Australian Places Homepage Whitfield, an agricultural township in the King River valley in north-east Victoria, is 47 km. The township is immediately west of the flood-prone King River and has State Forest to its west and east.
Agriculture extends along several stream valleys which are tributaries of the King River.
Although there are several Whitefields and Whitfields in British gazetteers, the most likely origin of the name was seasonal white ground-cover flowers at Whitfield. The land along the King River was suitable for growing many types of crops, and tobacco and hops were among the most productive. Schools were opened along the Whitfield part of the valley during the 1880s. A church was opened at Whitfield in 1887 and in 1899 a narrow-gauge railway line from Wangaratta to Whitfield was opened. A mechanics' institute and hall were opened in 1902 and within a few years a government tobacco research farm was transferred to Whitfield from Edi .