THE Pangerang Tribe was the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area, from Howlong to Berrigan, and are attributed with naming the two towns.
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"Yarra" means "water running over rocks" and "wonga" was named after the "wonga pigeon" which were plentiful in the region at that time.
In 1842, Hamilton Hume assisted his brother John's widow to form a 'run' that eventually became known as Yarrawonga Station.
John Hume had been killed by bushrangers while living with his wife, Elizabeth, and their nine children in Gunning.
Elizabeth took with her plans of a home drawn up by an English architect for use in India.
She named her home, 'Byramine', meaning 'rustic retreat' and the elm trees she planted remain the oldest in Victoria.
The village of Yarrawonga was founded in 1868 and six years later was large enough to justify the opening of a courthouse.
Lake Mulwala was created in 1939 by building a dam across the Murray River between Yarrawonga and Mulwala.
The road bridge across the lake was started from both ends by the respective state governments, but they didn't co-ordinate their efforts, leaving a dip and a bend in the middle.
