The post office opened on 1 November 1881 and was closed on 30 June 1920.[2]
Settlers arrived in Muckatah about 1876 when the area was thickly covered by huge trees. These were felled by axe, cut into lengths with a crosscut saw, shaped by broad axe and made into dwellings.
The first crops of wheat were grown on areas of up to 10 acres or so with the bags of grain carted to Benalla and later, Numurkah. A bush track was used to travel to Shepparton for mail and supplies. The earliest selections were of 320 acres. A racecourse was in use by 1895 and a golf course on the same site in later years. Some early settlers were Nunan, Noonan, Salmon, Parnell, Gleeson, Lane, Hanrahan, Charles, Jessop, Flynn, Keady, Kennedy, Dunn, Walsh, McIntyre, Fields, Duffy and McCormack. In the early village was a hotel, post office and blacksmith.
At Muckatah, an annual St Patrick's Day Race meeting commenced in 1881, and an athletics meet in 1883, the following results were recorded:
Running high jump J. Keating / W. Hamilton 1st. 5’3” 15/-
Drop Kick Football P. Brown 1st. 80 Yards 10/-
Hop Step & Jump J Keating 42’3” 10/-
Vaulting with Pole Thomas Nunan 11’2” 10/-
A Coursing Club held its first event at Muckatah on 16 August 1890. On that day a prize of 10/- was offered to the winner.[3]
Moire Shire Council was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the Shire of Cobram, Shire of Nathalia, Shire of Numurkah, and parts of the Shire of Tungamah and Shire of Yarrawonga.[4] Cobram's plan of an amalgamation of the five shires was accepted, but its suggested name for the newly created shire was not. 'Muckatah' was not seen as being sufficiently representative of all the amalgamating shires and so 'Moira' was chosen.[5]
