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Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about 212 kilometres (130 mi) north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the 2021 census the population was 9,316. It is the administrative centre for the Rural City of Benalla local government area. History Prior to the European settlement of Australia, the Benalla region was populated by the Taungurung people, an Indigenous Australian people. A 1906 history recounts that prior to white settlement "as many as 400 blacks would meet together in the vicinity of Benalla to hold a corrobboree". The area was first sighted by Europeans during an expedition of Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824 and was noted as an agricultural settlement called "Swampy". The expedition was followed by that of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1834. An attack by indigenous people on the camp of shepherds working for George and William Faithful became known as the Faithful Massacre; eight settlers were killed in the incident. Following the massacre, in 1839 a police station was established to provide protection of over-landers, and the name of the settlement became Broken River. The post office opened on 1 December 1844 originally named Broken River. A bridge was built over the Broken River in 1847 and the following year the town was surveyed. In 1849, it was proclaimed a town. It was proclaimed a city in 1965. In 1936, the Benalla Centenary Race was held. Population According to the 2021 census of Population, there were 9,316 people in Benalla. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.0% of the population. 81.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 2.4%. 87.6% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 41.9%, Catholic 19.1% and Anglican 11.6%. Government Benalla is the seat of local government and administrative headquarters for the Rural City of Benalla. In the Victorian Legislative Assembly, it is represented by the Electoral district of Euroa. In the Parliament of Australia, it is represented by the Division of Indi in the Australian House of Representatives. Economy Industries include agricultural support services, tourism, a medium density fibreboard factory, Thales Australia ammunition factory and aviation. As a service economy for the region, Benalla has many large retailers, including a Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and a Mitre 10 Home & Trade. Target Country on Bridge Street closed in April 2021. Geography Benalla is situated on a mostly flat floodplain of the Broken River catchment situated directly to the north and west of the Great Dividing Range. Lake Benalla is an artificial lake created in 1973 from the Broken River as an ornamental feature for the centre of the city. Broken river forms a green belt along the north–south spine of the city. There are three major crossings of the river at Benalla. The main street in the Central Business District is Bridge Street East. Another large artificial lake, Lake Mokoan, 7 kilometres to the north east, was decommissioned beginning in 2009, with a wetlands area being developed for visitors. To the south of the freeway is the heavily forested Reef Hills State Park. Climate Benalla has a temperate mediterranean climate (Csb), possibly the easternmost such climate in Australia jointly with Mansfield. Summers are mostly warm, sunny and dry with a very low relative humidity (a mean 3pm reading of just 32% in January), while winters are cool and cloudy with modest rainfall. A heavy fall of snow was observed in Benalla on 31 May 1913. Education Benalla has two secondary schools, Benalla P–12 College (which has four campuses comprising Prep-yr 2; yr 3–6; yrs 7–9 and 10–12), FCJ College and three primary schools: Benalla P–12, St Joseph's Primary School and Australian Christian College – Hume. McCristal's College was a private grammar school that used to exist in Benalla. The Benalla Flexible Learning Centre offers an alternative education model for students up to 22 years old also. The Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE has a campus in Benalla which includes the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre opened in 2004 by Lynne Kosky MP, the then Minister of Education and Training. The campus included GRADA, a regional academy of dramatic art offering courses in Acting, Dance and Production and now specializes in Nursing and Engineering courses with direct links to local businesses for work placements. The other GoTafe campuses in the region include at Shepparton, Wangaratta and Seymour. The Centre for Continuing Education also offers pre-employment programs in Benalla plus Aged Care programs with practical work experience at Cooinda Village. Culture Benalla's cultural facilities include the Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre which includes a cinema and theatre. The city also has a major art gallery which forms a landmark perched over Lake Benalla on the site of the original police station. Benalla is fast becoming known as the street art capital of regional Australia with more than 50 major contemporary murals on the CBD Benalla Street Art trail, and beyond including local villages such as Goorambat and Winton Wetlands. The annual Wall to Wall Street Art Festival has been held since 2015, curated by Juddy Roller Studios, usually the week before Easter. Over one long-weekend dozens of world class artists create one giant outdoor gallery in the town. The Wall to Wall Festival also includes workshops, artist talks, live music, markets, street art tours and more. www.benallastreetart.com.au Benalla is also home to an artist's hub known as North East Artisans - an entirely self funded, not for profit community art gallery run by volunteers. It features a shop gallery with the works of local artists, an exhibition space, artist studios and a cafe, with regular exhibitions and live music events featuring local, national and international musicians. North East Artisans recently celebrated its 5th birthday in 2019. The Rose Festival is another annual local garden festival dating from 1967. Now called "The Benalla Festival" it is held over the first two weekends in November with dozens of free and low cost events including the community Street Parade, Music by the Lake and fireworks, and A Day in the Gardens Market held in the Benalla Botanical Gardens. Sport and recreation The town has an Australian rules football team (Benalla Saints) competing in the Goulburn Valley Football League and a team (Benalla All Blacks) competing in the Ovens & King Football League. Benalla has a horse racing club, the Benalla Racing Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Benalla Cup meeting in early October. Benalla Wolfpack play rugby league in NRL Victoria's Murray Cup. Golfers play at the Benalla Golf Club on Mansfield Road, which celebrated its centenary in 2003.... Discover the Victoria Kosky popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Victoria Kosky books.