Drouin, Victoria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Drouin is a major service town, population 5815 (ABS 2001 census), located in West Gippsland, 90 km east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Baw Baw Shire. The town is supposedly named after a Frenchman who invented a chlorination process for the extraction of gold. New estate developments have accelerated the town's residential growth in recent years. The town has been made famous for local Australian rules football product. It is the origin of the famous Ablett family, in particular producing arguably the greatest player of all time Gary Ablett.

[edit] History

Settlement in this part of Gippsland was rather delayed by the dense forest. Pastoral runs were taken up but little developed. In 1867, a coaching station was established on the track into Gippsland at Brandy Creek, about seven kilometres north-east of present Drouin. By the early 1870s, a small settlement had developed and land was being selected in the area.

Meanwhile, contracts had been let for the construction of a railway from Melbourne into Gippsland. Workers' camps were set up along the route which passed to the south of Brandy Creek. There were three camps in the vicinity of Drouin. After the Gippsland Railway opened in 1878, a township was surveyed at Drouin Junction, soon known as Drouin. As Drouin developed, Brandy Creek, now called Buln Buln, had declined. When the Buln Buln Shire was formed in 1878, the administrative centre was located in Drouin. The New Tourists' Guide described the township in 1889, showing its substantial development.

Throughout the 1880s, a number of small sawmills operated in the Drouin district, many transporting their timber by tramway to the railway station. In the 1890s, a quarry was opened south-east of Drouin, the stone being carried by tramway to a railway siding east of Drouin. In 1913, this quarry was purchased and operated by the Shire.

As land was cleared, dairy farming became the main industry. Initially, butter and cheese were made on the farm. A creamery operated from 1891 to 1895 and in 1904 a co-operative butter factory was established at Drouin. When this factory was extended in 1907, an electric light plant was installed which also provided light for the streets and homes of Drouin. The factory supplied fresh milk to the Melbourne market from 1915.

Over the years, the company acquired other dairy companies and enlarged its own operation, producing casein, skim milk and butter-oil as well as butter and cheese. It became part of the Bonlac company which later closed it down, destroying the towns biggest employer. Flax was grown around Drouin during the two World Wars. A private factory operated for a while and in 1941, the government constructed a factory to manufacture canvas goods for military use.

The town has progressed steadily. In 1904, the population was 700. By 1933, there were just over 1,000 inhabitants and by 1970, 2,750. From the 1970s, the subdivision of an industrial estate on the south-east edge of the town had encouraged the growth of light industry. A number of housing subdivisions have also been initiated, as well as rural residential subdivision on the fringes of the town. The construction of a freeway bypassing Drouin allowed the remodelling of the shopping centre. By 1981, the population was 3,492 and in 1991 was 4,100. The Victorian Municipal Directory described the town in 1994.

[edit] Local Attractions

Drouin Nature Reserve has 3 km of walking tracks set in 14 hectares of natural bush land, featuring a boardwalk surrounded by Scrambling Coral and Soft Tree Ferns.