Corowa, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales
in Australia
. It is on the bank of the Murray River
, the border between New South Wales and Victoria
, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah
. Corowa is the administrative centre of Corowa Shire
. The name could have derived from an Aboriginal word referring to the curra pine which yielded gum used by Aborigines to fasten the heads of spears to the shafts. Another translation is rocky river.
There are two bridges over the Murray
to Wahgunyah in Victoria: the heritage-listed John Foord Bridge and the Federation Bridge (opened on 2 April 2005).
Land was surveyed in 1857 at Corowa by Surveyor Adams and the next year the township was proclaimed. In September 1859 a meeting was held to consider the erection of a bridge between Wahgunyah and Corowa to replace the punt. Construction of a bridge was commenced early in 1861 and the completed structure cost about £8,000. The bridge construction was probably privately-funded.
Corowa Post Office opened on 1 January 1861.
In 1861 an Anglican church was built at Corowa on land donated by John Foord.
It was reported in 1868 that Corowa "was fast becoming one of the most important of the border districts". Buildings erected that year included a new store, two hotels and a new court-house.
A branch of the Bank of New South Wales was established in a new brick structure at Corowa in 1874. The building of a Roman Catholic church commenced in September 1874. A report in 1875 stated that Corowa as a township "was making rapid strides". The township had a total of seven hotels. A "private township" had been laid out at Corowa on land formerly owned by Sanger and Foord, with the land selling at £80 to £100 per acre. The Government township, laid out about two miles from the river, was deemed a failure.
A report published in the The Sydney Mail
in October 1879 stated that Corowa township consisted of one thoroughfare containing the business houses. On a nearby hill the residences of the wealthier residents had been erected. It was claimed that the Government town of Corowa, two miles from the river, was "a vast wilderness". It was postulated that the reason for the failure of this township to develop was the fact that only one approach to the bridge from that point could be obtained. The toll for crossing the bridge was said to be "somewhat exorbitant," and prevented free intercourse between Corowa and Wahgunyah.
A Presbyterian church and an Oddfellows' Hall were built at Corowa in 1886 .
In the 1890s, Corowa was the site of several important conferences leading to the federation of the various colonies
into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
has an Australian Rules football team (Corowa-Rutherglen) competing in the Ovens & Murray Football League
.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is on the bank of the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
, the border between New South Wales and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah
Wahgunyah, Victoria
Wahgunyah is a small town in northeastern Victoria, Australia. It is located on the southern bank of the Murray River, opposite Corowa, New South Wales. Wahgunyah is approximately north of Rutherglen and west of Albury and Wodonga. At the 2006 census, Wahgunyah had a population of 809...
. Corowa is the administrative centre of Corowa Shire
Corowa Shire Council
Corowa Shire is a local government area in New South Wales, Australia in the Riverina region. It is on the Murray River and the Riverina Highway.Its includes the towns of Corowa, Howlong, Balldale, Coreen and Daysdale, Rennie and Mulwala.- Council :...
. The name could have derived from an Aboriginal word referring to the curra pine which yielded gum used by Aborigines to fasten the heads of spears to the shafts. Another translation is rocky river.
There are two bridges over the Murray
Murray River crossings
The Murray River in south-eastern Australia has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade. This article lists and briefly describes all of the recognised crossing points. Many of these had also developed as river ports for transport of goods along the Murray...
to Wahgunyah in Victoria: the heritage-listed John Foord Bridge and the Federation Bridge (opened on 2 April 2005).
The Bangerang Tribe
The traditional Aboriginal people from the area are the Bangerang tribe.The tribe of aborigines that inhabited the Corowa area were called, in their own language, the Bangerang Tribe. The name has various spellings in English, varying all the way from Bandjalang through Panderang to Pinegorine.
