Towns and Localities
Rural City of Benalla

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This page contains short details of towns/localities in the current Rural City of Benalla. The Shire of Delatatite was formed in about 1994 when all Victorian councils were amalgamated, but in 2002 the Shire of Delatite was split into the Rural City of Benalla and the Shire of Mansfield.

For a map of this shire click HERE.

small green ball Baddaginnie
small green ball Benalla
small green ball Blind Creek
small green ball Boweya
small green ball Boxwood
small green ball Broken Creek
small green ball Broken River (see Benalla)
small green ball Bungeet
small green ball Bungeet West
small green ball Chesney
small green ball Chesney Vale
small green ball Crossing Place (see Benalla)
small green ball Devenish
small green ball Devenish West (see Devenish)
small green ball Eleven Mile Creek
small green ball Elliebank
small green ball Emu Bridge
small green ball Five Mile Creek
small green ball Glenrowan West
small green ball Goomalibee
small green ball Goorambat
small green ball Gouldings (see Blind Creek)
small green ball Hollands Branch
small green ball Karn
small green ball Kilfeera
small green ball Lima
small green ball Lima East
small green ball Lima South
small green ball Lime Kilns (see Boxwood)
small green ball Lurg
small green ball Mahaikah
small green ball Major Plains
small green ball Mallum
small green ball Mokoan (see Thoona)
small green ball Mokoan West
small green ball Molyullah
small green ball Moorngag
small green ball Mount Bruno
small green ball Nilla(h)cootie North (see Lima South)
small green ball Nooramunga
small green ball Rothesay
small green ball Ryan's Creek [Upper]
small green ball Samaria
small green ball Strathbogie North (see Too Rour)
small green ball Swanpool
small green ball Taminick
small green ball Tarnook
small green ball Tatong
small green ball Thoona
small green ball Too Rour
small green ball Toombullup
small green ball Upotipotpon East (see Tarnook)
small green ball Upper Ryan's Creek (see Ryan's Creek Upper)
small green ball Warrenbayne
small green ball Wattle Range (see Mahaikah)
small green ball Winton
small green ball Winton North
small green ball Wrightley
small green ball Yin Barun

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Baddaginnie
Approximate Location: Halfway between Benalla and Violet Town and just north of Hume Freeway.
Comments: Sinhalese word for "hungry belly".
Schools: SS1731 opened in 1875.
SS3438 Baddaginnie North opened in 1902, closed 1907, re-opened part-time with Five Mile SS2709 in 1909 and closed in 1910.
Buildings: A Mechanics' Institute hall previously existed and may or may not have survived (details of it are unknown).

Benalla
Approximate Location: On the Hume Fwy roughly 100km SW of Albury-Wodonga. Also about 40km SE of Wangaratta.
Comments: An earlier name was Crossing Place (and Broken River Crossing Place). The proposed name for the town was Benalta (an aboriginal word) but the crossing of a "t" was omitted in the bureaucratic process and it became Benalla.
Town surveyed and proclaimed in 1848.
Benalla was a minor goldfield with gold being found SW of the the town in June 1860.
Schools: Benalla SS31 opened as National School in 1851 in Arundel Street. For various years the school operated with Benalla East SS2256. Although the original site is possibly still owned/used by the Education Department, the actual school now exists in Waller Street.
SS96 operated as a non-vested Catholic Church school from 1858 to 1873.
A separate Technical School opened in 1940.
SS4651 opened at the Benalla aerodrome in 1949 to cater for the migrant centre and closed in 1963.
SS2256 opened in 1880 at Benalla East, became a Higher Elementary School prior to 1915. A High School began in 1916, and SS2256 reverted to a primary school. It was still operating in 2004 in Avon Street.
SS4850 at Benalla West opened in 1960.It was still operating in 2004 in Clarke Street.
Churches: Rev John Ride held occasional Primitive Methodist services  in 1859 and Rev W. H. Walton was stationed there in 1860.
Wesleyan services (actually classes) were begun by Mr John Donnes in April 1875. A Wesleyan church was opened on 22 July 1876 and replaced by a much grander one in 1929.
The Holy Trinity Anglican church was built in 1884 in Arundel Street with additions in 1905 and also later.
Saint Josephs Roman Catholic church was built in 1907-8 on the corner of Arundel and Wedge Streets. The church was gutted by fire in 1989.
Buildings: A Post Office opened in the Black Swan Hotel (in what was then called Broken River) on 1 December 1844. Richard Clarke was the hotelkeeper at that time.
A timber court house was built in 1857 and was replaced by a brick building at 67 Arundel Street in 1865. Extensions were made 1888 and sittings of the Supreme Court were transferred from Beechworth that same year. Sittings of the Supreme Court ceased in 1918 and of the Court of Petty Sessions in 1960. The building was taken over by the Anglican Church.
A Mechanics' Institute was established in 1870 and is now the Historic Costume Museum in Mair Street.
Newspapers: Click here.
Cemetery: For details of the cemetery Click here.
Family History Group: Yes. Click here.
Museum: Click here.

