Nathalia and Nathalia Shire

Nathalia is a rural township on the Broken Creek, about 30 km east of where the creek joins the Murray River in northern Victoria. It is 40 km north-west of Shepparton.

The origin of the name is unclear. In the mid-1870s news was reportedly received from a passer-by in the Nathalia district that a titled European lady had given birth to a daughter named Nathalia. The Queen of Serbia, formerly Natalya Keshko (and alternatively spelt Natalie and Nathalia), was married in 1875 and gave birth to a son in 1876. No better explanation has emerged as to the source of the name Nathalia.