Shepparton (pop. 68,206) is a city in Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Goulburn River, about 112 miles (180 kilometers) north of Melbourne. It is the main city of the fertile Goulburn Valley, as well as the center of the Goulburn Valley irrigation system. Shepparton has a wide range of sports and cultural facilities, including a civic center and art gallery.
Shepparton is in the Murray-Darling Basin, a major agricultural region nicknamed Australia’s Food Bowl. The city’s major agricultural products are cereal and hay crops, dairy products, and orchard fruits. Many residents also work in the fishing, health care, manufacturing, and retail industries.
The Shepparton area’s traditional inhabitants are the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal people. The first Europeans in the area were the British settlers Charles Bonney and Joseph Hawdon. They crossed the Goulburn River while transporting cattle in 1838. As other pastoralists (livestock farmers) moved to the area, the settlement became known as McGuire’s Punt. In 1853, it was renamed Shepparton in honor of the pioneer Sherbourne Sheppard, who had settled in the area in 1843.
In the 1870’s, the Australian businessman John Furphy established a foundry (metal-molding plant) in Shepparton. The foundry became one of the region’s most important companies, and it expanded to produce agricultural equipment and water carts (water tanks mounted on wheels). Furphy’s brother Joseph wrote the classic novel Such is Life (1903) while working at the Shepparton foundry.
In the early 1900’s, Shepparton experienced a period of agricultural growth. Many dairies and orchards were established during this time. The Shepparton Preserving Company (SPC) began operating in 1918 and became one of the largest fruit-canning companies in the world. In the years following World War II (1939-1945), Shepparton became known for its large immigrant population, especially people from southern Europe. Shepparton was declared a city in 1949.
In 1994, Shepparton merged with several surrounding shires to form the City of Greater Shepparton, a government area led by the Greater Shepparton City Council. Shepparton was seriously impacted by flooding in October 2022. Floodwaters from the Goulburn River caused significant property damage.
