Wilby
Wilby is a village in north-eastern Victoria, about 15 km south of Yarrawonga and the same distance east of Tungamah. Originally known as Pelleuba East, the name was changed after a school was opened in 1883. The head-teacher's proposal for the name was Wilby, thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word wilpy, meaning hut.
In common with a number of adjacent districts, Wilby's population grew with closer-settlement during the 1880s. The village was located on the Sandy Creek. In 1903 the Australian handbook described Wilby:
The churches and dairying activities continued for several decades. By the 2000s Wilby was noted for a sporting oval, tennis courts and a car-racing circuit. The memorial hall remained, but the school had closed.
Wilby's census populations have been:
area | Census date | Population |
---|---|---|
Wilby | 1911 | 221 |
1947 | 89 | |
1961 | 125 | |
Wilby and environs | 2006 | 209 |
2011 | 270 |