The story of this place
When Charles Sturt became the first European to explore this region in 1829, he discovered the Murrumbidgee River winding through Wiradjuri country. The name Wagga Wagga comes from the Wiradjuri language—long thought to mean 'place of many crows', but now officially recognised as 'many dances and celebrations.' The town grew at a ford across the river, and by 1849 was surveyed and gazetted.
During federation negotiations, Wagga Wagga was a serious contender for Australia's national capital, thanks to its location exactly midway between Sydney and Melbourne. The town made history on December 1, 1915, when 88 recruits left on the 'Kangaroo March'—one of the snowball recruitment marches of World War I. During World War II, it became a garrison town with 8,000 troops training at Kapooka. Today, the Army Recruit Training Centre still trains every Australian Army enlistee.