Wodonga

Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north-east of Melbourne, Australia.

Whilst in many senses Albury-Wodonga operates as a single community, the twin cities possess parallel municipal governments and state government services.

The closer proximity of Melbourne and the local predominance of Australian Rules Football perhaps give Albury a closer cultural affiliation with Victoria.

Grand plans were made by the government 30 years ago to turn Albury-Wodonga into a major inland city. Some industries were enticed to move there, and a certain amount of population movement resulted, but the plans quickly faded away with the next change of government and the long-term result was little changed.

The Wiradjuri people were probably the tribe of indigenous Australians resident immediately before the advent of Europeans in the area in the 1820s-1830s.

European settlement was first gazetted at this popular river crossing in 1839 and after a decade a small settlement was well established. 1851 saw the separation of Victoria from New South Wales as a separate colony with the Murray marking much of the border. Albury became a major customs point between the colonies, and the focus of steam-driven merchant shipping on the river. A permanent bridge was built over the Murray river in 1860.