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Home>Services>Local History>Mornington Peninsula Histories
 Port Phillip
Western Port
Balnarring/Balnarring Beach
Baxter
Bittern
Coolart
Crib Point
Dromana
Flinders
Hastings
HMAS Cerberus
McCrae
Merricks/Merricks Beach
Moorooduc
Mornington
Mount Eliza
Mount Martha
Portsea
Quarantine Station and Point Nepean
Red Hill and Arthurs Seat
Rosebud
Rye, Blairgowrie and Tootgarook
Somers
Somerville
Sorrento
Tyabb
| Port Phillip | | European discovery of Port Phillip occurred in 1802 with the convict settlement at Sullivan Bay following quickly in 1803. There was a hiatus until John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner arrived in 1836 and settled Melbourne. Settlers and squatters from the small Port Phillip colony ventured onto the Mornington Peninsula and selected land which was largely used for cattle and sheep grazing. The clearing of land and agricultural pursuits began.
Mornington, with its natural harbour and influential early settlers like Alexander Balcombe, became the hub of the legal, political, economic and social centre of the Mornington Peninsula. The first form of local government on the Peninsula was the Mount Eliza Roads Board. Mornington Courthouse was the first courthouse on the Peninsula. Mornington Pier was utilised for the ferrying of goods to the Peninsula and for the transportation of goods and produce to Melbourne.
The settlements on the Port Phillip side of the Peninsula were in large measure highly influenced by their relationship with Melbourne. Mornington, Mount Martha, Dromana, Rosebud and Sorrento were tourist destinations from the 19th century onwards.
Melbourne’s urban sprawl and the “sea-change” movement have seen vastly increased residential development and re-development along the Port Phillip Bay towns. The consequent tension between development and retaining the amenity of the Peninsula as an attractive tourist destination are ever apparent in these towns. Top
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| Western Port | | In many senses the history of Western Port is the antithesis of the development of Port Phillip. Sealers are thought to be the first semi-permanent settlers along Western Port Bay. The 1840s saw squatters such as the Meyricks and Martha King arrive and settle Coolart and Hastings. The villages remained small and were largely focused upon local industries such as fishing and fruit growing into the twentieth century. The land was used for cattle and sheep grazing as well.
There was not the huge influx of tourists (apart from those travelling via Stony Point to Phillip Island) that many coastal resorts on the Port Phillip side experienced. The development of HMAS Cerberus and later the large industrial development of BP, BHPP-ESSO and Lysaghts saw the Western Port side suffer from an image problem.
The Western Port area has had significantly more industrial development than the Port Phillip area. Yet this too is changing, as the urban sprawl of Melbourne has reached Somerville in the last fifteen years. Despite this, none of the towns have the size of Mornington or Rosebud. Urban renewal has begun in Hastings with consequent land price increases. Another important influence has been the “sea-change” movement of the last ten years. The coastal villages of Western Port are experiencing unprecedented development. Even so, Western Port probably remains about ten years behind Port Phillip development.Top
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| Balnarring/Balnarring Beach | | European settlement of the Balnarring area did not start until the 1840s, although a party led by Charles Grimes in 1803 were probably the first Europeans to visit the area. The Meyricks family took up the first pastoral lease named Coolart in the early 1840s, but it wasn’t until 1860s that the large numbers of settlers arrived. Balnarring has its foundations in the Warrawee Homestead, originally the homestead of the Van Suylan family. In later years it became the general store and post office and later a hotel.
The first school in the area, the ‘night school’ was held in a local settler’s cottage. Rural School No 104 Balnarring was a wattle and daub building established in 1871 close to the St Mark’s Church site. A more permanent school was built on the Balnarring road in the 1880s. It is interesting to note that red oxide was mined at Palmers Bluff to colour bricks that were produced in the area.
The beach at Balnarring was fortified against an invasion during World War II. An anti-tank trench was dug and barbwire was placed behind the dunes. Gun emplacements were set up at locations such as Palmers Bluff.
Balnarring Picnic Racing Club was originally established in 1863 as the Hastings and Balnarring Racing Club.Top
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| Baxter | | Named after Captain Benjamin Baxter, Baxter village grew from the pastoral lease, Carrup Carrup, taken up by him in 1838. Originally know as Mornington Junction it was changed to Baxter in 1914 to stop confusion with Mornington.
