Drouin, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Drouin is a major service town, located in West Gippsland
, 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Shire of Baw Baw. The town is supposedly named after a Frenchman who invented a chlorination process for the extraction of ore or an Aboriginal word meaning "north wind". New estate developments have accelerated the town's residential growth in recent years. According to the 2006 census
, Drouin and the surrounding area had a population of 7,523 people.
Settlement in this part of Gippsland was rather delayed due to the dense forest. Pastoral runs were taken up but little developed. In 1867, a coaching station was established on the track into Gippsland at Brandy Creek, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north-east of present Drouin. By the early 1870s, a small settlement had developed and land was being selected in the area.
Meanwhile, contracts had been let for the construction of a railway from Melbourne into Gippsland. Workers' camps were set up along the route which passed to the south of Brandy Creek. There were three camps in the vicinity of Drouin. After the Gippsland Railway opened in 1878, a township was surveyed at Drouin Junction, soon known as Drouin. A Post Office opened on 5 April 1876 and was renamed Jindivick
in 1878. A Post Office named Drouin Junction opened on 1 January 1877 and was renamed Drouin in 1878. As Drouin developed, Brandy Creek, now called Buln Buln, had declined. When the Buln Buln Shire was formed in 1878, the administrative centre was located in Drouin. The New Tourists' Guide described the township in 1889, showing its substantial development.
Throughout the 1880s, a number of small sawmills operated in the Drouin district, many transporting their timber by tramway to the railway station. In the 1890s, a quarry was opened south-east of Drouin, the stone being carried by tramway to a railway siding east of Drouin. In 1913, this quarry was purchased and operated by the Shire.
As land was cleared, dairy farming became the main industry. Initially, butter and cheese were made on the farm. A creamery operated from 1891 to 1895 and in 1904 a co-operative butter factory was established at Drouin. When this factory was extended in 1907, an electric light plant was installed which also provided light for the streets and homes of Drouin. The factory supplied fresh milk to the Melbourne market from 1915.
Over the years, the company acquired other dairy companies and enlarged its own operation, producing casein, skim milk and butter-oil as well as butter and cheese. It became part of the Bonlac company which later closed it down, destroying the towns biggest employer. Flax was grown around Drouin during the two World Wars. A private factory operated for a while and in 1941, the government constructed a factory to manufacture canvas goods for military use.
The town has progressed steadily. In 1904, the population was 700. By 1933, there were just over 1,000 inhabitants and by 1970, 2,750.From the 1970s, the subdivision of an industrial estate on the south-east edge of the town had encouraged the growth of light industry. A number of housing subdivisions have also been initiated, as well as rural residential subdivision on the fringes of the town. The construction of a freeway bypassing Drouin allowed the remodelling of the shopping centre. By 1981, the population was 3,492 and in 1991 was 4,100. The Victorian Municipal Directory described the town in 1994.
The town has an Association football (soccer) team Drouin Dragons Soccer Club playing in the Gippsland Soccer League
.
The town has an Australian Rules football team playing in the Gippsland Football League.
Drouin has a picnic horse racing club
, the Drouin Picnic Racing Club, which holds two race meetings a year with the Drouin Cup on Boxing Day
(26 December). The racecourse is set on a golf course.
Golfers play at the Drouin Golf and Country Club on Mcglones Road.
, a Coles supermarket
.
Other businesses in the town include Me & My House, The French Pear, C 4 C.L.O.T.H.E.S., Middel's Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Reflections, Burrows Newsagency, Annflora Florist, Drouin Gourmet Cafe, and a new Westpac Bank in Commercial Place.
Several of the local businesses have relocated over the past couple of years from the southern side of the shopping precinct on Princes Way (next to the railway station), due to land acquisition for the construction of a multi-storey retail shopping complex. Abby's Cafe closed down, and the long-standing Drouin Cycles moved to a location on the other side of the road.
According to the Warragul Regional Newspapers website, The Gazette and The Trader are distributed to locations from as far as Pakenham
to Moe
and from Poowong to Noojee
.
The free Warragul Citizen was established in 2011 and publishes articles submitted by the general public; including news articles, opinion, reviews, short stories and any other publishable material. The Citizen is distributed in both Warragul and Drouin, but anyone from any town can write for the paper.
The radio reception available in Drouin also includes many of the Melbourne commercial stations (such as 105.1 Triple M
, Vega 91.5 fm
, 3AW 693
, Nova 100
), ABC Broadcasters (774 ABC Melbourne
, 96.7 Triple J
and 100.7 ABC Gippsland) and Gippsland commercial stations 99.5 TR FM and 1242 3GV ,531 3GG ,
in Drouin and Warragul with a suitable roof-top antenna. Both national public broadcasters
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
including channels ABC1
, ABC2
, ABC3
, ABC News 24
and Special Broadcasting Service
including SBS One and SBS Two, and Channel 31 ,Community TV are broadcast to Drouin as well
WIN TV , Southern Cross TV,Prime TV , ABC and SBS are local Gippsland TV channels transmitted from MT TASSIE , South of Traralgon and received at Drouin
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Shire of Baw Baw. The town is supposedly named after a Frenchman who invented a chlorination process for the extraction of ore or an Aboriginal word meaning "north wind". New estate developments have accelerated the town's residential growth in recent years. According to the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Drouin and the surrounding area had a population of 7,523 people.
