| Gembrook Victoria |
|||||||||||||
| Population: | 1,628 (2006) [1] | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1880s | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 3783 | ||||||||||||
| Elevation: | 259 m (850 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Location: |
|
||||||||||||
| LGA: | Shire of Cardinia | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Gembrook | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | La Trobe | ||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Gembrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, 54 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia. At the 2006 Census, Gembrook had a population of 1628.
Gembrook is a popular destination for the residents of Melbourne as it is less than 1.5 hours drive from the city centre.
Contents |
Gembrook was settled in 1873 for farming and timber; the surrounding countryside was suitable for both dairy and orchards. Timber provided income while farms were established. The name Gembrook came from the small gems that were found in small creeks and watercourses in the surrounding area.
The Post Office opened on 5 October 1877.[2]
The Gembrook railway line was opened from Upper Ferntree Gully on the 18th December 1900. The narrow gauge line, these days known as Puffing Billy, brought tourists from Melbourne, as well as enabling timber and local produce, including fruit trees and potatoes, to be taken back to Melbourne. At its peak there were more than 20 timber mills operating in Gembrook and the surrounding area, with tramways operating between the mills and the railway station. The Ranges hotel, which still operates today, was built in 1901 to cater for the local population as well as day trippers from Melbourne. After the devastating fires in 1926 and 1939 which destroyed many of the timber mills, there was talk of closing the line. The line eventually closed on 30 April 1954 after a landslide blocked part of the line the previous year (the line was already in decline because motor traffic had replaced much of the railways patronage). Soon after this time (between 1958 and 1962) the broad gauge line to Upper Ferntree Gully was extended to Belgrave which is less than 18 km away from Gembrook. In 1962, the western end of the Gembrook railway line which extended from Belgrave to Menzies Creek was reopened as a heritage tourist railway. Later extensions to Emerald in 1965, and Lakeside (in Emerald Lake Park) in 1975, were opened and finally the last section to Gembrook in 1998, which saw the complete service resume between Belgrave and Gembrook. A short section from Gembrook towards Cockatoo was gradually reopened in the early 1990s as restoration work progressed.
Today Gembrook is seen as a suburb of Melbourne as it is within the Melbourne metropolitan area. Gembrook no longer relies on the income generated from farming and lumber but rather from tourism and other professional services. The current population of Gembrook is over 1,600. The town is located within the Shire of Cardinia, and is within the state electoral area of Gembrook, and the federal electorate area of La Trobe.
Gembrook is served by a daily bus service (route 695 ) running from/to Belgrave. A Friday evening and Saturday/Sunday service also runs from/to Fountain Gate shopping centre at Narre Warren.
Together with its neighbouring township Cockatoo, Gembrook has an Australian Rules football team (Gembrook Cockatoo) competing in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League.[3]
Gembrook is also home to one of the most highly regarded wineries in the Yarra Valley, Gembrook Hill. The vines were planted in 1983 and the site is regarded as one of the best in the region for cool climate winemaking.