This 15,360 acre run set up as a cattle station with his friend John Sage drove the original herd overland to the new property. John Sage was immediately appointed his overseer as Benjamin Baxter mostly spent his time in Melbourne taking care of his other financial interests. His wife with the aid of John Sage ran Carrup Carrup until 1843 when a dip in Mr Baxter’s financial affairs forced him back to Carrup Carrup full time. On his return he immediately set upon draining the swamp areas for growing wheat which fetched high prices as flour was hard to get. This meant he was able to build a new home to replace the two-bedroom slab cottage.
Sage’s Cottage was built in 1841 by John Sage. Sage married John Baxter’s eldest daughter Maria in 1853.
The property has been owned since 2004 by Menzies Inc, an organisation which offers assistance to disadvantaged children, and operates as a café on Fridays between 10 am and 3 pm.
Baxter Primary School was built 1890 and is still apart of the school buildings today. The Baxter Railway Station Post Office was opened in 1892 although it was later moved off railway land to allow the instalment of a telephone. It became a major meeting place for the whole district and it soon became known as the Baxter General Store. Known for its fruit growing and market gardens, Baxter became a thriving township of the Western Port area.Top
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| Bittern | | Bittern was named for the wetland bird Botaurus poiciloptilus, the Australian Bittern. The township was established on the north eastern section of the original Coolart run. The coming of the railway led to the development of saleyards nearby. Livestock was then transported to Melbourne via the railway. People holidaying also arrived by rail. On racedays at Balnarring, horses arrived at the station where they were unloaded then led to the racecourse. In 1912 the Bittern Five Ways General Store and post-office opened.
The township began to plan for a forecasted growth of up to 5,000 people, when the building of HMAS Cerberus was completed in the 1880s. A cathedral like church was planned by the Anglican community to be built on 1.2 hectares. Unfortunately this increase of population did not occur so the size of the church was downgraded to a Lady’s Chapel. This was eventually moved to Geelong due to the lack of patronage.
The school built in 1908 in the corner of Stumpy Gully and Hunts road was moved to its present position in Portsmouth Road in the 1920s. The original busy general store that catered for so many folk was pulled down in the 1950’s. Little remains in of the once grand plans this town had for its future.Top
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| Coolart | | Variously spelt as Coolart, Colourt, Coolort and Collert, the Aborginals called it Kulluk meaning “sandy place”. Alfred and Henry purchased the 6800 hectare lease of Coolart in 1840. This parcel of land covered most of southern Western Port area, stretching from Bittern thorough to Somers and what is now know as Merricks.
They quickly settled into clearing and draining the land. After many difficulties they finally sold the lease in 1846 to William Payne. He and a number of others ran the lease until finally in the early 1860s, John Benn, a senior partner of Grice, Sumner and Co, took over the property. He was able to make the property viable. Shorthorn cattle were raised here successfully for a number of years.
The Grimwades built the gracious Victorian homestead in 1896. Windbreaks were planted and exotic plants were introduced to form a beautiful garden.
After a few more owners, Thomas Luxton bought the property in 1937. He enjoyed the bird life and set about building a sanctuary for bird life. He had it proclaimed as one in 1937 the lagoon was built in 1939. In the 1970s the Victorian Government purchased the property and Parks Victoria manages the mansion and remaining gardens.Top
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| Crib Point | | | First known as Morradoo, meaning ‘powder and shot’, by local aboriginals. The name Crib Point became commonly used by 1855. Three early settlers Hardy, Watson, and Mentiplay built a hut on the point and called it “their crib”, Crib Point. It was the combined force of the arrival of the railway in 1889 and the decision to place the Flinders Navel Base, HMAS Cerberus, at Hann’s Inlet that really gave this township a permanent footing. The establishment of the BP refinery in 1963 also boosted the town’s population and growth, but its closure 20 years later has meant that since then the town has changed little. Top
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| Dromana | | Dromana is believed to have Irish origins in its name. Dromana was the site of one of the Special Survey’s proclaimed in the state, Jamieson’s Survey. The survey was originally pastoral but moved partly into agricultural use over time. Dromana was proclaimed a town in 1861. McLear’s Hill celebrates an early woman pioneer, Mary Ann McLear.
