La maison Cafe :: History

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Our History

Information gathered from Australian Heritage - Historical Towns Directory

Wodonga and Albury are twin cities separated by the Murray River border between New South Wales and Victoria. Wodonga is on the Victorian side of the border, around 3.5 hours drive from Melbourne and 7 hours from Sydney by road.

The La maison Cafe building was formerly a Customs House following the separation of Victoria from NSW in 1851. Albury and Wodonga was used as the customs posts for the enforcement of tariffs. In 1852 the town on the Victorian side of the border was gazetted as Belvoir, after the homestead of district pioneer, Charles Huon. The town was officially renamed to Wodonga in 1874, a name which had been in common usage since the 1860s.

In the 1850s, the Victorian Gold Rush led to Wodonga's development as a port. Wodonga also went on to establish itself as an important livestock selling marketplace. The Wodonga Shire was formed over 167 square kilometres in 1876. Wodonga then became the Rural City of Wodonga in 1973. The name 'Wodonga City Council' was taken up in 2004.

The Hume Dam, around 12 kilometres east of Wodonga, was built between 1919 and 1936. Further work occurred between 1950 and 1961. A hydro-electric power station was installed in 1957. Wodonga continued to develop during the 20th century and into the 21st century and has a current population of more than 35,000 residents.