Wangaratta Rural City

On 18 November 1994, Wangaratta city, Wangaratta shire, most of Oxley shire, part of Beechworth shire and small parts of Benalla and Yarrawonga shires were united to form Milawa shire. On 29 June 1995, the shire was renamed Wangaratta Rural City.

Its area is 3631 sq km and it includes Springhurst in the north, Glenrowan and Whorouly in the central area, and Whitfield and part of the Alpine National Park in its south. The King and the Ovens Rivers flow northwards through the municipality and converge at Wangaratta. The Melbourne-Wodonga railway and the Hume Freeway pass through Glenrowan and Wangaratta.

Most of the population is in the northern part of the municipality in Wangaratta and where there is good agricultural land, particularly along the road through Oxley where there are several orchards and wineries. There is farming along the King and Ovens valleys but otherwise the southern part is forested ranges or alpine plain.

Wangaratta had 62% of the municipality’s population in 1996 and 64.8% in 2011. Manufacturing is relatively strong in Wangaratta.

The State government dismissed the Wangaratta Rural City council in 2013 for failing to provide a safe workplace and wasting ratepayers funds. It was replaced by a panel of administrators and a new CEO on a three year term to restore the confidence of the community.

Wangaratta Rural City’s census populations have been: