The City of Whitehorse was created in December 1994 following the amalgamation of the former cities of Box Hill and Nunawading. The birth of the City reunited the suburbs which formed the original Shire of Nunawading more than 100 years ago.
The municipality derives its namesake and logo from a white horse dating back to the 1850s, when a white horse statue adorned the front entrance of the City’s first hotel and two-storey building. Today, a memorial stands on the former site of the hotel and the white horse symbolises the City’s identity.
The City is also recognised as the home of the arts, stemming from its relationship with Box Hill as the original site of the Artists Camp. In 1885, artists established the first of their camps at Box Hill, and while the camp only lasted three years, some of the artists, including Frederick McCubbin, returned to the area often. The City has an impressive art collection containing a total of nine works by members of the Box Hill Artists Camp, including works by McCubbin, Roberts and Streeton.
The Wurundjeri-Balluk Tribe are the traditional custodians of the land on which the City of Whitehorse is located. They have been the traditional custodians for 40,000 years. The traditional language to the tribe is Woi Wurrung and the tribe is now known as the Wurundjeri, being one of five tribes that make up the Kulin nation. The Wurundjeri are a deeply spiritual people and honour the creator spirit, Bunjil the Eaglehawk. Historically, the tribe would camp along the banks of the many creeks that flow through the City and named parts of the local area Namenarren or Nunawading.