History
Meanwhile, contracts had been let for the construction of a railway from Melbourne into Gippsland. Workers' camps were set up along the route which passed to the south of Brandy Creek. There were three camps in the vicinity of Drouin. After the Gippsland Railway opened in 1878, a township was surveyed at Drouin Junction, soon known as Drouin. A Post Office opened on 5 April 1876 and was renamed Jindivick
Jindivick, Victoria
Jindivick is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Jacksons Track, in the Shire of Baw Baw.The first Drouin Post Office opened on 5 April 1876, was renamed Jindivick in 1878 and Drouin West within months. Jindivick Post Office opened again in 1880 and was renamed Tarago in 1888...
in 1878. A Post Office named Drouin Junction opened on 1 January 1877 and was renamed Drouin in 1878. As Drouin developed, Brandy Creek, now called Buln Buln, had declined. When the Buln Buln Shire was formed in 1878, the administrative centre was located in Drouin. The New Tourists' Guide described the township in 1889, showing its substantial development.
Throughout the 1880s, a number of small sawmills operated in the Drouin district, many transporting their timber by tramway to the railway station. In the 1890s, a quarry was opened south-east of Drouin, the stone being carried by tramway to a railway siding east of Drouin. In 1913, this quarry was purchased and operated by the Shire.
As land was cleared, dairy farming became the main industry. Initially, butter and cheese were made on the farm. A creamery operated from 1891 to 1895 and in 1904 a co-operative butter factory was established at Drouin. When this factory was extended in 1907, an electric light plant was installed which also provided light for the streets and homes of Drouin. The factory supplied fresh milk to the Melbourne market from 1915.
Over the years, the company acquired other dairy companies and enlarged its own operation, producing casein, skim milk and butter-oil as well as butter and cheese. It became part of the Bonlac company which later closed it down, destroying the towns biggest employer. Flax was grown around Drouin during the two World Wars. A private factory operated for a while and in 1941, the government constructed a factory to manufacture canvas goods for military use.
The town has progressed steadily. In 1904, the population was 700. By 1933, there were just over 1,000 inhabitants and by 1970, 2,750.From the 1970s, the subdivision of an industrial estate on the south-east edge of the town had encouraged the growth of light industry. A number of housing subdivisions have also been initiated, as well as rural residential subdivision on the fringes of the town. The construction of a freeway bypassing Drouin allowed the remodelling of the shopping centre. By 1981, the population was 3,492 and in 1991 was 4,100. The Victorian Municipal Directory described the town in 1994.
Local attractions
Drouin Nature Reserve has 3 km of walking tracks set in 14 hectares of natural bush land, featuring a boardwalk surrounded by Scrambling Coral and Soft Tree Ferns.- Fruit and berry farm - Fisher Rd,
- Drouin West angora goat & alpaca farm - Fisher Road
- Drouin South Gourmet Deli Trail (see scenic drives)
- The Lodges House
Community
Drouin holds an annual Ficofolia Festival. Ficofolia are the flowering gum trees which occur throughout the town.The town has an Association football (soccer) team Drouin Dragons Soccer Club playing in the Gippsland Soccer League
Gippsland soccer league
The Gippsland Soccer League was founded in 1973 and consists of 17 soccer teams and encompasses a competition that is competed between all age groups.-Grades:...
.
The town has an Australian Rules football team playing in the Gippsland Football League.
Drouin has a picnic horse racing club
Picnic horse racing
Picnic horse racing, or more usually picnic races or more colloquially "the picnics" refer to amateur Thoroughbred horse racing meetings, predominantly in Australia. The meetings are organized by amateur clubs, the jockeys are amateur riders, or sometimes former professional jockeys...
, the Drouin Picnic Racing Club, which holds two race meetings a year with the Drouin Cup on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
(26 December). The racecourse is set on a golf course.
Golfers play at the Drouin Golf and Country Club on Mcglones Road.
Retail
Drouin's large retail stores include a Woolworths supermarketSafeway (Australia)
Safeway was the trading name used by Woolworths Limited until 2008 for its supermarkets in Victoria, Australia. Elsewhere in Australia the trading name is Woolworths. In August 2008, Woolworths announced the discontinuation of the Safeway name, and has since gradually rebranded Victorian stores as...
, a Coles supermarket
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
.
