- Warrandyte, Victoria
Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Warrandyte
city = Melbourne
state = vic
caption = Typical riverside scene in Warrandyte.
lga = City of Manningham
postcode = 3113
elevation = 113
pop = 7393 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC21711 | name = Warrandyte (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-09-29 | quick = on]
area = 12.1
est =
propval = $485,000 [ [http://www.domain.com.au/public/suburbprofile.aspx?suburb=Warrandyte&postcode=3113 Warrandyte] , accessed 27 November 2006]
stategov = Warrandyte
fedgov = Menzies
dist1 = 27
location1=Melbourne
near-nw = Eltham
near-n = North Warrandyte
near-ne = Wonga Park
near-w = Templestowe
near-e = Wonga Park
near-sw = Donvale
near-s = Park Orchards
near-se = Warrandyte SouthWarrandyte is an outlying semi-rural suburb in
Melbourne ,Victoria, Australia , 27km east-north-east of theMelbourne central business district . Its Local Government Area is theCity of Manningham & The Nillumbik Shire Council, itspost code is 3113.Warrandyte was founded as a Victorian town located in the once gold-rich rolling hills east of
Melbourne, Victoria , and is now generally considered part of greater Melbourne. Gold was first discovered in the town in 1851 and together with towns likeBendigo, Victoria andBallarat, Victoria , led the way in gold discoveries during theVictorian gold rush . Today Warrandyte retains much of its past in its surviving buildings of the Colonial period and remains a twin community with North Warrandyte which borders theYarra River to its north.Today the town/suburb is well known for its residents' positive attitude towards the environment. Conservation programs run regularly and areas of land small and large have been set aside for conservation or environmental restoration purposes. The Warrandyte
Festival is held every year in mid March, a parade, live music, food and shopping stalls, kids activities and a Fireworks display are some of the things that can be seen at the festival, which is one of the last remaining volunteer-run festivals in Victoria.Etymology
In
Australian Aboriginal mythology (seedreamtime ), a Wurundjeri dreamtime story tells of a great eagle "the all powerful, ever watchful creator of the world" named 'Bunjil', who once gazed down upon his people from the star Altair and saw their wrong doing. Awaiting their return, with a mighty crash of thunder, he hurled down a star to destroy them. Where the star struck created a gorge in which, much of the town today is located. Bunjil's people remembered the spot, and referred to it as 'Warrandyte' speculated to mean "that which is thrown". "Warrandyte Diary, Number 389, August 2006."]Geography
Warrandyte is situated on the southern banks of the
Yarra River . The river and hills surrounding Warrandyte were once rich in gold, and much exposed rock can be found throughout the Warrandyte State Park and by the northern banks of the Yarra River. Warrandyte covers a reasonably vast area of land and can be divided up into the following sections:Central Warrandyte & The Yarra
Central Warrandyte comprises the main street of Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road (Yarra Street), Pound bend and the southern banks of the Yarra River. A large proportion of the towns' population in located here as well as significant historical features.
Around Andersons Creek
Andersons Creek flows from neighbouring South Warrandyte and Warranwood into the Yarra just before the beginning of Pound Bend. This area is where several gullies converge and create a geographical hole with Fourth Hill to the east and the hills on the eastern banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek to the west. This becomes evident when driving through Warrandyte on Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road, as the hills guide the road down towards Andersons Creek.
The Eastern banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek
The Eastern banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek were home to vast orchards overflowing from neighbouring East Doncaster and as a result, much of the vegetation has been cleared. Today the area is covered in large residential properties due to local council regulations allowing land to be subdivided into larger sites. Further south from here, Aumann's Orchard can be found, one of the last surviving operational orchards in the area.
Vast areas of land around Warrandyte are governed by Parks Victoria or are privately owned such as Longridge Farm. These areas contain dense populations of many different varieties of
Eucalyptus Trees.Warrandyte is home to or borders the following rivers and creeks:
Melway Edition 33 2006 (Pages 22,23,24,34,35 & 36)]
* TheYarra River
* Jumping Creek
* Parson Gully
*Mullum-Mullum Creek
* Andersons CreekSome geographical features that can be found in Warrandyte include:
Melway Edition 33 2006 (Pages 22,23,24,34,35 & 36)]
* Harris Gully
* Beauty Gully
* Fourth Hill
* Pound Bend
* Pound Bend Tunnel
* The Island
* Black Flat
* Whipstick GullyHistory
Gold
Warrandyte is the site of Victoria's first gold discovery. The find at Anderson's Creek by Louis Michel in
1851 marked the start of theVictorian gold rush and an influx of people into the area. The approximate location of the site is marked by a cairn on Fourth Hill in the Warrandyte State Park.Melway Edition 33 2006 (Pages 22,23,24,34,35 & 36)] Another major location of gold in Warrandyte andMelbourne was TheYarra River . Throughout Warrandyte the river shows signs of being exploited - a classic example is the tunnel at Pound Bend. The river was partially dammed at Pound Bend near Normans Reserve at its eastern entrance and near Bob's wetlands at its western exit. Miners then blasted a 300m long tunnel through solid rock. The river was then fully dammed at the entrance and exit to the tunnel and water was diverted through 300m and out the other side leaving an astonishing 3.85km of riverbed around Pound Bend exposed to the sun and the miners picks.Artists' Colony
Warrandyte developed as something of an artists' colony from the late 19th century.
