Ferny Creek, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Ferny Creek is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 33 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges
. At the 2006 Census, Ferny Creek had a population of 1536.
The suburb is built around and to the south of Dunns Hill (height 561m) with most of Ferny Creek lying between 400 and 500 metres above sea level. It is named for the stream running through it, Ferny Creek. The suburb is largely surrounded by conservation zones and national parks, with the Dandenong Ranges
national park on its northern and west sides, the Upwey habitat corridor to the south and Sherbrooke Forest to the east.
Dandenong Ranges National park is managed primary for conservation purposes and secondarily for recreation. However Ferny Creek Reserve has mainly recreational function.
Ferny Creek Reserve is maintained by local residents on behalf of DSE.
with a mean annual rainfall ranging from 1300 mm to 1450 mm. The cool wet climate results in local pockets of wet temperate rainforest in a number of the deeper gullies (bordering Sherbrooke, Mast Gully and Ferny Creeks), and extensive wet and dry Sclerophyll Sclerophyll
. The local flora is comprehensively described in the book Sherbrooke Forest - its flora and history by the Friends of Sherbrooke Forest http://home.vicnet.net.au/~donvrac/.
A number of conservation groups are active in the local area including the Friends of Ferny Creek and Friends of Sherbrooke Forest http://home.vicnet.net.au/~donvrac/. The greatest threat to the local flora and fauna is introduced plant pests.
As a result of its elevation snow typically falls one or two times a year, mostly between the months of June and October. A rare summer snow occurred on Christmas Day 2006 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Christmassnow2.jpg. The local region has experienced substantial warming in recent decades http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/reg/cli_chg/timeseries.cgihttp://www.bom.gov.au/web01/ncc/www/cli_chg/timeseries/tmean/0112/vic/latest.gif and heavy snowfalls which were once common have become very rare. A weather station sits near the summit of Dunns Hill.
Ferny Creek was among the suburbs burned in the Dandenong Ranges fire of January 21, 1997, and has been involved in numerous bushfires throughout settlement.
There are a number of bed and breakfast inns located in Ferny Creek. There is also a primary school (Ferny Creek Primary School) and a General Store. There is also a CFA fire station (Sassafras-Ferny Creek Fire Brigade), Scout group (1st Ferny Creek), tennis club, recreation reserve and plant nursery, as well as a World War One
Memorial.
Ferny Creek is home to a popular attraction known as "The Thousand Steps" - a bushwalking track built by Australian Army Engineers that runs through the Ferntree Gully National Park and provides a fitness challenge to those who attempt it. The steps begin at the bottom of the hill in Upper Ferntree Gully and the top of the steps being located at Ferny Creek. The track is a minute representation of the ordeals suffered by the Australian Army in Kokoda during World War Two.
The community of Ferny Creek is close and resilient, as proved in its recovery from the fires that destroyed nearly 40 local homes and killed three local residents (Genevieve Erin, Graham and Jenny Lindroth). The fires were deliberately lit in bushland below the settlement on Tuesday 21 January 1997, and in the extreme conditions of that day, raced up the steep slopes and were burning gardens and property before most residents were even aware of a problem. After the bushfires the small community rallied together for a fundraising event held at the local Ferny Creek Reserve and Tennis Club. Money was raised for families who lost their houses and personal items in the devastation.
Since that time, residents have focused their efforts on making responsible choices when considering their fire safety plan
s and in addition to having a significantly higher than average membership rate of CFA's Community Fire Guard program, and a pro-active approach to keeping properties prepared, the Ferny Creek Bushfire Alert System was installed to provide a siren signal to alert residents to the possibility of a threat to their safety. Residents are educated to respond appropriately to the siren by simply seeking further information via another source (radio, internet, phone tree, scanner, television, personal investigation etc). It is not a signal to evacuate. The Alert System is a unique co-operative project between residents, Shire of Yarra Ranges, CFA, Victoria Police
, Dept of Justice and Parks Victoria
.
Together with its neighbouring township Olinda
Ferny Creek has an Australian Rules football team (Olinda-Ferny Creek) competing in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
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...
, 33 km south-east of 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 Yarra Ranges
Shire of Yarra Ranges
The Yarra Ranges Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges...
. At the 2006 Census, Ferny Creek had a population of 1536.
The suburb is built around and to the south of Dunns Hill (height 561m) with most of Ferny Creek lying between 400 and 500 metres above sea level. It is named for the stream running through it, Ferny Creek. The suburb is largely surrounded by conservation zones and national parks, with the Dandenong Ranges
Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
national park on its northern and west sides, the Upwey habitat corridor to the south and Sherbrooke Forest to the east.
