Greta

History

The district had four villages, all of which were called Greta at some stage. The original township known as Greta, located on Fifteen Mile Creek, is now called Greta West, and was once home to the family of bushranger Ned Kelly and Aaron Sherritt. The name is thought to be derived from Greta River in Cumberland, England. Following the discovery of gold near Beechworth in 1852, roads to the diggings passed through the Greta area. At that time, the area contained the Greta Swamp, which was later drained. The town site was surveyed at Fifteen Mile Creek in 1852. During the 1860s the land was subdivided into farming lots, used for cereals, cattle grazing, and dairying. At this time the township developed and the Post Office opened on 4 September 1863 (closed in 1971, though offices at Greta West and Greta South remained open until 1994). In 1867 a Catholic school was established. By the 1880s there were five schools in the Greta area; Greta, Greta South, Greta West, Hansonville, and Fifteen Mile Creek. Today, only two of the five schools remain; Greta Valley and Fifteen Mile School Camp. The nearby town of Benalla was connected to the railway network in 1873, which reduced traffic through the Greta district, and it became principally a farming community. A Methodist church was established in 1878 and an Anglican church in 1890. A public hall was built in 1916. Ned Kelly's relatives granted his last wish to be buried at his birthplace on 20 January 2013 in Greta Cemetery near his mother in consecrated ground. The burial followed a requiem mass held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Wangaratta on 18 January 2013. The area known today as Glenrowan West was Greta back in Ned Kelly's day. Over time the post office moved further East and the town virtually relocated to the…

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  3,600
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  3,195
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  2,986
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

  Cacatua galerita (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,916
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  2,831
• Galah

  Eolophus roseicapilla (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  2,607
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  2,484
• Eastern Rosella

  Platycercus eximius (Shaw, 1792) · Aves
  2,377

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2024-08-06
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2023-06-29
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.1 — 2021-09-21
  35 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 3.2 — 2013-06-22
  24 km SE of Benalla, Australia
• M 2.6 — 2007-06-10
  12 km SE of Myrtleford, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2006-02-28
  14 km WNW of Falls Creek, Australia