Dromana was the seat of local government on the southern Mornington Peninsula for over 100 years. This fact along with tourism and lime burning were the three main factors leading to permanent settlement in the area. Camping is still popular along the foreshore. Many of Dromana’s holiday homes have now become permanent residencesTop
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| Flinders | | The original name for Flinders was Black Head, after the black basaltic rock that makes up the bluffs in the area. It was discovered when a party from HMS Calcutta headed by Lieutenant James Tuckey walked across from Sorrento in 1803. The town took its name from the explorer, Matthew Flinders who never actually sailed into the harbour. It was settled in the late 1830s via two major pastoral runs, Mantons Creek and Cape Schanck .
The Cape Schanck run had a number of owners but it was John and Edward Barker who developed the run and built the homestead “Clondrisse” that is now located close to the sea at Boneo. Running more than 3000 cattle and having many hectares under cultivation, the property was most prosperous. A squatter worked Mantons Creek run for grazing purposes until Henry Tuck took up the lease in 1846.
Flinders township was largely populated by Chinese fisherman and by Europeans involved in crayfishing during the 1850s. Between 1864-65 the pier was built. Soon after a brick school was built. The coming of the submarine cable in 1869 linking the mainland with Tasmania gave this small community an important role on a national basis.
Racing was popular with the Irish at Shoreham. The racecourse co-existed with the Golf Club for a time.
Flinders developed a reputation as an exclusive place to be. Grandiose guest houses took in the views. One of these was Houghton, thought to have been the first post office and police station.
World War II saw its beaches lined with barbed wire, and guns on its cliffs. It was not until the 1950’s that the gunnery range was established. Today Flinders maintains its feeling of exclusivity with large homes adorning the cliffs and the magnificent Golf Club with a reputation to match.Top
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| Hastings | | Hastings started as just a small settlement of huts spread along a creek that was named after the Kings, the first land owners of the area. Wattle bark stripping, hunting and fishing provided income for the small population. The name comes from two possible sources, either the Marquis of Hastings or the fishing village Hastings in England.
The town grew with the jetty being built in 1865, and by the mid 1870s the town had its own school and churches. The coming of the railway in 1889 was celebrated. Fruit growing and fishing became the mainstay of the growing township.
The early 1960s saw the deep waters of Western Port Bay being opened to industrial development. Commencing with the Esso-Hematite Fractionation Plant and the crude oil storage plant designed for tankers of up to 100,000 tons being built at Long Island. The final stage of construction was the BHP steel works that rolls steel at over 1250 degrees from ships arriving from Port Kembla.
Today Hastings is a small but steadily growing township attracting people from all walks of life. It boasts a large marina facility that caters for visiting yachts from all round the world. Wetlands and mangroves that boast species that normally grow much further north surround Hastings. Hastings still manages to maintain in small town feel.Top
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| HMAS Cerberus | | HMAS Cerberus began as a huge ironclad terret steamship acting as the guardian of the bay for 50 years. It was the fear of an attack from Russia and then the Japanese via the deep waters of Western Port that has meant that a strong military presence has always been a feature of Western Port Bay. Today it rests at Black Rock as a breakwater.
The official opening of the Flinders Naval Base took place in 1920 after many years of construction. It was commissioned, as HMAS Cerberus in 1922 and is still a very active training school. During World War 2 trained 400 recruits a month and the base grew in size to cope with these demands. The Base is still used as a major training facility with recruits coming from all over Australia and overseas.Top
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| McCrae | | | Originally this area was called Dromana West but public petition changed this to McCrae in the 1930s. McCrae is named after Andrew McCrae who settled on the Arthurs Seat run in the early 1840s. The McCraes ran the property and built McCrae Homestead which is now a National Trust property open to the public. McCrae’s wife, Georgiana, diarist and painter, is now far more well-known than her husband. Top
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| Merricks/Merricks Beach | | Merricks is derived from the name of the Meyrick family who took up the first land holdings in the area. The land was cleared for grazing and chicory and toady - some old kilns still stand. By 1921, Merricks consisted of a busy settlement of General Store and Post Office and railway station, a blacksmiths and a new school. The General Store which opened in 1927 was closed recently.
An early prominent family was the Coles family. T.C. Coles began a pastoral dynasty in 1874 with the Minto and Larnoo properties.
The subdivision of Coolart into Merricks Beach or originally Tulum Sands for beach houses also took place in 1920s. Protected fiercely by local residence and holiday house owners, its bush/beach atmosphere attracts many to its shores.