Blind Creek (Gouldings)
Approximate Location: 6km SE of Benalla.
Comments: Also called Gouldings after settler James Goulding
Schools: A private school operated prior to 1873. In 1873 an unofficial State School opened and became officially SS1280 in 1874. Prior to its closure in 1918 it operated part-time with Samaria West SS2830. It re-opened and operated part-time with Samaria West SS2830 and Rothesay SS1438 from 1919 to its closure in 1921. It again re-opened in 1924 and finally closed in 1942.

Boweya
Approximate Location: 20km NW of Wangaratta.
Comments:  Farming district. Bowey is the aboriginal word for the paddymelon wallaby.
Schools: SS2488 opened part-time with Mokoan SS2056 in 1882, then full-time, and later part-time with schools such as Killawarra SS2860, Mount Bruno SS3516 and Boweya North SS3122 (1920-1922 and 1937-1939). Still operating in the 1970s.
Also see: Boweya North on the Shire of Moira page.

Boxwood
Approximate Location: 35km NW of Benalla on the Benalla - Tocumwal Rd.
Comments: Farming district. Named after the species of eucalypt trees common there. Previously called Lime Kilns.
Schools: Lime kilns SS2089 opened in 1878, closed 1918, re-opened 1923 after relocation, unstaffed 1951, re-opened 1954 and permanently closed in 1970.

Broken Creek
Approximate Location: Locality NW of Benalla.
Comments: Named after Neil Clark's station of 1845.
Schools: Common School 862 opened in 1866 and is still operating.

Bungeet
Approximate Location: 20 km west of Wangaratta.
Comments: Farming locality. Aboriginal name of a local swamp.
Schools: SS2148 opened in 1879, operated part-time with Bungeet West SS2426 (1903-1907), closed 1971.

Bungeet West
Approximate Location: About 7km SW of Bungeet.
Schools: Bungeet West SS2426 opened 1881, closed 1903, re-opened 1904 part-time with Bungeet SS2148, Mokoan West SS2501 (1907) and closed in 1971.

Chesney
Approximate Location: 10km north of Benalla and 10km WSW of Chesney Vale.

Chesney Vale
Approximate Location: 20km WSW of Wangaratta on north shore of Lake Mokoan. And 10km ENE of Chesney.
Comments: Named after local property owned by Colonel Chesney
Schools: SS4403 opened in 1928, closed 1944, re-opened 1945, closed 1949, re-opened 1958, re-sited 1968 to make way for Lake Mokoan.

Devenish & Devenish West
Approximate Location: Half way between Shepparton and Wangaratta, 10km south of Tungamah.
Comments: The township of Devenish was surveyed and proclaimed in 1873. It was situated at the intersection of the Dookie Road and the Tocumwal-Benalla Road. However after the rail was built to St James in 1885, a new town grew by the the railway station (about 3 km NE) and the old town declined. At some point the settlement at the railway station became Devenish and the original town was became Devenish West
Named after Goodman and Chenery's station, which was named after the wife of the aborigine tribal leader Beolite.
Schools: A school existed at Devenish North in 1875.
St James SS1764 opened in 1876, and was renamed Devenish North, and then Devenish. Destroyed by fire 1950, rebuilt by 1954.
Devenish East SS2124 opened in 1879, closed 1913, re-opened 1925 and closed 1931.
Devenish West SS1512 opened in 1875, closed 1896, re-opened 1898, half-time with Devenish East SS2124 in 1911. The school was destroyed by fire in 1911 and held in a private residence until a new school was built in 1913. Closed 1943.
Buildings: A Public Hall is in existence (details of it are unknown).
Cemetery: For details of the cemetery click here.

