|
| The Jarvis
Homestead which was built in 1876 is at
the back of the Man from Snowy River
Museum |
Corryong
Home town of The Man from Snowy River
Small roadside metal silhouettes of the Man from
Snowy River stand beside the road at both ends
of Corryong, declaring that this is Man from
Snowy River Country. The claim has considerable
legitimacy. Not only is Corryong the Victorian
gateway to both the Snowy Mountains and to
Kosciuszko National Park but it is generally
accepted that a local named Jack Riley was the
inspiration for 'Banjo' Paterson's famous poem
'The Man From Snowy River' (1890).
Corryong is quite an attractive older-style
country town of some 1500 people which is
situated at an elevation of 320 metres and
surrounded by spectacular countryside. The
mountain peaks, tree-clad ridges, alpine streams
and granite boulders render it ideal territory
for mountain-biking, canoeing, bushwalking,
horseriding, trout fishing, hang-gliding,
white-water rafting and scenic drives. It is
located 437 km north-east of Melbourne via the
Hume Freeway and Murray Valley Highway and 116
km east of Wodonga. Access from NSW is via
ThredboVillage and Khancoban.
It is believed that the area was occupied by
the Pallanganmiddang Aborigines prior to white
settlement. The first cattle station here was
established c.1838 and this is still cattle
country with local saleyards handling 10 000
head a year. Walwa, 43 km to the north, was the
home of Australia's first breed of beef cattle,
the Murray Grey, which was widely exported.
Explorer Paul Edmund Strzelecki passed
through the area on his way to Gippsland in
1840. The district was opened up for selection
in the 1860s and, consequently, a township began
to emerge to cater to the needs of the small
landowners. A school opened in 1872 and, in
1875, a Mr Miller transferred his store from
Koetong to Corryong. The townsite was surveyed
in 1879 with land sales proceeding in 1882 - the
year the Court House Hotel became the town's
first drinking establishment. The name derives
from the Aboriginal term 'cooyong' meaning
'bandicoot'.
The town's major annual celebration is the
Man From Snowy River Bush Festival in April. It
includes a commemorative ride along the route
taken by those who brought the dying Jack Riley
into town from his mountain home. There is also
a bush dance, muster and bush market.
Things to see:
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Tourist Information
The Corryong Information Centre is located at
the corner of Jardine St and Hanson St, opposite
the post office. The latter, the main
thoroughfare, is lined with attractive
liquidambars. The centre is open from 9.00 a.m.
to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: (02) 6076 2277. They
can furnish a guide which outlines four of the
most scenic drives around town.
Snowy Mountain Holidays at Towong (11 km
north-east) offer fishing, canoeing and
mountain-bike excursions and accommodation, tel:
(02) 6076 8252. Kevin Carlisle offers 4WD
heritage tours of the area and Richard Hubbard
conducts scenic 4WD tours. Trail riding is
available at Towong, Khancoban and Shelley (41
km west along the Murray Valley Highway).
Companies hiring out canoes and mountain bikes
and offering white-water rafting trips, guided
bushwalking and trail riding can be found at
Walwa. For details on any of the above ring the
information centre.
|
| The grave of
Jack Riley ŒThe Man from Snowy River¹ at
Corryong |
Jack Riley's Grave
The town's pretty hillside cemetery is located
at the top of Pioneer Ave (signposted from the
main road). It contains the simple grave of Jack
Riley who is generally agreed to have been the
inspiration for A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson's
much-loved and nationally famous 'Man From Snowy
River' (1890). In contrast with Paterson's
ballad epic the tombstone laconically declares:
'In Memory of The Man From Snowy River, Jack
Riley, Buried Here 16th July 1914'. An
information board at the cemetery is more
informative. Riley migrated from Ireland in
1851. He initially worked as a tailor at
Omeo but was soon nourishing his interest in
horses by working as a stockman. He gained
notoriety as a mountain rider, horse-breaker,
bushman and tracker of wild horses. While
working as the manager of the Tom Groggin cattle
station in the Upper Murray Valley he undertook
the ride which lies at the centre of Paterson's
epic. The poet apparently met Riley while on a
camping trip in the area and was inspired by his
tales of adventure. An information board in a
reserve at the town centre considers the
background to the ride.
