Tocumwal, New South Wales

Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, 270km north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway and Murray Valley Highway join at the Murray River, and form part of the main road route National Highway A39 between Brisbane and Melbourne. At the, Tocumwal had a population of 1,860.The town is said to be named for the local Aboriginal word for "deep hole in the river".HistoryPrior to European settlement, the Tocumwal area was inhabited by the Ulupna and Bangerang Aborigines. The first pastoral runs were established in the 1840s. The town was established in the early 1860s and gazetted in 1862 as"a Village to be called TOCUMWAL... Situated on the Murray River, on the road from Albury to Deniliquin, about 50 miles west of Corowa, and 40 south-east of Deniliquin."Tocumwal Post Office opened on 1 August 1868.Prior to Federation, Tocumwal was an important customs point for goods crossing between the then colonies of Victoria and New South Wales.