Eleven Mile Creek
Approximate Location: 11 miles east of Benalla.
Schools: SS3517 opened in 1906, closed 1930, re-opened 1932 and closed 1944.

Elliebank
Approximate Location: 15km south of Benalla.
Schools: A private school operated prior to 1878 in conjunction with Swanpool. SS2555 opened in 1879 and worked part-time with Swanpool SS1310, Warrenbayne SS1498 and Samaria North SS2348 before closing in 1884.

Emu Bridge
Approximate Location: SE of Benalla near Kilfeera.
Schools: SS2446 opened 1882, part-time with Molyullah (Ryans Creek) SS2130 (1882), Kilfeera SS2663 (1891 to at least 1906), Rothesay (1911-1919), full-time 1920, closed 1951.

Five Mile Creek
Approximate Location: 10km SW of Benalla.
Schools: SS2709 opened 1885, part-time with Warrenbayne West SS2787 in 1886, closed 1894, re-opened part-time with Harry's Creek SS2843 in 1896, part-time with Baddaginnie North SS438 in 1909, closed 1921, re-opened 1923 and closed 1924.

Glenrowan West
Approximate Location: 10km SW of Glenrowan.
Schools: SS2330 operated from 1880 until 1891.
Also see: Glenrowan on the Rural City of Wangaratta webpage.

Goomalibee
Approximate Location: 15km NW of Benalla.
Comments: Named after a station 1844
Schools: SS2445 opened in 1881 or 1882 part-time with Upotipotpon SS2526, full-time (?), part-time with Tarnook SS2833 (1921-1923), full-time (1923), destroyed by fire and closed 1941.

Goorambat
Approximate Location: 20km north of Benalla.
Comments: Aboriginal word for hunting ground.
Schools: SS1974 operated from 1877 to 1930.
Goorambat Township SS3123 opened in 1891, destroyed by fire in 1930, rebuilt 1931, Township removed from its name in 1941.
Buildings: A building to be used as a Mechanics' Institute and Free Library was constructed on Halls Road in 1888 between the Railway Hotel and a blacksmith's shop.

Hollands Branch
Approximate Location: Near Toombullup.
Comments: Blake claims that Hollands Branch and Toombullup are the same place, however schools existed in both places at the same time. Name possibly refers to the creek officially called Broken River Hollands Branch to distinguish it from the other branches that form the Broken River.
Schools: Toombullup SS2891 opened in 1888, later part-time with Rothesay SS1438 and Samaria SS893, renamed Hollands Branch sometime prior to 1901 because of confusion with Toombullup SS2987, was full-time in 1901, closed 1912, re-opened 1914, and from then until its final closure in 1938, had closed 4 times, operated part-time with Samaria SS893, Moorngag SS2125 and Toombullup SS3354 five times, and full-time 4 times.
(See also Toombullup for nearby schools)

Karn
Approximate Location: Farming district about 12km south of Benalla on the Samaria Road.

Kelfeera/Kilfeera
Approximate Location: 15km SE of Benalla.
Comments: Area taking its name from John Atkins and Chas Ryan's station Kilfere 1840.
Schools: SS2663 opened in 1885, destroyed by bushfires later that year, re-opened part-time with Emu Bridge SS2446 in 1888 and closed in 1910.

Lima
Approximate Location: 20km south of Benalla.
Comments: Area taking its name from a station taken up by William Black and William McKellar in 1839 (McKellar had earlier visited Lima in Peru).
Schools: SS2561 opened part-time with Swanpool SS1310 in 1883. Half-time with Rothesay SS1438 in 1886, Samaria West SS1438 in 1888, full-time 1889, closed 1892, re-opened 1894, part-time with Lima East SS2889 (1897), later full-time, then part-time with Lima South SS2658 (1938), Tarnook SS2833 (1940) and Samaria SS893 (1940), full-time (1945), unstaffed 1968, closed 1971.

Lima East
Approximate Location: 7km south of Lima.
Schools: SS2889 opened in 1888, part-time with Lima SS2561 in 1897, re-sited 1917, closed 1945, re-opened 1948 and closed 1971.
Churches: Methodist services were first held here in May 1892 in a bark hut.