Clara Southern , associated with the Heidelberg School, was one of the first to take up residence at Warrandyte. Others followed, includingPenleigh Boyd and Jo Sweatman.The Bridge
Warrandyte has always had some form of river crossing at the site of its current bridge. Before the time of bridges, punts were used to cross the
Yarra River into North Warrandyte. Prior to the construction of the Upper Yarra Dam, heavy downpours led to flood waters that washed away Warrandyte's punt downstream into Templestowe, whose residents then decided to use it to cross the Yarra at the present day site of the Swingbridge near Oddesey House. The first bridge was built in Warrandyte in 1861 after much rallying by its residents. The majority of funding came from the government, with the difference made up by residents of Warrandye and North Warrandyte. Built entirely out of local timber, the bridge was located 5m East of the current bridge and stood for 90 years until the mid 1950s saw the current bridge constructed from new materials at the time:concrete together withiron .Bushfires
Major bushfires have swept through Warrandyte throughout history, and the town was at the centre of the
Black Friday bushfires in 1939, in which 71 people lost their lives. Many examples of Colonial Architecture have been destroyed by bushfires, however, there are still a few original buildings that still survive to this day. Recent attempts by the Warrandyte CFA at backburning sections of bushland to minimise fuel for fires during the bushfire season have contributed to the town being well prepared if a major fire does take hold in the area. Warrandytes residents are constantly aware of the risk bushfires pose to the area and most are well prepared with evacuation plans and bushfire preparationsFact|date=July 2008.Transportation
Warrandyte is serviced primarily by the private car, however, a bus service is run by the Ventura (formally the National) bus company along the main roads of Ringwood-Warrandyte Road (route number: 304 & 364) and Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road (Yarra Street) (route numbers: 201Occ, 305Occ, 308Occ, 155-6 159, 304, 364 & 578-9). The service interchanges at the bridge (route numbers: 155-6, 159, 201Occ, 304, 305Occ & 308Occ). These two roads service the suburb by car as well as bus. Traffic flowing through Warrandyte usually contains residents traveling from or to East Doncaster, Wonga Park, North Warrandyte and Park Orchards, however, due to Warrandyte's geographical position, it can at times be used to travel to and from suburbs further away.
Peak hour traffic always flows to and from west and south of Warrandyte along its main roads, this traffic is either trying to get out of surrounding suburbs or to the
Eastern Freeway .Major local roads in Warrandyte include:
Melway Edition 33 2006 (Pages 22,23,24,34,35 & 36)]
* Reynolds Road
* Tindals Road
* Beauty Gully Road
* Harris Gully Road
* Gold Memorial Road
* Pound Road
* Webb Street
* Jumping Creek Road
* Yarra StreetCommunity
Warrandyte is well known for its residents' positive attitude towards the environment. Conservation programs run regularly and areas of land small and large have been set aside for conservation or environmental restoration purposes. In homage to this community spirit, the Warrandyte Festival, one of the last remaining volunteer-run festivals in Victoria, is held every year in mid March. Typically, the festival features a variety of attractions. Many stalls sell local produce or crafts, and there are numerous historical exhibits, as well as safety demonstrations by the
CFA . A variety of live music stages are set up, with stages specifically catering for youth bands from the community. Furthermore, the festival parade is a staple feature of the festival, with bands, community orientated groups and schools all partaking in a morning march through the town.Warrandyte contains a general post office, tennis courts, a community centre, an RSL, several
Bed and Breakfast s, restaurants, a police station, a CFA Fire Station, two kindergartens, two recreational ovals (AFL Football and Cricket), Catholic, Uniting and Anglican places of worship, Andersons Creek Cemetery and a Scout hall, Warrandyte Community Church, canoe launching ramps, a skatepark, nurseries and tearooms and the Crystal Brook Holiday Centre. "Melways Street Directory, 33rd Edition 2006."]
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