Howlong /ˈhaʊlɒŋ/ is a town 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Albury, and is situated on the Murray River which separates the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. The town is located on the Riverina Highway. There is a bridge across the Murray into Victoria. Howlong is in the Corowa Shire local government area. At the 2011 census, Howlong had a population of 2,551 people.
Prior to the founding of the township the Surveyor-General of New South Wales at that time Major Thomas Mitchell crossed the Murray River during his exploration of the area. There is a monument to Mitchell on the Victorian side of the river which states that Mitchell and his party camped at the location on 17 October 1836 and then crossed the river slightly downstream of their camping point on the following day.
Three years later two men with a property in the area set off on the second longest cattle drive of its kind attempted in Australia at that time driving 300 head to South Australia. Also in 1838 the site of the Mitchell river crossing became the location of the first postage mail delivery by a mail carrier, John Conway Bourke when he undertook to deliver the overland mail from Sydney to what would later be called Melbourne.
How long has this been going on?
How long has this been going on?
Well your friends and their fancy persuasion
Don't admit that it's part of a scheme,
but I can't help but have my suspictions,
'cause I ain't quite as dumb as I seem.
Well you said you was never intending
to break up our scene in this way,
but there ain't any use in pretending
it could happen to us any day,
How long has this been going on?
How long has this been going on?
How long and how long has this been going on?
How long and how long has this been going on?
How long baby?
Oh, your friends and their gentle persuation
Don't admit that it's part of a scheme,
but I can't help but have my suspictions,
'cause I ain't quite as dumb as I seem.
Well you said you was never intending
to break up our scene in this way,
but there ain't any use in pretending
it could happen to us any day,
Tell me honey
How long has this been going on?
How long has this been going on?
How long and how long has this been going on,
going on, going on?
how long has this been going on?
how long has this been going on,
going on, going on, going on?
How long, honey, oh, has this been going on?
How long has this been going on?
how long has this been going on, going on, going on, going on?
how long has this been going on, going on, going on?
You been treaten me mad you been treaten me bad
and it's been going on, going on, going on
I ain't quite as dumb as I seem.
I ain't quite the fool you mean
but it's been going on, going on, going on, going on.