During World War II, the 7th Division Artillery was based in the town. Merricks or Balnarring Beaches were considered as likely landing spots for an invasion.Top
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| Moorooduc | | Moorooduc was named after the Aboriginal word, murraduk, which means “flat and swampy” or “dark”. The name first appeared on a Lands Department plan in 1854. Timber felling was a major occupation in Moorooduc in the 1860s with the Firth brothers being among the first to export timber to Melbourne. The Moorooduc Coolstores give a glimpse of another industry of considerable importance in the Somerville, Tyabb and Moorooduc areas – the fruit growing industry. The Griffeth brothers established the Two Bays Nursery, the Packing Sheds and Orchard about 1910. It was soon claimed to be the largest retail nursery business in the Southern Hemisphere. Subdivision of the property took place in 1939.
Devil Bend Reservoir is a well known recreational attraction near Moorooduc.
Moorooduc gained some national fame more latterly in 1988 when Debbie Flintoff-King won an Olympic gold medal.
Moorooduc remains a small rural community.Top
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| Mornington | | Matthew Flinders landed near Mount Martha in April 1802 and walked to Schnapper Point to make the first survey of Port King as he named it (later known as Port Phillip). However, it was not until the early 1840s that settlers such as Alexander Balcombe settled on the land. Balcombe is credited with naming the township after the harvest from the sea.
The layout of the township of Schnapper Point was mapped in 1854. The building of the pier in 1857 led to much of the subsequent development of the town. The pier became the lifeline and connection to the rapidly expanding Melbourne which boomed with the gold rushes. The town was renamed Mornington in 1864, it is believed in honour of the Earl of Mornington. The Shire of Mornington was proclaimed and Mornington became the economic, legal and social centre of the Mornington Peninsula.
From the 1860s to the 1880s, Mornington became a tourist mecca for the upperclass of Melbourne. The opening of the railway in 1889 should have seen further development of the town. But the 1890s depression and the shocking tragedy of 1892 when 15 members of the Mornington Football Club were drowned while returning from a football match, saw the town’s fortunes decline somewhat. Sorrento won the battle for social supremacy and Mornington became the place for trade picnics with beautiful Mornington Park being utilised. The railway and the introduction of steamers bringing day tourists saw a different kind of tourism hold sway in Mornington from the early 1900s.
Transportation has played a large role in the opening up of Mornington – first sea transportation, then the railway and finally the motor car. The opening of the Balcombe Army Camp during World War II and the coming of sewerage led to Mornington’s rapid development from the 1950s. The increasing encroachment of Melbourne urbanisation has altered the character of the town dramatically in the last 20 years. Today, Mornington remains the retail centre of the Peninsula with a rapidly developing Lygon Street style Main Street.
The Mornington East development is the fastest growing area on the Peninsula.Top
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| Mount Eliza | | Captain Hobson named Mount Eliza after the wife of John Batman in 1836. He arrived on the ship the Rattlesnake. Permein surveyed the area and the first auction of land took place in September 1854. Early settlers of note were William Davey and John Thomas Smith. Another well-known resident was Thomas Ritchie, who established the original Ritchies Store in Frankston. In 1863, four of his five children were killed when his cottage caught fire. A prominent early family was the Grice family who owned Moondah, a magnificent property later purchased by Reg Ansett.
Until the 1950s, Mount Eliza was mainly a holiday home area. The sub-division of old estates saw Mount Eliza develop rapidly from the late 1960s. The Ranelagh Estate, designed by Walter Burley Griffin of Canberra fame, saw blocks of land with sea views developed in sympathy with the contours of the land. Mount Eliza became the home for the well-to-do. Two of the more prominent schools have their homes in Mount Eliza, Toorak College and the Peninsula School.Top
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| Mount Martha | | Mount Martha is believed to have received its name from the wife of Captain (later Lieutenant-Governor) Lonsdale. Captain Hobson named Mount Martha in 1836.
Mount Martha’s most famous property is probably The Briars. While Captain Reid established the property, it was Alexander Balcombe who developed the homestead during the 1840s. It remains an outstanding example of the early squatting lifestyle of the Mornington Peninsula. The property is now jointly managed by Mornington Peninsula Shire and the National Trust.
Among Mount Martha’s most famous residents have been Dr Alexander Morrison, Principal of Scotch College, Sir Frederick Sargood, a senator in the first Commonwealth Government and JP Fairbairn, MP. Governor Latrobe originally earmarked some land for his summer home but his plans did not come to fruition.
