| Hurstbridge Melbourne, Victoria |
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Hurstbridge
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| Population: | 3448(2006) [1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 3099 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 5.4 km² (2.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 34 km (21 mi) from Melbourne | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Shire of Nillumbik | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Yan Yean | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | McEwen | ||||||||||||
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Hurstbridge is a semi-rural town in Victoria, Australia, 26 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, at the junction of Diamond Creek and Arthur's Creek. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Hurstbridge had a population of 3448.
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Hurstbridge was first settled in 1842 by Cornelius Haley, a grazier. The area was originally known as Allwood, after the homestead built there. The town was renamed in 1924. The town's current name is from Henry Hurst, who built the first log bridge across the Diamond Creek, upstream from the present Monash Bridge. In 1866, Henry Hurst was fatally wounded by a bushranger, Robert Bourke. Bourke was captured and tied to a wheel of a wagon under a tree (now known as Bourke's Tree) until troopers from nearby Queenstown arrived. Bourke was tried and found guilty of the murder, and was later hanged. [2]
For many years the area was characterised by orchards and nurseries, and in 1912 a rail line was extended to Hurstbridge to transport fruit to Melbourne. As a result of this rail connection, a settlement started developing near the bridge. A Post Office opened in 1912, and the current single lane bridge designed by Sir John Monash opened in 1918. The township was originally known as Hurst's Bridge until 1915, and then Hurst Bridge until about 1954. [3] Further development of the town occurred in the Post-War years, and electricity was connected in 1957. [4]
The artist Albert Tucker moved to a 5-acre (20,000 m2) property in Hurstbridge in the 1960s, where he lived for many years. A series of paintings from the time depict the natural bushland around his property.
The area includes a diverse mix of farmers, artists, commuters and tourists. Around Hurstbridge can be found a number of attractions including wineries, walking tracks and markets. Hurstbridge holds the annual Wattle Festival each spring, and a farmer's market each month.
It is serviced by regular train services to and from the Melbourne CBD at Hurstbridge station.
On New Year's Day 2003 the local primary school was destroyed by fire when an air-conditioning unit malfunctioned, and was replaced in 2006 by a newly built primary school.
Hurstbridge has a football team playing in the Northern Football League, based at Ben Frilay Oval. [5] It has a cricket club playing in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association.
The late race car driving champion Peter Brock was raised in Hurstbridge, where he continued to live throughout his life.
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