Benalla
vic

Located on the Broken River in the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Benalla is two hours north of Melbourne, one hour south of Albury via the Hume Highway.

Known as the 'Rose City' it is noted for its gracious public gardens. It is surrounded by rich farm lands and operates as an important service centre. It is an exceptionally beautiful city which has a wide variety of attractions. There is a moving homage to Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, the widely admired doctor who worked tirelessly for the men imprisoned and working on the Burma railway.

There is a fine rural Botanical Gardens and the town's close connection to Ned Kelly is celebrated in both art and history. It is one of the most impressive rural centres in Victoria.

Education options in Benalla include two secondary schools, a Flexible Learning Centre, Centre for Continuing Education and the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE including Benalla Performing Arts and Convention Centre.

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, Target Country, Aldi and a Mitre 10 Home & Trade.

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. There's a horse racing club, the Benalla Racing Club, which schedules around eleven race meetings a year including the Benalla Cup meeting in early October. Golfers play at the Benalla Golf Club on Mansfield Road, or at the course of the Golden Vale Golf Club on Golden Vale Road, Benalla. Benalla is also the closest major centre to Winton Motor Raceway, a privately owned motor racing circuit which holds motor racing event at all levels of domestic competition, including V8 Supercar. Benalla Gardens Oval is the home of the Benalla & District Cricket Association. There's Benalla Bandits Baseball Club who compete in the North East Baseball Association and the Gliding Club of Victoria at the State Gliding Centre located on the Benalla airfield.

There is a park and walking track that circumnavigates Lake Benalla, featuring a ceramic sculpture mural community that was created as part of an employment project for local artists.

References: Aussie Towns, Wikipedia