Mooroopna

Mooroopna is located 180 kilometres north of Melbourne and is in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.

Mooroopna is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river and separates Mooroopna from Shepparton. Mooroopna has a population of approximately 8000 people.

The name Mooroopna is an aboriginal word meaning 'deep water hole'. This refers to a very deep part of the Goulburn River behind the old Mooroopna Hall.

Two entrepreneurs camped on the edge of Gemmill's Swamp, close to Mooroopna, in January 1838. Early commerce flowed from revenue gained by punt owners at Shepparton and in Mooroopna, who exploited the traffic from gold fields in Bendigo to those in Beechworth. The Post Office opened on 19 April 1873.

Thirty years later, the population had reached 812 and Mooroopna then prospered, hindered often by droughts and damaging floods. Mooroopna is now the second largest urban area in the Goulburn Valley.

Mooroopna became a centre for local commerce especially after the beginning of irrigation from the early 1880s. The first school was opened in 1874, the first bank in the same year, the punt in 1875, the Mooroopna Hospital in 1876 and the railway from Seymour to Mooroopna in 1880. Mooroopna became infested with hotels and churches. Also, Mooroopna lost young men to wars in South Africa, Europe and in Asia and has several memorials recording their names.

The Historical Society of Mooroopna was established in 1983 and excellently records the history of Mooroopna and the surrounding district. The Society's museum and gallery is located at 30 Park Street, Mooroopna, the former Grutzner House nursing home, at the rear of the old Mooroopna Hospital.

Mooroopna boasts a large range of pet friendly accommodation venues and these include pet friendly caravan parks, pet friendly motels, pet friendly cottages, pet friendly bed and breakfasts, and pet friendly holiday homes. Mooroopna also features pet businesses such as pet shops, pet food retailers, pet transport operators, pet breeders, dog grooming and washing services, boarding kennels and catteries, vets, farriers, horse riding ranches, horse dentists, pet insurance agents, pet friendly dining options, aquarium shops, bird aviaries and cages vendors, pet enclosures and fencing contractors, and pet training and obedience schools.

Mooroopna is an attractive town and a little less busy than neighbouring Shepparton. A visit to Mooroopna would re-charge your batteries and the Mooroopna locals would make you very welcome.

So why not take a break and head off to Mooroopna very shortly.