The establishment of the Balcombe Army Camp in 1940 influenced Mount Martha’s development. Mount Martha was a small seaside resort until the 1960s. It was always small and reliant upon Mornington for transport and commercial facilities. Until recently, it has still been a place where people had holiday homes. This has gradually changed over the last twenty years with the sale of the old Balcombe Army Camp land.Top
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| Portsea | | | Portsea was named by James Sandle Ford after a suburb in Portsmouth, the port he left England from. Portsea was an early community exploiting the limestone deposits for use on buildings in Melbourne. As the 1800s wore on, it became a rendezvous for those who could afford a country residence. This largely remains the case now. Top
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| Quarantine Station and Point Nepean | | The Quarantine Station opened in response to a need to isolate people who became ill with a contagious disease. Often, they were new arrivals from ships arriving after horrific journeys from England. Diseases such as cholera, smallpox, influenza and measles occurred in epidemics in the 1800s and caused many deaths. The Quarantine Station opened in 1852 and was gazetted in 1854 after the flood of settlers began arriving with the discovery of gold.
Some people quarantined there made their way back to the Mornington Peninsula including Jessie McClellan who worked for the Balcombe Family at The Briars. Janet married Samuel Sherlock (of Sherlock and Hay, Frankston). Jessie emigrated to Australia on the Ticonderoga in 1852. This ship had a shocking death rate during its voyage. Jessie met her husband first at the Quarantine Station where Samuel supplied meat from John Barker’s property at Cape Schanck. The quarantine station was officially closed in 1978 and was then occupied by the Officer Cadet School and later the School of Army Health. Recently there have been 150th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Quarantine Station.
Point Nepean has a history of protecting the colony as early as 1880 with the construction of Fort Nepean. Much of Point Nepean was unknown to many until parts of the site were open to the public with the establishment of the Point Nepean National Park in 1988. In more recent times, buildings at Point Nepean have provided accommodation for Kosovo refugees.
The most famous event at Point Nepean is probably the drowning of the Prime Minister of Australia, Harold Holt, at Cheviot Beach in 1968. His body was never recovered.Top
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| Red Hill and Arthurs Seat | | Red Hill was so named from the colour of its soil. An 1862 Parish Plan named it Red Hill officially. Early settlers included James Wiseman, John Arkell and the McKeown family. Orcharding was a major industry on the Mornington Peninsula and was the reason Red Hill was chosen as the terminus of the railway. The railway opened in 1921 after a long battle but closed in 1954.
Between 1893-1913, 78 village settlements were formed by government land grant – Red Hill was the site of the only village settlement on the Mornington Peninsula. This was one of the very few successful settlements with not one block going back to the crown.
Red Hill remains a rural area with properties and shops strung out along roads.
Arthurs Seat was named after the Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh by Lieutenant John Murray in 1802. It was climbed by early explorers such as Matthew Flinders and Charles Grimes.
An early pioneer family were the Burrell family who lived in the Arthurs Seat Homestead from 1851 to 1924.
Arthurs Seat is a popular tourist location with the wonderous views of the Port Phillip coastline on offer.Top
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| Rosebud | | Rosebud is believed to be named after a schooner called “The Rosebud” owned by Edward and Edmund Hobson and the Luttrell brothers. Rosebud was surveyed and gazetted in 1872 but it was already a fishing village. An early Fisherman was Lacco who later became known in ship-building. The Bucher and Cairns families were early settlers in the Boneo area behind Rosebud.
In the mid 1880s, the pleasure steamers began plying their trade at Rosebud Pier. From the 1950s, camping holidays became popular with the mass production of motor cars. Rosebud became the site of local government on the southern Peninsula in the 1960s.Top
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| Rye, Blairgowrie and Tootgarook | | Rye was originally called White Cliff. It is unknown where the name came from – possibly after the township of Rye in England. Rye was gazetted and surveyed in 1861. Rye was a prime area for lime burning during the 1850s. It was considered an early queen of the Nepean Peninsula. The Pier was built in 1860 to transport the lime being produced from the 13-14 kilns operating at Rye.
Land opened up for selection in 1862. Two distinct areas of Rye developed as some land remained undeveloped for over 40 years. J.L. Brown was a leader in a new industry – gathering tea-tree for baker’s wood.
