Until it was taken over by the Victorian Government in 1988, Wonnangatta station was the most remote freehold cattle station in Victoria. It is now part of the Alpine National Park.
Its early settlement history is unclear but Oliver Smith was probably the first permanent settler around 1870. A partnership developed with the Bryce family in 1871 and that family eventually took over, developing their cattle herd and improving the Station. They also took up other leases in the area. The Bryces regularly visited Dargo and the Goldfields at Talbotville and Grant for supplies and legend has it they once brought a piano into the valley by packhorse.
Phillips and Ritchie purchased Wonnangatta in 1914. They purchased bullocks in Wodonga and walked them to Wonnangatta to graze. They later walked them for sale through to Mansfield via Zeka Spur, Mt Howitt and down the Howitt Spur and along the Howqua River.
Phillips and Ritchie's Wonnangatta manager James Barclay is reputed to have ridden from the Station to visit friends at Merrijig in 11 hours, using the stock route. Barclay also had leases on Mt Clear, King Billy and the Bluff and would also have accessed those using the original stock routes. Barclays hut was on Barclays Flat where Lovicks hut now stands. In 1918 the infamous Wonnangatta murders saw Barclay buried in a shallow grave beside the Home creek and the body of his cook Bamford was later discovered hidden under a pile of logs on the Howitt Plain. The murders were never solved but investigating policeman Detective McKerral is reportedly quoted as saying that justice appeared to be done.
The Cache:
GZ is a beautiful area alonglside the Wonnangatta River. We camped here with our group of 8 vehicles for two nights in March 2022. To get to GZ from any direction you will need a serious high clearance 4WD with low range. All of the routes into the valley are classified by Parks Victoria as Difficult or Very Difficult (see below). You will earn your Terrain stars just getting to GZ. Please stay safe.
Once there you will need to earn the Difficulty stars. The cache is suspended to hopefully keep it above the high water mark! Good luck, stay safe, and enjoy this magic area.
Local maintainers have been arranged and the details provided at the time of publication.