Ferny Creek, Victoria

Ferny Creek was among the suburbs burnt in the Dandenong Ranges fire of 21 January 1997, and has been involved in numerous bushfires throughout settlement. It is named for the stream running through it, Ferny Creek.

Originally settled in the late nineteenth century by farmers and prominent Melbourne figures who built weekend cottages, Ferny Creek is well known for its established european gardens, and beautiful range of native fauna and flora.

There are a number of bed and breakfast inns located in Ferny Creek. There is also a primary school (Ferny Creek Primary School) and a General Store (Ferny Creek General Store) that sells many imported beers. There is also a CFA fire station (Sassafras-Ferny Creek Rural Fire Brigade) and a tennis club and a recreation reserve.

There are no train stations in Ferny Creek, the nearest stations being either Belgrave or Upper Ferntree Gully, to where buses run at regular intervals on weekdays and saturdays.

Ferny Creek is home to a popular attraction known as "The Thousand Steps" - a bushwalking track that runs through the Ferntree Gully National Park and provides a fitness challenge to those who attempt it. The steps begin at the bottom of the hill in Upper Ferntree Gully and the top of the steps being located at Ferny Creek.

The community of Ferny Creek is close and resilient, as proved in its recovery from the fires that destroyed nearly 40 local homes and killed three local residents (Genevieve Erin, Graham and Jenny Lindroth). The fires were deliberately lit in bushland below the settlement on Tuesday 21 January 1997, and in the extreme conditions of that day, raced up the steep slopes and was burning gardens and property before most residents were even aware of a problem.

Since that time, residents have focused their efforts on making responsible choices when considering their fire safety plans and in addition to having a significantly higher than average membership rate of CFA's Community Fire Guard program, and a pro-active approach to keeping properties prepared, the Ferny Creek Bushfire Alert System was installed to provide a siren signal to alert residents to the possibility of a threat to their safety. Residents are educated to respond appropriately to the siren by simply seeking further information via another source (radio, internet, phone tree, scanner, television, personal investigation etc). It is not a signal to evacuate. The Alert System is a unique co-operative project between Residents, Shire of Yarra Ranges, CFA, Victoria Police, Dept of Justice and Parks Victoria.