Other businesses in the town include Me & My House, The French Pear, C 4 C.L.O.T.H.E.S., Middel's Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Reflections, Burrows Newsagency, Annflora Florist, Drouin Gourmet Cafe, and a new Westpac Bank in Commercial Place.
Several of the local businesses have relocated over the past couple of years from the southern side of the shopping precinct on Princes Way (next to the railway station), due to land acquisition for the construction of a multi-storey retail shopping complex. Abby's Cafe closed down, and the long-standing Drouin Cycles moved to a location on the other side of the road.
Newspapers
Drouin is service by three local papers - The weekly Warragul and Drouin Gazette, the Trader and the independent quarterly paper the Warragul Citizen.According to the Warragul Regional Newspapers website, The Gazette and The Trader are distributed to locations from as far as Pakenham
Pakenham, Victoria
Pakenham is a satellite suburb of Melbourne on the edge of the West Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is Cardinia Shire. At the 2006 Census, Pakenham had a population of 19,644...
to Moe
Moe, Victoria
Moe is a city in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is about east of Melbourne and at the 2006 census had a population of 15,582 . It is administered by the City of Latrobe council....
and from Poowong to Noojee
Noojee, Victoria
Noojee is a town in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, located north of Warragul and east of Melbourne, in the Baw Baw local government area. At the 2006 census, Noojee and the surrounding area had a population of 261....
.
The free Warragul Citizen was established in 2011 and publishes articles submitted by the general public; including news articles, opinion, reviews, short stories and any other publishable material. The Citizen is distributed in both Warragul and Drouin, but anyone from any town can write for the paper.
Radio
West Gippsland Community Radio (3BBR) is based in Drouin.The radio reception available in Drouin also includes many of the Melbourne commercial stations (such as 105.1 Triple M
3MMM
3MMM is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne, Australia. Its target demographic is the 30 - 54 age group...
, Vega 91.5 fm
Vega 91.5
91.5 FM is a commercial radio station based in Melbourne, Australia. It is run by DMG Radio Australia.-History:The station first named Vega began with a music and talk format, however it switched to a music format in 2006...
, 3AW 693
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
, Nova 100
Nova 100
Nova 100 is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, broadcasting on 100.3 MHz. It is in the Melbourne radio market, with the intention of challenging the number one FM Austereo station Fox FM by playing alternative, hip hop, pop & dance music, with a strong lean towards...
), ABC Broadcasters (774 ABC Melbourne
774 ABC Melbourne
774 ABC Melbourne is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. Originally known by its callsign 3LO, it began transmission on 13 October 1924 – Melbourne's second radio station after 3AR.-History:...
, 96.7 Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and 100.7 ABC Gippsland) and Gippsland commercial stations 99.5 TR FM and 1242 3GV ,531 3GG ,
Television
Melbourne channels (Seven, Nine and Ten) can be received in analogue and more clearly in digitalDigital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
in Drouin and Warragul with a suitable roof-top antenna. Both national public broadcasters
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
including channels ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
, ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
, ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
, ABC News 24
ABC News 24
ABC News 24 is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC1 and commenced broadcasting at 7:30pm 5:30 on Thursday, 22 July 2010.-Pre-launch:The ABC announced in January 2010...
and Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
including SBS One and SBS Two, and Channel 31 ,Community TV are broadcast to Drouin as well
WIN TV , Southern Cross TV,Prime TV , ABC and SBS are local Gippsland TV channels transmitted from MT TASSIE , South of Traralgon and received at Drouin
Notable people
- Gary Ablett, Sr. - Played for the Geelong Football ClubGeelong Football ClubThe Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in the AFLAustralian rules footballAustralian 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...
, and was named the greatest player in the club's history. - Dale ThomasDale Thomas (footballer)Dale Robert Jordan Thomas is a professional Australian rules football player currently with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Early life:...
- Currently plays for the Collingwood Football ClubCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the AFLAustralian rules footballAustralian 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...
. - Lionel RoseLionel RoseLionel Edmund Rose MBE was an Australian bantamweight boxer, the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.-Early life:...
- Former world champion boxer and was the 1968 Australian of the YearAustralian of the YearSince 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
from Jackson's Track, just outside of Drouin. A statue of Lionel RoseLionel RoseLionel Edmund Rose MBE was an Australian bantamweight boxer, the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.-Early life:...
was unveiled in 2010 in Warragul's Queen Street Park. - Lisa GerrardLisa GerrardLisa Gerrard is an Australian musician, singer, and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with former music partner Brendan Perry....
- Golden Globe winner resides in Drouin
External links
- Australian Places - Drouin
- Baw Baw Shire
- Drouin town and rural life during World War 2 1944 & 1945 Collection of photographs by Jim Fitzpatrick held in the Pictures Collection National Library, Canberra
- Drouin: A Small Town at War at Culture Victoria
- Lardner Park
- The Warragul Citizen