The Goulburn River Valley region, in the Heart of Victoria, has a rich military history of people, places and stories.
DISCOVER M I L I TA R Y H I S TO R Y
Start your journey in Seymour, only 1.5 hours’ drive from Melbourne. Be moved by the evocative Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk, which honours the service of all who played their part in what turned out to be a tumultuous chapter in Australia’s history.
THE START OF YOUR JOURNEY
Follow in the footsteps of the troops at the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park as they prepared for battle in the Great War and later World War II. Nearby, the RAAC Memorial and Army Tank Museum collects, preserves and exhibits the history of the Australian Light Horse and Armoured Corps.
Each small town has their own story and not every story is listed here. Visit our website for more information about monuments and memorials across the region and the stories that accompany them.
Onwards to Benalla, where you will find memorials to Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop and Hector Waller in the beautiful Benalla Botanical Gardens. Stop at the Shepparton War Memorial before making your way west and gaining a unique insight into military history at the Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum and The Ossario in Murchison. Discover the stories of the Italian, German and Japanese prisoners of war detained during the Second World War. The small towns along the way abound with stories of heroism and sacrifice. Stop and pay tribute to the servicemen and women who fought and died for this country.
Behind each of the memorials is a story of bravery and sacrifice, of determination and devotion to duty, and of terrible loss.
The region’s rich military history is not the only draw card of the Goulburn River Valley. The locals boast about the region’s gorgeous nature, fantastic food and wine offering and quirky arts and craft scene. Whether you’re on a family holiday, looking for a weekend trip away or a romantic retreat, you’ll find a little bit of everything in the Heart of Victoria. Visit www.heartofvictoria.com.au for more information.
Goulburn River Valley Tourism PO Box 334, EUROA VICTORIA 3666 Ph. (03) 5795 1614 E. info@goulburnrivervalley.com.au W. www.goulburnrivervalley.com.au Images courtesy of Mitchell Shire Council June 2017
Design and printed by Prominent Group, Shepparton 03 5831 2455
Make your way north and pay your respects to our Victoria Cross recipients at the ‘Honouring Our Heroes’ statues of Maygar, Burton and Tubb that stand tall at the VC Memorial Park in Euroa.
IN THE HEART OF VICTORIA
Barmah State Park
DISCOVER MILITARY HISTORY
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Kinglake National Park
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Toolangi State Forest
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Black Murrindindi Range State Scenic Reserve Forrest
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Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum 49 Hogan Street Tatura A unique collection of the history surrounding the three prisoner of war and four internment camps that were established during World War II in Tatura and surrounding areas. 9
10 German War Cemetery Tatura Cemetery Mulcahy Road Tatura The final resting place for 250 German POWs and civilian internees who died during both World Wars. The remains of each individual were brought from cemeteries across Australia to be interred in one commemorative place. 11 Private Robert Mactier VC Memorial Garden Hogan Street and Flanagan Place Tatura A statue honouring Private Robert Mactier stands in the Robert Mactier V.C. Memorial Gardens in Tatura along with an obelisk commemorating those who served during World War I, World War II and Vietnam.
Lake Mountain Alpine Resort
Narbethong Yarra Ranges National Park
Healesville
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Mt Samaria State Park
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Benalla Aviation Museum 57 Samaria Road Benalla The historic home of the No. 11 EFTS Squadron, stationed at Benalla airfield during World War II. The Museum offers a fascinating look at Australia’s military air training history plus passenger flights in restored military aircraft.
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Shepparton & District War Memorial Welsford Street and Marungi Street Shepparton The Shepparton Cenotaph commemorates those who served in the various conflicts in which Australia has been involved. View the ‘Helping Hand’ sculpture by Web Gilbert, and the ‘Mateship’ sculpture by Bela Angyal.
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Hector Waller Memorial Benalla Botanical Gardens Bridge Street Benalla A granite monument commemorates Captain Hector ‘Hec’ Waller as an outstanding naval officer who served during both World Wars. It is also a tribute to all men and women lost at sea on operational service. Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Memorial 6 Benalla Botanical Gardens Bridge Street Benalla A moving sculpture commemorates soldier-surgeon and Australian war hero, Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop. As a prisoner of war during World War II in Singapore, Sir Dunlop worked as a doctor saving men from the harsh conditions of camp life.
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4 Honouring Our Heroes 19 Kirkland Avenue VC Memorial Park Euroa Euroa is the only town in the Commonwealth to have been home to three Victoria Cross recipients. Statues honouring Lieutenant Frederick Tubb, Corporal Alexander Burton and Lieutenant Leslie Maygar stand in the Euroa VC Memorial Park.
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Lower Goulburn National Park
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3 RAAC Memorial & Army Tank Museum Hopkins Barracks Puckapunyal Military Area Located on the functioning Puckapunyal Military Base, the RAAC Memorial & Army Tank Museum is home to over 70 Armoured Fighting Vehicles, making it one of the largest armour museums in Australia.
IN THE HEART OF VICTORIA
Katunga
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Australian Light Horse Memorial Park 2 Goulburn Valley Highway Seymour Explore the relics and bush tracks on part of the former Seymour Camp, Victoria’s largest training facility prior to the opening of Puckapunyal Camp in 1939.
Lake Mulwala
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Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk High Street (junction of Emily Street and Tallarook Street) Seymour A one-of-a-kind memorial dedicated to Vietnam Veterans, the Walk has been created using symbolic elements of Vietnam and the names of the more than 60,000 men and women who served in Vietnam. 1
Barmah State Park
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Upper Yarra Reservoir
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12 Italian Ossario Murchison Cemetery Willoughby Street Murchison This Italian style Mausoleum commemorates and contains the remains of Italian World War II Prisoners of War and detainees whose original graves were badly damaged by floods. Calder Woodburn Memorial Avenue Goulburn Valley Highway Between Arcadia and Kialla The Avenue is the grandest and largest of Victoria’s World War II commemorative plantings. Fen Woodburn planted 2457 trees between 1945 and 1949 initially as a memorial to his son Sergeant Calder Woodburn. 13
DISCOVER MORE War Memorials in places like Alexandra, Avenel, Nagambie, Mooroopna, Yarck and Eildon as well as Rookies’ Return in Shepparton, the Boer War Memorial in Longwood and World War I Memorial Park in Seymour offer special insights into local history and heroism. Visit www.heartofvictoria.com.au/military-history for more information.
14 A4-4 AVRO Anson Memorial Track Mt Torbreck Eildon A 2.4 km uphill walk leads to the crash site and memorial of an RAAF Avro Anson aircraft which crashed on the north-east face of Mount Torbreck near Eildon in 1940, killing all four crew.