| Nathalia Victoria |
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Park in the centre of Blake St, the main street of town |
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Nathalia
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| Population: | 1,431[1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1875 | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 3638 | ||||||||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of Moira | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Murray Valley | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Murray | ||||||||||||
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Nathalia ( /nəˈθeɪliə/ nə-thay-li-ə)[2] is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located within the Shire of Moira Local government area on the banks of Broken Creek and on the Murray Valley Highway. At the 2006 census, Nathalia had a population of 1,431.[1]
Prior to European settlement, the area around Nathalia was occupied by the Yorta Yorta people. In 1838, Charles Sturt was the first European to explore the area, following the Murray River downstream.. The squatter, W.J Locke established Kotupna station on the future site of Nathalia in 1843. The station was broken up for closer settlement in 1869. A selector, Richard Blake took up the townsite in 1875 and established a sawmill and flour mill soon after. Hotels, a post office (opened on 7 September 1878)[3], schools and churches followed and Nathalia was officially gazetted as a village in 1880. The railway arrived in 1888, allowing local production to increase and a butter factory was established in 1895.[4]
The main industries in Nathalia are dairy farming, cropping and grazing.
Nathalia has both a government high school [5] and primary school as well as a regional Catholic college and a Catholic primary school. There is also a campus of the Glenvale School, an independent primary and secondary school [6]
The town is also well known for quality sporting facilities for its size. Notable sporting clubs in Nathalia include Nathalia Football Club competing in the Murray Football League.
Golfers play at the course of the Nathalia Golf Club on Paynes Road.[7]
The annual agricultural show is held on the first Saturday in October. The Nathalia and Lower Moira Agricultural Pastoral and Horticultural Association held its first agricultural show in 1888, after a prolonged drought in the district. A New Year's Eve carnival is held every year.
Nathalia is developing its creative arts tourist potential through the Nathalia Living Arts/ Rural Arts Project under the guidance of internationally recognised resident artist William Kelly
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