Lima South
Approximate Location: 13km SSE of Lima on the Midland Highway.
Comments: The area was previously called North Nillahcootie.
Schools: Lima South SS2658 opened part-time with Barjag SS2169 in 1885, closed 1887, re-opened 1889, closed 1895, re-opened part-time with Swanpool SS1310 in 1903, full-time (?), part-time with Swanpool SS1310 (1915), full-time (1915), closed 1935, re-opened part-time with Lima SS2561 (1938), Swanpool SS1310 (1948-1949), full-time (1949) and closed in 1964.
See also: Nillahcootie on the Shire of Mansfield webpage.

Lurg
Approximate Location: 15km east of Benalla.
Comments: Named after a place in Ireland
Schools: SS2046 opened in 1878.
Lurg Upper SS4766 operated from 1955 until 1965.

Mahaikah
Approximate Location: East of Tolmie.
Schools: SS3370 originally opened at Wattle Range in 1900, moved to Mahaikah in 1936, part-time with Tolmie SS2305 (1936-1937).

Major Plains
Approximate Location: 30km NW of Benalla.
Schools: Rural School 56 had been operating from at least 1871 and closed as SS1214 in 1879.

Mallum
Approximate Location: Farming district about 20km south of Benalla on the Samaria Road.

Mokoan West
Approximate Location: Now under lake Mokoan.
Schools: SS2501 operated from 1883 to 1929.
(See also Thoona)

Molyullah
Approximate Location: 20km SE of Benalla.
Comments: Aboriginal word for low hills.
Schools: SS2130 opened in 1879 for 6 months, re-opened 1882, part-time with Ryans Creek Upper SS3471 in 1933 and full-time in 1934.

Moorngag
Approximate Location: 20km south of Benalla.
Schools: SS2125 opened in 1879, part-time with Samaria (1883), Rothesay (1884), closed 1891, re-opened in 1921 part-time with Holland's Branch SS2891, full-time in 1922, closed 1930.
Cemetery: For details of the cemetery click here.

Mount Bruno
Approximate Location: 15km NW of Wangaratta.
Schools: SS3516 operated from 1906 to 1920.

Nooramunga
Approximate Location: Farming area about 20km north of Benalla.

Rothesay
Approximate Location: About 25km south of Benalla.
Comments: Named after Rothesay by Firth of Clyde, Scotland.
Schools: Opened in 1873, became SS1438 in 1874, part-time with Lima SS2561 (1886), then with Moorngag prior to its unclassification in 1891,and closed 1902. Re-opened 1907, closed 1909, re-opened in 1910 part-time with Emu Bridge SS2446, part-time with Blind Creek SS1280 in 1920, closed 1921.

Ryan's Creek
Approximate Location: About 25km SE of Benalla.
Comments: Area named after Dr Charles Ryan who held the nearby Kilfere station.
The area is known as Upper Ryans Creek, Ryans Creek Upper and simply Ryans Creek.
Schools: SS3471 Ryans Creek Upper opened in 1904, closed 1920, re-opened 1928, part-time with Molyullah SS2130 in 1933, full-time 1934 and closed 1949.

Samaria
Approximate Location: 30km south of Benalla.
Comments: Named by surveyor Nixon after a town in Palestine.
Schools: SS893 opened in 1867, became part-time with Moorngag SS2125 in 1883 and with Toobullup SS2891 in 1889 and with Holland's Branch in 1900. Closed 1931, reopened part-time with Holland's Branch 1932, full-time 1933, part-time with Holland's Branch 1934, full-time 1935, part-time with Yin Barum SS2830 1936, part-time Holland's Branch 1936, closed 1938, re-opened part-time with Lima SS2561 in 1940, full-time 1944 and closed 1961. At least they gave it a good try.
Samaria North SS2348 opened in 1881, worked part-time with Elliebank SS2555 from 1881, closed 1884.

Swanpool
Approximate Location: 25km south of Benalla.
Schools: Rural School 128 opened in 1871, became SS1310 in 1874, operated part-time with Elliebank (1875-1878), Lima SS2561 (1883), Samaria West (1897-1898), Lima South SS2658 (1903), Lima (1904), Lima South SS2658 (1913-1914 and 1948-1949). Still operating.

