YARRAWONGA

town on the Murray River, Victoria, Australia. Mulwala, its twin town in New South Wales, lies on the opposite side of the river. Located on the Murray Valley Highway and with rail connections southwest to Melbourne (135 miles southwest), Yarrawonga lies near the Yarrawonga Weir, which impounds the Murray to form Lake Mulwala, a reservoir (15,000 acres [6,070 hectares]) used for irrigation and recreation. Yarrawonga was founded in 1868 and made a shire in 1891; its name derives from an Aboriginal term meaning where the cormorant builds. The town serves an area of livestock raising, dairy and fruit farming, and wheat and grape cultivation. The town's other economic activities include stock selling, flour milling, and shoe manufacture. Pop. (1991 prelim.) including Mulwala, 5,522.