Man From Snowy River Museum
The Man From Snowy River Museum is located at
the corner of McKay St and Hanson St in the old
shire offices. It is essentially a local history
museum with an eclectic collection including an
old lock-up, a slab timber hut set up as an
old-fashioned dairy, wooden skis dating back to
the 1870s (including a pram on skis owned by
Olympic skiers Thomas and Elyne Mitchell), some
lovely Victorian-era costumes and an unusual
flying jacket handmade of bits and pieces by a
World War II POW. It is open daily from 10.00
a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00
p.m. from September to May. The Jarvis
Homestead, built in 1876 in the Cudgewa area,
was reconstructed on-site by the local Rotary
Club.
Hunters Plains
The 'Hunters Plains' homestead and stables are
located in Parish Lane which runs off the main
street. This rectangular vernacular building
incorporates a homestead erected c.1870 of
locally-hewn stone by town pioneer Hugh Harris
on one of the area's earliest pastoral runs. The
sympathetic brick additions date from 1922.
Lookouts
At the southern end of town, off the Back
Thowgla Rd (which runs off Donaldson St), is
Playle's Lookout, offering panoramic views of
the town and the Corryong and Thowgla Valleys.
Further afield but worth the effort is Lawrence
Lookout, which is located just off the Murray
Valley Highway at a point 36 km west of
Corryong. The departure road is signposted off
the highway just east of Shelley.
Farrans Lookout is 16 km north-east, just off
the road to Tintaldra. 6 km from Corryong along
the Tintaldra Rd is the turnoff to Khancoban.
Just along here is a hairpin bend from whence
there are excellent views. It is known as the
Towong Gap Lookout although there is no official
stopping place. The lookout at Mt Mittamatite is
about 10 km north along dry-weather roads. The
drives are, in all cases, highly scenic.
Towong
11 km north-east along the Tintaldra Rd is
Towong which was laid out in 1861 with land
sales proceeding in 1867. It has a noted turf
club established in 1871. The racecourse and
grandstand were used in the filming of Phar Lap.
In 1928 noted Australian identity Squizzy Taylor
and his gang created a fracas and stole a
substantial sum of money in the confusion. He
then stopped at Corryong where he robbed a local
publican. Snowy Mountain Holidays offer fishing,
canoeing and mountain-bike excursions and
accommodation, tel: (02) 6076 8252. Trail riding
is also available locally.
Benambra Rd
7 km west along the Murray Valley Highway is a
turnoff on the left which follows the Corryong
and Nariel Creeks south through a scenic valley.
The Nariel Creek Folk Festival is held at the
end of each year at Nariel Creek, 19 km along
this road.
10 km further south is the Upper Murray Fish
Farm where you can catch your own trout (bait
and tackle supplied), buy some smoked trout or
pate, cook up your own barbecue or stay in one
of the cabins, tel: (02) 6077 1295.
The bitumen peters out after a few more
kilometres but the road continues on to Benambra
and
Omeo. It is definitely manageable in a
conventional vehicle although snow can be a
problem in winter.
Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park
Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park (18 095 ha)
is a steep, rocky, remote and highly scenic area
which consists of two blocks containing very
different types of vegetation. There are 180
bird species, including lyrebirds, as well as
wombats, kangaroos and wallabies. Possible
activities include scenic drives, bushwalking,
abseiling and bush camping.
To gain access head north-west from Corryong
for 11 km until you come to a T-intersection.
The crossroad is the Cudgewa-Tintaldra Rd. Turn
right and after a further 6 km turn left onto
the scenic Cudgewa North-Walwa Rd which runs
through the park, providing access to most of
its attractions and walking trails. For details
on those attractions and trails see the detailed
entry on the park at Tintaldra.
