Powelltown is a town in 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...

, 70 km 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 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, Powelltown had a population of 201.

It began life as a timber town in the 1890s, being named after the Powell Wood Processing Company which harvested mountain ash

Eucalyptus 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...

 in the Upper Yarra Valley

Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the City of Melbourne and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay...

. The logs were transported from the forests to the sawmills by tramway and from there to the railheads at Yarra Junction

Yarra Junction, Victoria

Yarra Junction is a town in Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. It sits at the junction of the Yarra and Little Yarra Rivers. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges...

 and Warburton

Warburton, Victoria

Warburton is a town in Victoria, Australia, 72 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Warburton had a population of 2288....

. The Post Office opened around 1904 as Blake's, and was renamed Powelltown in 1912.

The Powelltown Tramway

Powelltown Tramway

The Powelltown Tramway was a 3' gauge railway that operated between Powelltown and Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia. The railway connected to the broad gauge Victorian Railways at Yarra Junction...

 provided a passenger and goods service to Yarra Junction between 1913 and 1945.

Today, many of the trails constructed to transport timber have been opened up as walking trails and driving routes for tourists.

The town has an Australian Rules football team 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:...

. Despite its small population, Powelltown has produced a number of famous AFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 former players including, Melbourne Demons forward Sean Charles

Sean Charles

- External links :*...

 and Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 and Fremantle

Fremantle

Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia...

 forward Daniel Hargraves

Daniel Hargraves

Daniel Hargraves is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle in the Australian Football League....

. A relative of Charles, former West Coast Eagles

West Coast Eagles

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

 defender David Wirrpanda

David Wirrpanda

David Selwyn Wirrpanda is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League between 1996 and 2009...

also played junior foorball with the Powelltown Demons.

External links

• Powelltown (SMH Travel)