Bonegilla, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Bonegilla is a bounded rural locality of the City of Wodonga Local Government Area in northeast Victoria, Australia, located 10 kilometres east of Wodonga
, and around 300km north-east of Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
, Bonegilla and surrounding area had a population of 773.
Much of the development of the town was due to the Cudgewa railway line which opened in 1889 and closed in 1981. The line was used both in the development of and transporting materials for the Snowy Mountains Scheme
and the main method of transporting thousands of migrants to the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre
from Station Pier
in Port Melbourne
. The rail line has since been removed, and is now the High Country Rail Trail
, a bike path linking Wodonga to Lake Hume
.
Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA...
, and around 300km north-east of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Bonegilla and surrounding area had a population of 773.
History
Bonegilla Post Office opened on 20 August 1878 and closed in 1951. Bonegilla Military office was open from 1940 to 1947 and from 1983 to 1998, of which it relocated to nearby Bandiana.Much of the development of the town was due to the Cudgewa railway line which opened in 1889 and closed in 1981. The line was used both in the development of and transporting materials for the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
and the main method of transporting thousands of migrants to the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre
Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...
from Station Pier
Station Pier
Station Pier is an historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1854, the pier is Melbourne's primary passenger terminal, servicing interstate ferries and cruise ships, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
in Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne, Victoria
Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km southwest of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government areas are the cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, Port Melbourne had a population of 13,293....
. The rail line has since been removed, and is now the High Country Rail Trail
High Country Rail Trail
The High Country Rail Trail is a 35 kilometre, part-gravel part-sealed rail trail on the northern border of Victoria, Australia. It runs along the former Cudgewa railway line from Wodonga, along the edge of Lake Hume, to a point just east of the Mitta Mitta River. However, there is a 600 metre gap...
, a bike path linking Wodonga to Lake Hume
Lake Hume
Lake Hume is an artificial lake in Australia formed by the Hume Weir east of Albury-Wodonga on the Murray River just downstream of its junction with the Mitta River. The small towns of Tallangatta, Bonegilla and Bellbridge are located on the shores of Lake Hume...
.
Bonegilla migrant camp
As part of the Post war immigration to Australia, Australia's first migrant reception centre opened at Bonegilla in December 1947 - the first assisted migrants were received there in 1951. The camp at Bonegilla closed in 1971 by which time some 320,000 migrants from over 30 countries had spent time there. It is estimated that over 1.5 million Australians are descended from migrants who spent time at Bonegilla.See also
- Bonegilla railway stationBonegilla railway station, VictoriaBonegilla was a railway station located in the town of Bonegilla, on the Cudgewa railway line in Victoria, Australia. The platform has been restored as part of the Rail Trail....
- Post war immigration to Australia
- Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training CentreBonegilla Migrant Reception and Training CentreThe Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...