Cockatoo, Victoria

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Cockatoo Victoria
Population:	3482 (2001 census)
Postcode:	3781
Elevation:	158 m
Location:	55 km from Melbourne 17 km from Belgrave
LGA:	Shire of Cardinia
State District:	Gembrook
Federal Division:	La Trobe

Cockatoo, Victoria is a town in the Dandenong Ranges, 50 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, named after the Australian native bird found in large numbers in the area. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia.

1 History
2 Present day
3 Transport
4 External links

[edit] History

Cockatoo was named after Cockatoo Creek. It was first settled in the 1870s but progress was tardy as the land was difficult to clear. Timbergetting was the major source of employment and this industry received a considerable boost when the narrow-gauge railway from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook was completed in 1900. Moreover, the railway brought leisure-seeking Melburnians into the area and a market for subdivision arose. The railway is operated today by the Puffing Billy tourist railway.

[edit] Present day

Cockatoo's town centre is centred on a community shopping centre. Reserves along Cockatoo Creek include sports fields and courts, a kindergarten and a community and seniors centre. There are two other large sports and recreation reserves in Cockatoo, as well as a youth centre, health centre, primary school, RSL club and CFA fire station.^[1]

Wright Forest, a 161-hectare reserve to the northwest of the town, is managed by Parks Victoria and is a fauna sanctuary.

[edit] Transport

Cockatoo is a railway station on the Puffing Billy Railway. The area is served by the 695 bus route operated from Belgrave by US Bus Lines.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: -37.939° 145.496°

Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
Wright Forest (Parks Victoria)
Australian Places - Cockatoo

Suburbs of the Shire of Cardinia
Beaconsfield \| Beaconsfield Upper \| Beenak \| Bunyip \| Cardinia \| Clematis \| Cockatoo \| Cora Lynn \| Dewhurst \| Emerald \| Garfield \| Gembrook \| Koo Wee Rup \| Lang Lang \| Maryknoll \| Nar Nar Goon \| Officer \| Pakenham \| Rythdale \| Tonimbuk \| Tynong