Whorouly is a town in north east 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....

, Australia. The town is located in the valley of the Ovens River

Ovens River

The Ovens River is a river in the Australian state of Victoria.Hamilton Hume and William Hovell explored the area in 1824, naming the Ovens River...

 and in the Rural City of Wangaratta

Rural City of Wangaratta

The Rural City of Wangaratta is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the north-eastern part of the state. It has an area of 3,764 square kilometres. In 2001 it had a population of 26,000, of which 8.6% were born overseas...

 local government area, 275 kilometres (170.9 mi) north east of the state capital, 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 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) south east of the regional centre of Wangaratta. 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,...

, Whorouly and the surrounding area had a population of 785.

The town was surveyed and proclaimed in 1868, adopting the name of a nearby station

Station (Australian agriculture)

Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...

. Whorouly Primary School opened in 1874. The first European settlers established large grazing properties but after the Victorian gold rush

Victorian gold rush

The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...

, closer settlement took place. Land was released in 320 acres (129.5 ha) lots, on the condition that part of the land was cleared for agriculture.

Until the 1980s much of the area along the Ovens River was planted with tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

. Other production in the area included beef and dairy cattle, orchards and market gardens. In recent years, wine grape growing has been introduced to the area.

The local Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian 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...

 team, Whorouly Football Club, competes in the Ovens and King Football League.