Taminick
Approximate Location: 15km SW of Wangaratta, 6.5km from Glenrowan.
Comments: Station held by Benjamin Warby 1844, formerly part of Clark's Ovens Crossing Place Station.
Schools: Taminick Plains SS1818 opened in 1877, renamed Taminick in 1885, part-time with Lanceby SS1958 (1880-1883), closed 1896, re-opened later that same year, part-time with Winton North SS1673 (1910-1913), closed 1950, re-opened 1952, closed 1969.

Tarnook
Approximate Location: 15km west of Benalla, 8km north of Baddaginnie.
Comments: Aboriginal word for wooden pot. Formerly called Upotipotpon East.
Schools: Upotipotpon East SS2833 opened in 1887, renamed Tarnook in 1902, closed 1919, re-opened full-time in 1920, part-time with Goomalibee SS2445 (1921-1923), closed 1923, re-opened 1925, part-time with Earlston SS2850 in 1929, full-time later in 1929, part-time with Lima SS2561 (1940), Boho SS1394 (1940-1942) and closed 1942.
Also see: Upotipotpon on the Shire of Strathbogie webpage and Koonda/Upotipotpon West on the City of Greater Shepparton webpage.

Tatong
Approximate Location: 25km SE of Benalla.
Schools: SS3006 opened 1890 and was part-time with Mollyulah for some time.

Thoona
Approximate Location: 20km west of Wangaratta.
Comments: Aboriginal word for village surrounded by hills. Initially called Mokoan until 1886.
Schools: Mokoan SS2056 opened in 1878, name changed to Thoona in 1886, destroyed by fire in 1903, rebuilt 1904. It was still operating 2004.
Buildings:  An earlier Mechanics' Institute hall was replaced by the current Memorial Hall in 1956.
Cemetery: For details of the cemetery click here.

Too Rour
Approximate Location: 15km east of Strathbogie.
Comments: Aboriginal word for heart or woman.
Schools: Strathbogie North SS3845 opened in 1914, renamed Too Rour later that year, closed 1915, re-opened 1917, closed for a short period in 1922, closed again 1930, re-opened part-time with Boho South SS3150 (1931), full-time 1932, closed 1933, re-opened part-time with Boho South SS3150 (1935-1938), full-time 1938, part-time with Strathbogie SS3570 (1939) and closed 1942. The building is currently used as a camp by a Melbourne based school.
Post Office: A Post Office opened in 1881, was expanded to a Telephone and Telegraph office in 1916, and was closed in 1965.
Links: Strathbogie on the Shire of Strathbogie page.

Toombullup
Approximate Location: 20km NE of Mansfield.
Comments: Aboriginal word for long narrow stretch of water.
Schools: Toombullup East SS3354 operated from 1900 until 1959.
Toombullup West SS2987 opened in 1989, closed 1898 and re-opened for a short period closing in 1901.
(See also Hollands Branch for nearby schools)

Warrenbayne
Approximate Location: 20 km SW of Benalla.
Comments: Named after local squatters Warren and Bayne.
Schools: A private school opened in 1872, became SS1498 in 1875, part-time with Elliebank SS2555 (1880) and Samaria West SS2830 (1894-1896 and 1904-1907). It was still operating in 2004.
Warrenbayne Wesy SS2787 opened part-time with Five Mile Creek SS2709 in 1886, full-time in 1889, closed 1895.
Warrenbayne West SS3661 opened in 1910, closed 1932, re-opened 1946 and closed in 1955.
Buildings:  A Mechanics' Institute hall was built in the 1870s/80s but was destroyed by fire in 1908. A new building was erected in 1910 and is still in use.

Winton
Approximate Location: 10km NE of Benalla.
Comments: The township was surveyed in 1862 and proclaimed in 1887.
Schools: SS991 opened as a Catholic school in 1869, became a Capitation school in 1874 and closed in 1877.
SS1870 opened in 1877 and was still operating in 2004.
Cemetery: For details of the cemetery click here.
Books: See the Books page for details of books about this town.

Winton North
Approximate Location: 8km NE of Winton.
Schools: SS1673 opened in 1876, destroyed by fire 1898, rebuilt by 1900, part-time with Taminick SS1818 (1910-1913), closed 1945.

Wrightley
Approximate Location: About 30km SSE of Benalla, and 10km south of Tatong, on the Tatong-Tolmie Road.

Yin Barun
Approximate Location: 15km south of Benalla.
Comments: Aboriginal word for broken water.
Schools: SS2830 opened in 1889 and closed sometime after 1969.

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Last updated on 01 September 2021