Edward Hobson is believed to have been one of the earliest settlers running cattle in the area of Tootgarook. Tootgarook was originally known as Gortgoornok. The tootgarook Swamp was an early landmark on the Nepean Peninsula and was a serious impediment to travel. It was later drained.
Blairgowrie was known as Sorrento West until it was renamed after World War II.
The name comes from the same-named house on the prominent hill in the area. Blairgowrie was also very involved in the lime burning and tea-tree gathering industries.Top
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| Somers | | First know as Balnarring East, the township was subdivided in 1925. By the time of subdivision most of the coastal vegetation had been cleared and it wasn’t until the late twenties when this area was declared a reserve that formal re-treeing of the area commenced.
In 1934, the town was renamed Somers to honour the work of the Governor of Victoria, Lord Somers was a Chief Scouts Commissioner and later succeeded Baden Powell as World Chief Scout. He and Dr C. McAdam set up Lord Somers Camp and Power House in 1931 to help young men learn to work together as a team while retaining their individuality.
During WWII Somers saw a fair bit of activity. The RAAF set up a training camp at what is now the Ministry of Education Children’s Camp. The beach was used for training and two anti-aircraft guns stood at the end of Tasman Street. Later this facility was briefly used as a holiday resort and then in 1949 it became a migrant hostel until 1958. In 1958 the Victorian Education Department bought the facilities. It has since been used as a school camp.
Today Somers is a popular place to retire to. It is also a popular holiday spot.Top
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| Somerville | | Formally known as the heart of the fruit growing area of Western Port, or “The fruit bowl of Melbourne”, Somerville began to take shape by 1859. Pioneering families such as the Shepherds, Unthanks, Thornells, Holts, Grants, Jones, Clarkes and Scotts saw the development of an international fruit growing industry from the 1880s. The new train line in 1889 fuelled development of the industry and in 1900 some 60,000 cases of fruit were produced from the area.
The 1960s saw the winding back of this industry with only a few operating orchards present today. Much of the land has been subdivided for residential housing, leaving few traces of a vast industry. Today Somerville is becoming a sleeper suburb for Melbourne commuters with a population that is young and growing fast.Top
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| Sorrento | | Sullivan Bay at Sorrento saw the first settlement in the Port Phillip District in October 1803. David Collins was the commander of a convict settlement of about 300 convicts and a few settlers. He decided the area was not suiable for a permanent settlement and moved the settlement to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). John Pascoe Fawkner, the co-founder of Melbourne, and William Buckley, a convict who lived with the Aboriginal people for over thirty years, were at Sullivan Bay and became historical figures in their own right.
Lime burning was the original industry in the village with Kenyon and Rowley building lime kilns in the late 1830s. Rye, though, eventually became the centre of lime burning on the Peninsula.
Charles Gavan Duffy, an important figure in early Victorian government, is reputed to have named Sorrento after a place on Dublin Bay adjoining his family estates. After the Duffy Land Act opened up land for sale, Duffy bought large holdings from Portsea to The Sisters. George Selth Coppin, an entertainer, began purchasing some of Duffy’s subdivided land. He charted a paddle steamer and took politicians, investors and publicans down the bay to Sorrento. It was Coppin who put Sorrento on the map as the tourist place to go – he is often called the father of Sorrento. Sorrento Pier had been built in 1870. In 1890 Coppin launched the Sorrento Tram Company, offering people an experience of bay and sea beaches. Technological changes to transportation with railways and then the motor car forced the demise of the paddle steamers and the Sorrento tram.
Sorrento remains a tourist resort with its quaint main street and the Queenscliff ferry terminus.Top
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| Tyabb | | Tyabb is located between Hastings and Somerville and divided by Frankston/Flinders Road. Its name is derived from the Aboriginal word meaning tea-tree. With a string of natural water holes, Tyabb was the sensible location of the first homestead for the first major pastoralist of the area, Martha King. Tyabb was proclaimed as a township in 1861.
Originally the township called East Moorooduc was situated close to where the primary school is today. The arrival of the railway line in 1889 changed all that when it was realised that the township had to be close to the railway to survive. It is interesting to note that the present township position has never been gazetted.
Fruit growing was this town’s major industry and today the enormous Tyabb Packing House is testament to the huge amount of fruit grown in area. It remains standing in good condition as an antique centre. People are attracted to the many antique shops in the town.Top
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