Mitta Mitta, Victoria

Mitta Mitta is a small town in the Australian state of Victoria. It stands on the Omeo Highway and is 380 km from Melbourne, and is located on the Mitta Mitta River not far from Dartmouth Dam. At the 2006 census, Mitta Mitta and the surrounding area had a population of 151.^[1]

History

Mitta Mitta, from Mutta Mutta, means "thunder" in the local Aboriginal language although this is under some dispute. The river was discovered by explorers Hume & Hovell and early pastoralists from the Monaro district in New South Wales seeking respite from increasingly dry conditions moved to the area to take up the fertile land after 1838.

Gold was discovered in 1852 and a town developed in 1870 when mining began. The Post Office opened on 8 February 1870.^[2] The Pioneer Mine, to the west of the town, became one of the state's largest open-cut mines and with 441 kg of gold produced over 20 years. The Pioneer Mine was the third enterprise in Australia to use large-nozzle hydraulic sluicing and was managed for 12 years by James Hedley from the famous gold-mining family. In the early twentieth century gold dredges mined for gold yielding 167 kg of gold. Tin was also mined in the district.^[3]

The local airport was created to service the nearby Dartmouth Dam construction site. After the completion of the dam the airport was sold to locals who still operate the airport to this day, with pilots using the strip to fly into the peaceful surrounds for holidays from surrounding major cities of Melbourne and Canberra. Strangely enough (maybe a throwback from its days serving the Dartmouth Dam project) it is called 'Mitta Mitta International Airport', a source of humour to the pilots that fly into the short 920m dirt strip. Local owners Russell and Robyn Kelly have added to the strange name with small signs of 'Customs', 'Sniffer Dog' and 'Arrivals' on the small airfield fence below the airport sign.

The area surrounding Mitta Mitta was ravaged by bushfires in 2003 and early 2004.

Today

The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Eskdale has an Australian Rules football team Mitta United competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Mitta Mitta Golf Club on Magorra Park.^[4]

References