european exploration of the future site of wagga wagga began in 1829 with the arrival of captain charles sturt during his expedition along the murrumbidgee river. settlers arrived shortly thereafter with charles tompson establishing the eunonyhareenyha 'run' on the north bank of the river in 1832, and then in soon after george best establishing the wagga wagga 'run' on the south bank. other settlers followed, with all of them initially squatting on the land illegally but by 1836 the colonial government regulated the tenure of land and established a licensing scheme. within a few years settlers numbers increased greatly and before 1850 a local bench of magistrates and a place for holding petty sessions was established. the beginnings of a village formed near the ford used by most traffic passing through the area and included a crude blacksmith's shop, a hotel, and a post office. by 1849 the town was marked out by surveyor thomas scott townsend and formally gazetted as a village.