Mitta Mitta, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Mitta Mitta is a small town in the Australia
n state
of Victoria. It stands on the Omeo Highway
and is 380 km from Melbourne
, and is located on the Mitta Mitta River
not far from Dartmouth Dam
. At the 2006 census
, Mitta Mitta and the surrounding area had a population of 151.
language although this is under some dispute. The river was discovered by explorers Hume & Hovell and early pastoralists from the Monaro district
in New South Wales
seeking respite from increasingly dry conditions moved to the area to take up the fertile land after 1838.
Gold was discovered in 1852
and a town developed in 1870 when mining began. The Post Office opened on 8 February 1870.
The Pioneer Mine, to the west of the town, became one of the state's largest open-cut mines and with 441 kg of gold produced over 20 years. The Pioneer Mine was the third enterprise in Australia to use large-nozzle hydraulic sluicing and was managed for 12 years by James Hedley from the famous gold-mining family. In the early twentieth century gold dredge
s mined for gold yielding 167 kg of gold. Tin was also mined in the district.
The local airport was created to service the nearby Dartmouth Dam
construction site. After the completion of the dam the airport was sold to locals who still operate the airport to this day, with pilots using the strip to fly into the peaceful surrounds for holidays from surrounding major cities of Melbourne and Canberra. Strangely enough (maybe a throwback from its days serving the Dartmouth Dam project) it is called 'Mitta Mitta International Airport', a source of humour to the pilots that fly into the short 920m dirt strip. Local owners Russell and Robyn Kelly have added to the strange name with small signs of 'Customs', 'Sniffer Dog' and 'Arrivals' on the small airfield fence below the airport sign.
The area surrounding Mitta Mitta was ravaged by bushfires in 2003 and early 2004.
has an Australian Rules football team Mitta United competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League
.
Golfers play at the course of the Mitta Mitta Golf Club on Magorra Park.
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...
n state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Victoria. It stands on the Omeo Highway
Omeo Highway
The Omeo Highway is a 157 kilometre road in eastern Victoria, Australia, connecting north-east Victoria to Gippsland over parts of the Victorian Alps....
and is 380 km from 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...
, and is located on the Mitta Mitta River
Mitta Mitta River
The Mitta Mitta River is a major tributary of the Murray River in Australia and the source of approximately 40% of the Murray's flow.The river's headwaters include Victoria's highest mountain, Mount Bogong, with the Mitta Mitta itself forming at the confluence of the Cobungra River and the Big...
not far from Dartmouth Dam
Dartmouth Dam
Dartmouth Dam is a large dam on the Mitta Mitta River in the north-eastern portion of the Australian state of Victoria. The dam creates the artificial Lake Dartmouth, storing water from the Victorian "High Country's" snow fields for summer release into the Mitta Mitta and subsequently into the...
. 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,...
, Mitta Mitta and the surrounding area had a population of 151.
History
Mitta Mitta, from Mutta Mutta, means "thunder" in the local AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
language although this is under some dispute. The river was discovered by explorers Hume & Hovell and early pastoralists from the Monaro district
Monaro, New South Wales
Monaro is the name of a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro, whilst the Australian Capital Territory is frequently considered part of the region: most towns have very close links with...
in New South Wales
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...
seeking respite from increasingly dry conditions moved to the area to take up the fertile land after 1838.
Gold was discovered in 1852
1852 in Australia
See also:1851 in Australia,other events of 1852,1853 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy...
and a town developed in 1870 when mining began. The Post Office opened on 8 February 1870.
The Pioneer Mine, to the west of the town, became one of the state's largest open-cut mines and with 441 kg of gold produced over 20 years. The Pioneer Mine was the third enterprise in Australia to use large-nozzle hydraulic sluicing and was managed for 12 years by James Hedley from the famous gold-mining family. In the early twentieth century gold dredge
Gold dredge
A gold dredge is a placer mining machine that extracts gold from sand, gravel, and dirt using water and mechanical methods.The original gold dredges were large, multi-story machines built in the first half of the 1900s....
s mined for gold yielding 167 kg of gold. Tin was also mined in the district.
The local airport was created to service the nearby Dartmouth Dam
Dartmouth Dam
Dartmouth Dam is a large dam on the Mitta Mitta River in the north-eastern portion of the Australian state of Victoria. The dam creates the artificial Lake Dartmouth, storing water from the Victorian "High Country's" snow fields for summer release into the Mitta Mitta and subsequently into the...
construction site. After the completion of the dam the airport was sold to locals who still operate the airport to this day, with pilots using the strip to fly into the peaceful surrounds for holidays from surrounding major cities of Melbourne and Canberra. Strangely enough (maybe a throwback from its days serving the Dartmouth Dam project) it is called 'Mitta Mitta International Airport', a source of humour to the pilots that fly into the short 920m dirt strip. Local owners Russell and Robyn Kelly have added to the strange name with small signs of 'Customs', 'Sniffer Dog' and 'Arrivals' on the small airfield fence below the airport sign.
The area surrounding Mitta Mitta was ravaged by bushfires in 2003 and early 2004.
Today
The town in conjunction with neighbouring township EskdaleEskdale, Victoria
Eskdale is a small town near the major regional centre of Albury-Wodonga, in Victoria's north. It is situated in the Mitta Valley, near the river's confluence with the Little Snowy Creek, amongst the foothills of Mount Bogong...
has an Australian Rules football team Mitta United competing in the Tallangatta & District Football League
Tallangatta & District Football League
The Tallangatta and District Football League is an Australian rules football competition in north-east Victoria and the southern/border region of the New South Wales Riverina...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Mitta Mitta Golf Club on Magorra Park.