Myrtleford

Myrtleford is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the northeast of the state, 274 km northeast of Melbourne and 46 km southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and at the 2011 census the town had a population of 3,181.

History

Aboriginal people inhabited the Alpine valleys and high country for thousands of years prior to European settlement and knew its flora, fauna, geography and seasonal changes intimately. Groups visited the Alps in summer to hold ceremonies and gather the nutritious Bogong moths that shelter there.

European settlement began in the early 19th century and from 1837 Myrtleford was a remote cattle run known as Myrtle Creek. Myrtle Creek, today known as the Barwidgee Creek, formed the boundary of the run and was given its name by the first Europeans in the area. When gold was discovered in the Buckland Valley, thousands of diggers had to cross Myrtle Creek on their way to the goldfields. A small township developed at this fording place, with the name Myrtleford consequently adopted.