangaratta, and Seymour.
The Centre for Continuing Education also offers programs in Benalla. These include programs to help people get ready for jobs and aged care programs. These programs offer practical work experience.
Media in Benalla
Benalla has a local newspaper called the Benalla Ensign. It is published every week.
Healthcare in Benalla
Health services in Benalla are provided by Benalla Health. They operate a 42-bed hospital. They also offer various other health services for families and children.
Getting Around Benalla
Benalla is just over two hours from Melbourne by car or train. The Hume Freeway (M31) now goes around Benalla to the south. The Midland Highway (A300) runs through the city center.
You can travel by train for both passengers and freight. Benalla railway station is on the North East railway line. Three Albury V/Line rail services stop at Benalla every day. The NSW TrainLink XPT service between Melbourne and Sydney also stops here twice a day.
Benalla Bus Lines runs a local bus service every hour. It has two routes, serving the west and east sides of the city. The main bus stop is outside the ANZ Bank on Nunn Street.
Benalla Airport (YBLA) was a major RAAF training base during World War II. Today, it's home to the Gliding Club of Victoria. It's also a center for ballooning and ultralight aircraft. The Benalla Aviation Museum is also located there.
Utilities and Services
Water in Benalla is supplied by North East Water. The main water comes from Loombah Weir and McCall Say Reservoir. These are about 13 kilometers (8 miles) south of the city. They can hold a total of 1800 megaliters of water.
Environmental Concerns
From 2019, EPA Victoria received many complaints. These were about dust and particles coming from a company called Monsbent Pty Ltd. In 2021, the company was fined for not following its license rules. In September 2022, more charges were laid for breaking license conditions. These were for too much dust, bad smells, and other harmful substances.
Famous People from Benalla
Many notable people have connections to Benalla:
- Prue Acton – a famous fashion designer.
- Zak Best – a racing car driver.
- John Brady – a former VFL/AFL footballer.
- Greg Champion – a musician.
- Baden Cooke – an Olympic cyclist and Tour de France winner.
- Edward "Weary" Dunlop – a surgeon and World War II hero.
- James Flynn – a former VFL/AFL footballer.
- Tom Long – an actor.
- Bridget McKenzie – a politician.
- Harry Morrison – an AFL footballer.
- Graham Oppy – a philosopher.
- Tom Rockliff – an AFL footballer.
- Hugh Sawrey – an artist.
- Mark Seymour – lead singer of Hunters & Collectors.
- Nick Seymour – bass player in Crowded House.
- Max Sharam – a musician.
- Robyn Smith – a disability sport administrator.
- Mark Soyer – a paralympic skier.
- Jaclyn Symes – a politician in the Victorian State Parliament.
- Hector Waller – a brave captain in the Second World War.
