Porepunkah, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Porepunkah
state = vic


caption = The Ovens River at Porepunkah
lga = Alpine Shire
postcode = 3740
est =
pop = 589
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Benalla
fedgov = Indi
dist1 = 320
dir1 = NE
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 134
dir2 = S
location2= Wodonga
dist3 = 73
dir3 = SE
location3= Wangaratta
dist4 = 8
dir4 = W
location4= Bright

Porepunkah is a town in north east Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Great Alpine Road, at the foot of Mount Buffalo convert|320|km|mi|0|lk=on north east of the state capital, Melbourne and only convert|5|km|mi|0|lk=on north west of Bright. Part of Alpine Shire Local government area and situated on the banks of the Ovens River, at the 2006 census, Porepunkah had a population of 589.Census 2006 AUS
id=UCL242000
name=Porepunkah (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)
accessdate=2007-10-25
quick=on] The town is named for the Hindu word for "gentle breeze".

European settlement began in the 1830s, but it wasn't until the discovery of gold in the 1850s that development of the town took place. Porepunkah Post Office opened on 22 February 1870. Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ]

Porepunkah is a leading gateway to the Victorian skifields. The Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail, a popular cycling and hiking path built in a disused railway corridor, passes through Porepunkah.

References

External links

* [http://www.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/ Alpine Shire Council] - Official website
* [http://www.alpinelink.com.au/porepunkah/ Community website]
* [http://www.railtrail.com.au/punkahhistory.shtml Murray to the Mountains Rail trail]