Tongala
Postcode: 3621
Tongala is a small town between Kyabram and Echuca in the Goulburn River valley in northern Victoria, Australia, part of the Campaspe Shire. At the 2001 census, Tongala had a population of 1,189.
Dairying is the most significant industry in the town’s economic structure that also includes food processing at a Nestle plant. In June 2005 Nestle announced that it would cease manufacturing powdered milk in Australia and that its Tongala factory would be restructured to become a liquid milk only site with 147 jobs to be lost. The National Union of Workers is negotiating for the workers at the plant.
Sunrice operates a CopRice plant that employs thirty staff in a state of the art stockfeed mill, established in 1989, with a capacity to produce up to 100,000 tonne of stockfeed.
In 1894 in a meeting at Mangan’s Victoria Hotel, Tongala, the Tongala Football Club was formed, with games played at Tongala Recreation Reserve. The club participated in regional leagues including Kyabram District Junior Football Association (1910-23), Goulburn Valley Football League (1924-32), Echuca and District Football League (1933-35), Kyabram District Football Association (1936-45), Goulburn Valley Football League (1946-2005) and Murray Football League (2006- ).
St Patrick’s Catholic church was constructed in 1909, opening on Sunday 28 November 1909. St. Patrick’s Catholic primary school was opened in 1959.
The Tongala water tower, designed by John Monash, was constructed in 1914 with an initial capacity of 10,000 gallons (45,500 litres) and extended to 20,000 gallons in 1923.