History
Originally settled in the late nineteenth century by farmers and prominent Melbourne figures who built weekend cottages, Ferny Creek is well known for its established European gardens, and beautiful range of native fauna and flora. The Post Office opened around August 1904 as One Tree Hill, and was renamed Ferny Creek around August 1904.Biodiversity
Ferny Creek is largely exotic vegetation and has minimal native vegetation left. Most native vegetation is located within Sherbrooke forest. Most weed species introduced have invaded areas that were cleared. The Ferny Creek Horticultural Society is largely responsible for spreading the weed African violet.Public Land
Dandenong Ranges National Park and Ferny Creek Recereation Reserve.Dandenong Ranges National park is managed primary for conservation purposes and secondarily for recreation. However Ferny Creek Reserve has mainly recreational function.
Ferny Creek Reserve is maintained by local residents on behalf of DSE.
The Town today
As a result of its elevation Ferny Creek is one of the coldest and wettest suburbs in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with a mean annual rainfall ranging from 1300 mm to 1450 mm. The cool wet climate results in local pockets of wet temperate rainforest in a number of the deeper gullies (bordering Sherbrooke, Mast Gully and Ferny Creeks), and extensive wet and dry Sclerophyll 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 ....
. The local flora is comprehensively described in the book Sherbrooke Forest - its flora and history by the Friends of Sherbrooke Forest http://home.vicnet.net.au/~donvrac/.
A number of conservation groups are active in the local area including the Friends of Ferny Creek and Friends of Sherbrooke Forest http://home.vicnet.net.au/~donvrac/. The greatest threat to the local flora and fauna is introduced plant pests.
As a result of its elevation snow typically falls one or two times a year, mostly between the months of June and October. A rare summer snow occurred on Christmas Day 2006 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Christmassnow2.jpg. The local region has experienced substantial warming in recent decades http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/reg/cli_chg/timeseries.cgihttp://www.bom.gov.au/web01/ncc/www/cli_chg/timeseries/tmean/0112/vic/latest.gif and heavy snowfalls which were once common have become very rare. A weather station sits near the summit of Dunns Hill.
Ferny Creek was among the suburbs burned in the Dandenong Ranges fire of January 21, 1997, and has been involved in numerous bushfires throughout settlement.
There are a number of bed and breakfast inns located in Ferny Creek. There is also a primary school (Ferny Creek Primary School) and a General Store. There is also a CFA fire station (Sassafras-Ferny Creek Fire Brigade), Scout group (1st Ferny Creek), tennis club, recreation reserve and plant nursery, as well as a World War One
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...
Memorial.
Ferny Creek is home to a popular attraction known as "The Thousand Steps" - a bushwalking track built by Australian Army Engineers that runs through the Ferntree Gully National Park and provides a fitness challenge to those who attempt it. The steps begin at the bottom of the hill in Upper Ferntree Gully and the top of the steps being located at Ferny Creek. The track is a minute representation of the ordeals suffered by the Australian Army in Kokoda during World War Two.
The community of Ferny Creek is close and resilient, as proved in its recovery from the fires that destroyed nearly 40 local homes and killed three local residents (Genevieve Erin, Graham and Jenny Lindroth). The fires were deliberately lit in bushland below the settlement on Tuesday 21 January 1997, and in the extreme conditions of that day, raced up the steep slopes and were burning gardens and property before most residents were even aware of a problem. After the bushfires the small community rallied together for a fundraising event held at the local Ferny Creek Reserve and Tennis Club. Money was raised for families who lost their houses and personal items in the devastation.
Since that time, residents have focused their efforts on making responsible choices when considering their fire safety plan
Fire safety plan
A fire safety plan is required by all North American national, state and provincial fire codes based on building use or occupancy types. Generally, the owner of the building is responsible for the preparation of a fire safety plan. Buildings with elaborate emergency systems may require the...
s and in addition to having a significantly higher than average membership rate of CFA's Community Fire Guard program, and a pro-active approach to keeping properties prepared, the Ferny Creek Bushfire Alert System was installed to provide a siren signal to alert residents to the possibility of a threat to their safety. Residents are educated to respond appropriately to the siren by simply seeking further information via another source (radio, internet, phone tree, scanner, television, personal investigation etc). It is not a signal to evacuate. The Alert System is a unique co-operative project between residents, Shire of Yarra Ranges, CFA, Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
, Dept of Justice and 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,...
.
Together with its neighbouring township Olinda
Olinda, Victoria
Olinda is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Olinda had a population of 1568.-History:...
Ferny Creek has an Australian Rules football team (Olinda-Ferny Creek) competing 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:...
.