Mirboo North, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Mirboo North is a town in Victoria
, Australia
, located 155 kilometres (96 mi) east of Melbourne, with a population of 2688. It is in the South Gippsland Shire
local government area.
The town is at the start of the Grand Ridge Rail Trail
, which travels for 13km through temperate rainforest and dry sclerophyll
forest in the Strzelecki Ranges
.
. The original railway branch line from Morwell
to Mirboo North was completed on 7 January 1886, with the last train being run on 22 June 1974. The railway was constructed through difficult hilly terrain requiring construction of massive embankments and numerous bridges. The convoluted history of the Post Office below demonstrates the attempts to form a viable Mirboo township, culminating in the township of Mirboo North at the railway station becoming predominant.
Mirboo North became the focus of Victorian media on 10 August 2005, when about 15cm of snow fell. The snow lay around for days.
) to Carrajung
(near Traralgon
).
The town has two schools. Mirboo North Secondary College
(~450 students) and Mirboo North Primary School.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Mid Gippsland Football League
and a cricket team competing in the Central Gippsland Cricket Association.
Golfers play at the course of the Mirboo North Golf Club on Galvins Road.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located 155 kilometres (96 mi) east of Melbourne, with a population of 2688. It is in the South Gippsland Shire
South Gippsland Shire
South Gippsland Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-eastern part of the state. It includes the towns of Leongatha , Korumburra, Foster, Poowong and Mirboo North. It has an area of 3,305 square kilometres...
local government area.
The town is at the start of the Grand Ridge Rail Trail
Grand Ridge Rail Trail
The Grand Ridge Rail Trail or Mirboo North to Boolarra Rail Trail is a 13 kilometre rail trail in the Strzelecki Ranges of west central Gippsland, connecting the towns of Mirboo North and Boolarra...
, which travels for 13km through temperate rainforest and dry sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest in the Strzelecki Ranges
Strzelecki Ranges
Strzelecki Ranges, also known as Strzelecki Hills is a low mountain range in the Gippsland region of south-eastern Australia between the Latrobe Valley to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
.
History
The Mirboo area was settled by timber getters in the late 1870s, attracted particularly by the Mountain AshEucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
. The original railway branch line from Morwell
Morwell, Victoria
-Transport:The main form of transport in Morwell is the automobile. The Princes Freeway now bypasses the town to the south while the old Princes Highway which once passed through east-west through its centre is now Princes Drive and Commercial Road. The highway connects Morwell with other...
to Mirboo North was completed on 7 January 1886, with the last train being run on 22 June 1974. The railway was constructed through difficult hilly terrain requiring construction of massive embankments and numerous bridges. The convoluted history of the Post Office below demonstrates the attempts to form a viable Mirboo township, culminating in the township of Mirboo North at the railway station becoming predominant.
- 8/1/1879 Mirboo (1) opened
- 22/11/1879 Tarwin (1) opened
- 6/4/1881 Mirboo North (1) renamed from Mirboo, Mirboo (2) renamed from Tarwin
- 29/6/1885 Mirboo South (1) renamed from Mirboo, Mirboo (3) opened
- 1/4/1886 Baromi renamed from Mirboo North (closed 1892), Mirboo North (2) renamed from Mirboo (remains open), Mirboo (4) renamed from Mirboo South (closed 1972)
- 1/5/1888 Mirboo Central opened (closed 1895)
- c.1902 Russell's (Mirboo South) opened (closed c.1904)
Mirboo North became the focus of Victorian media on 10 August 2005, when about 15cm of snow fell. The snow lay around for days.
The Town today
Mirboo North sits on the Grand Ridge Road, a scenic route running from Seaview (near WarragulWarragul, Victoria
Warragul is a rural centre with a population of 12,943 people east-southeast of Melbourne in Victoria. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north...
) to Carrajung
Carrajung, Victoria
Carrajung is a town in eastern Victoria, Australia. Carrajung is situated between Yarram and Traralgon, about 5 kilometres from the Hyland Highway at a height of approximately 520 meters above sea level. Carrajung is situated close to the eastern end of the Grand Ridge Road.It has a population of...
(near Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
).
The town has two schools. Mirboo North Secondary College
Mirboo North Secondary College
Mirboo North Secondary College is a secondary college located in Mirboo North, Victoria, Australia. It has a small number of students numbering approximately 376.-External links:*...
(~450 students) and Mirboo North Primary School.
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Mid Gippsland Football League
Mid Gippsland Football League
The Mid Gippsland Football League is an Australian rules football league in the Latrobe Valley region of Victoria, Australia.-History:The league was founded in 1935.The original clubs were:*Boolarra*Morwell Seconds*Brown Coal Mine*Morwell Bridge...
and a cricket team competing in the Central Gippsland Cricket Association.
Golfers play at the course of the Mirboo North Golf Club on Galvins Road.
Notable people and animals
- Belinda SnellBelinda SnellBelinda Snell is an Australian women's basketball player who plays for Australia and the WNBA in the United States....
(professional basketball player), currently competing in the WNBA for the Phoenix MercuryPhoenix MercuryThe Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
and a member of the Australian team that won silver at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. - Sam the Koala found in the forests of Mirboo North, Victoria.