WONTHAGGI
Wonthaggi is the
destination town of South Gippsland. That sort of makes it the
‘capitol’ of this region. There is a lot to like and admire about
Wonthaggi. The traveller will delight in the coal mining history in
the town.
The
name "Wonthaggi" is an Aboriginal word (from the Woiwurrung - Eastern
Kulin) which means "to drag, carry or pull with the wind
The town, known
originally for its coal mining, is now the regional service centre for
tourism, beef and dairy industries. Coal and tourism are now
intertwined.
Coal was
discovered by explorer William Hovell at Cape Paterson in 1826, and
was subsequently mined from the Powlett River fields in the region,
between 1859 and 1864.
Much of the coal
for the colony of Victoria was sourced from Newcastle and the Hunter
Valley. After the 1909-1910 strike by coal miners in the Hunter
Valley, the Victorian state government was determined to ensure
stability in local supplies of coal. The State Coal Mine and the town
of Wonthaggi came into being in 1910 to supply coal for the steam
trains in Victoria.
The Post Office
opened on 11 November 1887
and a 100 years later heritage matters.   
In 1911 miners
formed the Wonthaggi Co-operative Workmen's Club,
a social club with 300 members and a membership fee of 10 shillings.
        _small.JPG) 
Miners were also
prominent in establishing the local hospital, friendly society
dispensary, union theatre, and a co-operative store, and in supporting
miners in New Zealand in the 1912 Waihi miners' strike.
The two hotels
that continue to service the town are great pubs.
The Wonthaggi
full
of interesting whale history.  
The Museum is
just near the heritage
 precinct. 
The Wonthaggi
War Memorial has a great profile in the town.    
The
congregational Churches are a mix of the not very old
a bit new. and
then the Catholic Church  
Wonthaggi will
also be noted for the desalination plant. Not richly though.
When visiting
allow a few days. This is a very interesting and historical
town.
 |