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Shelley Victoria | |||||||||
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Location in Shire of Towong, Victoria | |||||||||
Coordinates | 36°11′S 147°32′E / 36.183°S 147.533°E | ||||||||
Population | 5 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||
Postcode(s) | 3701 | ||||||||
Elevation | 798 m (2,618 ft) | ||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Shire of Towong | ||||||||
State electorate(s) | Benambra | ||||||||
Federal division(s) | Indi | ||||||||
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Shelley is a former town on the Cudgewa railway line in Northeast Victoria. It was home to the highest railway station in Victoria, at 781 metres (2,562 ft) above sea level.
The Shelley Railway Station was opened in 1916 and closed in 1979. The railway was used early in its life to transport farmer's livestock from the Upper Murray to Wodonga. From the 1950s the railway was used heavily to transport equipment and machinery from Wodonga to the Upper Murray to help build the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.
The Snowy Hydro Scheme was completed in 1974 and after several years of low level use, the railway was closed. Some remnants of the Shelley Station passenger platform can still be seen here today, along with some information boards. The Shelley Railway Station forms part of the High Country Rail Trail.
The area is now chiefly characterised by extensive pine plantations; HVP purchased the Koetong and Shelley Pine Plantations from State Government in 1998 and it has been owned and run by HVP ever since. HVP manage approximately 43,244 acres (17,500 ha) of continuous plantations which include approximately 12,355 acres (5,000 ha) of native bush, reserved for conservation. The HVP Plantations contribute to local employment in the area.