Foord's punt
John Foord settled on the Murray River near the Ovens junction (on the southern side of the river) in the early 1840s. In about 1843 Foord and a man named Bould examined the country about the present site of Wahgunyah and recommended it to John Crisp, who was the first European to settle in the area. Later Crisp sold his land to John Foord. With the development of steamer transport on the Murray River in the mid-1850s, Foord purchased a punt which was brought up to Wahgunyah by the steamer Leichhardt. Foord built two extensive warehouses which he let to river navigation companies. Traffic was attracted to Foord's punt, leading to the establishment of Corowa township, opposite to Wahgunyah.Township development
Corowa Post Office opened on 1 January 1861.
In 1861 an Anglican church was built at Corowa on land donated by John Foord.
It was reported in 1868 that Corowa "was fast becoming one of the most important of the border districts". Buildings erected that year included a new store, two hotels and a new court-house.
A branch of the Bank of New South Wales was established in a new brick structure at Corowa in 1874. The building of a Roman Catholic church commenced in September 1874. A report in 1875 stated that Corowa as a township "was making rapid strides". The township had a total of seven hotels. A "private township" had been laid out at Corowa on land formerly owned by Sanger and Foord, with the land selling at £80 to £100 per acre. The Government township, laid out about two miles from the river, was deemed a failure.
A report published in the The Sydney Mail
The Sydney Mail
The Sydney Mail was an Australian magazine published weekly in Sydney. The weekly edition of The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, it ran from 1860 to 1938....
in October 1879 stated that Corowa township consisted of one thoroughfare containing the business houses. On a nearby hill the residences of the wealthier residents had been erected. It was claimed that the Government town of Corowa, two miles from the river, was "a vast wilderness". It was postulated that the reason for the failure of this township to develop was the fact that only one approach to the bridge from that point could be obtained. The toll for crossing the bridge was said to be "somewhat exorbitant," and prevented free intercourse between Corowa and Wahgunyah.
Later developments
In 1882 the bridge between Corowa and Wahgunyah was purchased by the New South Wales Government.A Presbyterian church and an Oddfellows' Hall were built at Corowa in 1886 .
In the 1890s, Corowa was the site of several important conferences leading to the federation of the various colonies
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Today
The town in conjunction with nearby town RutherglenRutherglen, Victoria
Rutherglen is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, near the Murray River border with New South Wales. The town was named after the Scottish town of Rutherglen which lies just outside Glasgow...
has an Australian Rules football team (Corowa-Rutherglen) competing in the Ovens & Murray Football League
Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football League, often referred to locally as the O&M, is a semi-professional Australian rules football league based around ten clubs in north-eastern Victoria and the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, and affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League...
.
Prominent people
- George PalmerGeorge Palmer (cricketer)George "Joey" Eugene Palmer was an Australian cricketer who played in 17 Tests between 1880 and 1886....
was a cricketer in the 1880s born in Corowa - Mike WalshMike Walsh (TV host)Mike Walsh OBE was host of The Mike Walsh Show from 1973 until 1985. Walsh is the only entertainer to be awarded the Sammy Award and Gold Logie award in the same year....
, television host - Nigel LappinNigel LappinNigel Lappin is a former professional Australian rules footballer.Lappin was born in Corowa, New South Wales, but grew up in Chiltern, Victoria and was drafted to play for the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League in 1993, playing his first AFL game the following year...
is an Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player born in Corowa - John LongmireJohn LongmireJohn Longmire is the current coach of the Sydney Swans. As a player, he represented the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League from 1988 to 1999.-Early years:...
is a retired Australian rules football player (North Melbourne Kangaroos), now coach (Sydney Swans) from Corowa - Ben MathewsBen Mathews-Overview:Ben Mathews is a former Australian Football League player with the Sydney Swans, originally recruited from the Corowa-Rutherglen region of New South Wales. In 2005 he was part of the premiership-winning side that defeated the West Coast Eagles. He announced his retirement on 2 September...
is another Australian rules football player from Corowa (Sydney Swans) - Stephen MowlamStephen MowlamStephen Mowlam OAM is a field hockey goalkeeper from Australia, who was a member of the team that won the golden medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens by beating title holders The Netherlands in the final....
is an Australian HockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
Player who grew up in, and played hockey for, Corowa