The history of the Albury-Wodonga region, pre and post European settlement, has been intrinsically linked to the mighty Murray river running through it's heart.
Little remaining evidence has been found of ancient use or habitation of the land, although the richness of the riverplains in terms of wildlife and the hunter/gatherer nature of the early aboriginal tribes would lend itself to suggest that the region was indeed used as a plentiful hunting ground. The river abounded with fish, the plentiful warm lagoons dotting the flood plain supported large colonies of ducks, geese, pelicans and swans, with kangaroos and emus feeding off the rich grasslands.
Some remaining scar trees have been attributed to traditional aboriginal uses and artefact construction - for example bark bowls, ritual uses including burial rites, and construction of canoes. A few rock shelters in the surrounding hill areas and some scattered, faded rock art sites also support a history of tribal habitation. The nature of the flood plain and regular inundation could have tended to deter long term settlement close to the river, or may have been responsible for regularly removing any trace.
Of the tribes inhabiting the general area, the Wiradjuri people were believed to have moved into the Albury-Wodonga region shortly before the early explorers arrived.
The aboriginal name for the river (recorded in 1836) was Millewa.
White explorers Hume and Hovell discovered the river on the 16th of November, 1824, naming it the Hume River, and inscribing a tree near the riverbank the next day before moving on in their quest to find Western Port to the south.
In 1829, the explorer Captain Charles Sturt discovered the Hume River downstream at it's junction with the Murrumbidgee River. Not realising it was indeed the Hume, he named it the Murray River. Both names persisted for some time, Hume falling into disuse eventually in favour of Murray.
The explorers route was shortly followed by white squatters with large numbers of stock, mainly sheep and cattle. Many families taking up parcels of grazing land on the rich river flatlands. Among the first were William Wyse and Charles Ebden.
The drovers track that developed led naturally to the same point Hume and Hovell first sighted the river. Although an easier crossing point could be found 10 miles upstream (where the Hume Dam now stands) the original site by Hume and Hovell's inscribed tree became the popular crossing place for people and stock on their way to new settlements in the south.
Crossing the river during the drier summer months could normally be achieved on foot. When the river was high after heavy rains or snow melting in the mountains crossing became difficult until a log punt was built in 1844. Stock, however, had to swim.
The first permanent white dwellings were built in the area in the mid 1830's. Mainly small huts, and provisions stores.
In 1838 the New South Wales government commissioned a survey for a township at the crossing place. Assistant Surveyor Thomas Townsend's completed survey for the new settlement showed it bounded by Woodonga Place to the west, Hume Street to the north, Kiewa Street to the east and Nurigong Street to the south. Within this, Townsend Street ran between and parallel to Woodonga (later to become Wodonga) Place and Kiewa Street, and Ebden and Hovell Streets running east-west.
The name originally proposed by Townsend for the township was Bungambrewatha - the Aboriginal name for the area. That name was subsequently struck out and Albury substituted - the reason for the change and origin of the name remaining largely a mystery to this day. When the plan was finally approved and published in the Government Gazette on April 13th, 1839, it was for a place to be called Albury, County unnamed on the east bank of the Murray at a place called by the natives Bungambrewatha.
The local Aborigines, at first quite numerous, came into conflict with the early squatters over hunting the squatters stock. Skirmishes with the squatters and introduced white man's diseases, including alcohol and tobacco, took a serious toll on the tribes people. The survivors moved on to quieter, more peaceful hunting grounds.
Albury's first recorded flood since white settlement occurred in 1844.
By 1847, Albury boasted a handful of huts, two public houses (inns), a blacksmiths shop, police barracks and a post office.
In 1851 separation was achieved between northern and southern New South Wales. The border was proposed as the Murrumbidgee River, well north of Albury. Due to a clerical error, the boundary was fixed at the Murray River, the new state was named Victoria, and Albury became a frontier border town. The settlement on the Victorian side of the river was originally named Wodonga. It was changed to Belvoir although both names were used for 20 years. This time the original name stuck, and Belvoir was dropped in 1874.
By separation, German settlers escaping the rising nationalism in their homeland started arriving. They found the region suitable for planting of vineyards and started producing wine.
Increased commerce between Sydney and the new townships of Melbourne and Adelaide to the south, necessitated the development of faster means of transport. First came the flourishing river trade opened up by the steamers. Regional produce - primarily wool, wheat and wine - were shipped down the river in large quantities to Adelaide. Low river levels for 5 months of the year made the river impassable and river transport unreliable.
The first bridge over the Murray was built in 1860.
The need for the growing population to be independent of supplies from the larger settlements led to the establishment of various industries including a flour mill, brewery and butter factory.
The arrival of the first railroad from Melbourne in 1873 largely spelt the end of the paddlesteamer era. The rail line from Sydney reached Albury in 1881. The first railway bridge over the Murray was opened in 1883. Due to differences in the gauge of the railway lines between the two states, Albury and Wodonga became changing stations for passengers and freight. Standard gauge on the Sydney-Albury-Melbourne line was not available until 1962
The towns of Albury and Wodonga continued to grow in spite of, sometimes because of, the bush-fires, droughts, floods and gold-rushes of the era.
The concept of daming Australian rivers for irrigation and flood mitigation has been first investigated back in the days of the steamers. By the early 1900's progress was well underway. The Hume Dam was proposed and started in 1919. It took 17 years to build, opening in 1936. The Hume Weir holds more water than Sydney Harbour, and has become a popular recreational and water sports attraction. The Dam also supports a small hydro electric power plant feeding back into the state grid.
The military presence that was established in Wodonga with a camp at Bonegilla in 1940 has since grown to include the Australian Army Training Centre at Latchford Barracks (Bonegilla), units at Bandianna, and full Army support services.
Bonegilla also saw the establishment of a Migrant Camp in 1947 as part of the Governments Post War Migration Scheme. The Bonegilla Migrant Reception Center temporarily housed over 320,000 people from 31 different ethnic backgrounds during it's 24 years of operation.
The river and associated dams still play major roles in the border region.
Repair work on the Hume Weir wall in 1996 found problems with the wall necessitating major structural works on the earth wall forming part of the retaining structure. An unseasonably dry summer and autumn in 1997 has allowed the level of the weir to be reduced dramatically, easing threats of potential wall breach and allowing remedial works to proceed without hindrance.
Border anomalies still plague the border cities with different state regulations in force within stones-throw of each other. Currently the two separate local administrations of Albury and Wodonga are only divided geographically by the River, but politically by two separate governments 900kms apart! Rationalisation and amalgamation proposals have been put forward as diverse as Albury becoming part of Victoria, to amalgamating many administrative functions with other regional New South Wales cities hundreds of kilometers away.
The border cities of Albury-Wodonga have continued to prosper, attracting new industries and offering a relaxed lifestyle unmatched by the hectic metropolitan capital cities. The City of Albury now has an estimated* population of over 42,000, with Wodonga at 30,730, giving urban Albury-Wodonga a population in excess of 72,000. All within easy reach of the snowfields, highcountry, history, waterways and wineries, and less than 3 hours by excellent highway from Melbourne.
* Population estimates based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics preliminary estimates released for 1996. Source: Development Albury Wodonga 2000 Economic Indicators, April 1997.
Further reading: Border City, History of Albury. William A. Bayley. ISBN O 959927603
Further reading: Border City, History of Albury. William A. Bayley. ISBN O 959927603