Cockatoo, Victoria
Encyclopedia
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...
, 48 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia
Shire of Cardinia
Cardinia Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne between the Western Port bay and the Yarra Ranges on the outskirts of Melbourne...
. At the 2006 Census, Cockatoo had a population of 4,560.
Cockatoo is named after Cockatoo Creek, which runs through the town, and which the town was previously named.
History
Cockatoo was named after Cockatoo Creek. It was first settled in the 1870s but progress was tardy as the land was difficult to clear.A Post Office was not opened until 1 November 1901 when the railway arrived and was known as Cockatoo Creek until 1917.
Shortly after the end of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a large number of immigrants went to live in Cockatoo while working in Melbourne. The most significant wave was made by Italians. Timbergetting was the major source of employment and this industry received a considerable boost when the narrow-gauge railway
Narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.- Background :A...
from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook was completed in 1900. Moreover, the railway brought leisure-seeking Melburnians into the area and a market for subdivision arose. The railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
is operated today as the Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia. The primary starting point, operations and administration centre, main refreshment room and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station...
.
Cockatoo is best known as one of the worst-hit townships during the disastrous 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires, where over 300 buildings were destroyed and 6 lives lost.
Present day
Cockatoo has a community shopping centre which includes supermarket, hairdressing salon, butcher, pharmacy, clothing store, cafés and various takeaway stores. Cockatoo has recently built a town centre garden square with the assistance of local government.Services
The Cardinia Shire Council provides a mobile library service at the McBride Street carpark on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. The town has received a state government grant to start a community garden site on the Pakenham Road reserve growing various fruit and vegetables. Cockatoo Primary School, near the town centre, recently celebrated its centenary.Other services in the town include:
- Kindergartens
- Youth & Health Centres
- Neighbourhood House
- Bendigo Bank Branch
- Licensed Post Office
- Church
- Charity Store
- Country Fire Authority (CFA) Station
- RSLReturned and Services League of AustraliaThe Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
Club - Child Care Centre
Sporting
Cockatoo has two main sporting areas: Mountain Road reserve, which has a footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
oval, netball courts, indoor YMCA Stadium and Little Athletics Course; and Bailey Road tennis courts. The Josie Bysouth reserve is a smaller ground mainly used for equestrian events and pony club. The main sport of the town is Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
with the Gembrook-Cockatoo Football Club or "Brookers" representing the town in both the local senior and junior leagues in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League
Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League
The Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in Victoria to the east and northeast of Melbourne.-History:...
.
The town's other sporting teams include netball, cricket, tennis, equestrian, basketball, athletics and soccer.
Township Committee
Cockatoo has a committee that lobbies local and state governments for funding and local recognition of the town; the committee meets monthly and discusses local issues and projects.Transport
Belgrave, Victoria
Belgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Belgrave had a population of 4094...
by US Bus Lines. This service is extended to Westfield Fountain Gate
Westfield Fountain Gate
Westfield Fountain Gate is a super regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia...
shopping centre on Friday/Saturday (695F) and to Dandenong Market on Tuesdays. This route is about to undergo an extensive overhaul including operating to a 40-minute frequency on weekdays until 10 pm. Other improvements include a new Sunday timetable and a Saturday timetable operating from 6 am to 10 pm. Cockatoo is indirectly served by route (Emerald
Emerald, Victoria
Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its Local Government Area are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges...
to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre via Berwick
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....
) provided by Cardinia Transit, which connects with route 695 at Emerald.
Cockatoo has a railway station
Cockatoo railway station, Melbourne
Cockatoo Station is situated on the Puffing Billy Railway in the town of the same name.It opened with the line on 18 December 1900 as Devon, but was renamed Cockatoo Creek on 29 July 1901 and subsequently shortened to Cockatoo in 1904. There was originally a platform road and a loop siding, but a...
on the Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy Railway, Melbourne
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne, Australia. The primary starting point, operations and administration centre, main refreshment room and ticket purchasing are located at Belgrave station...
. The Puffing Billy service generally runs once or twice daily and continues from Cockatoo to Gembrook. Cockatoo station consists only of a platform with a small (non-original) station building which is usually un-manned.
Wright Forest
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
reserve to the northwest of the town, is managed by Parks Victoria
Parks Victoria
-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...
and is a fauna sanctuary. The forest has scars of the Ash Wednesday fires
Ash Wednesday fires
The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110 km per hour caused widespread destruction across the states...
that swept through the area in 1983 with some trees still showing charred bark. The forest is home to many animal species such as the brushtail possums
Common Brushtail Possum
The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
, wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
s and many bird species. The forest has many tracks for bush
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
walkers, the main one being the Emerald
Emerald, Victoria
Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its Local Government Area are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges...
to Gembrook
Gembrook, Victoria
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...
trail. This recently came under fire for its title as a beginners walking trail; lack of signage left some walkers lost and its steep gradients resembled an experienced walking track. Other trails wind through the forest and are colour-coded.
External links
- Wright Forest (Parks Victoria)
- Australian Places - Cockatoo
- http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22cockatoo+primary+school%22&btnG=Google+Search Cockatoo Primary School