Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Upper Ferntree Gully is a suburb in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, 32 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district
. Its Local Government Area is the City of Knox
and Shire of Yarra Ranges
. At the 2006 Census, Upper Ferntree Gully had a population of 4094.
. Holiday makers and day trippers would then make their way by various means of transport to holiday and day tripper locations in "the hills". Many Melbournians up to (at least) the 1930s also holidayed in cottages in Upper Ferntree Gully (as one long-term Upper Gully resident recalls from personal experience).
Coonara House in Willow Road is the oldest building in Upper Ferntree Gully, ahead of The Royal Hotel. Coonara House was the farm house for the farm land that is now Kings Park reserve. Some historic buildings and sites have been lost over the years—including the original Primary School (which was nestled into the National Park, near the current Country Fire Authority
station), the tearooms (corner of Rollings Road and Burwood Highway—many original architectural features were lost during renovations in the 1990s), the cycling velodrome (a bitumen track that was located behind St Joseph's College on the border of Upper Ferntree Gully and Ferntree Gully—this was used as part of The Sun newspaper's cycling competition), the Progress Hall (adjacent to Martin's Smash Repairs) and Kayser factory (Rose Street). The old bakery in Rose Street is home to the 1812 Amateur Theatre Group.
The suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully is often referred to by residents simply as Upper Gully. Many years ago, Ferntree Gully was known as Lower Ferntree Gully—there was a Lower Gully and an Upper Gully. Upper Ferntree Gully has been part of the Shire of Fern Tree Gully, Shire of Sherbrooke, Shire of Yarra Ranges (after the realignment of municipal boundaries), but now most of it is in the City of Knox.
) and Parks Victoria
's Education Centre. The park boasts, in addition to natural beauty, the "1,000 steps". This is popular as both a challenging walk and for those wanting to improve their fitness by ascending the steps at a more vigorous pace. The 1,000 steps are now commemorated to the Kokoda Trail
(in World War II
the Kokoda Track was a field of action for Australian soldiers in Papua New Guinea). Kings Park (located in Willow Road and alongside Ferntree Gully and Ferny creeks) is home to football, cricket, athletics and baseball. Gilmour Park is also the location of Melbourne Water
's Retarding Basin (along Ferny Creek) and close to Sherbrooke Archery Club.
, Talaksia Scout
Group, St Thomas
' Anglican Church, Upper Ferntree Gully Seventh-day Adventist Church
, International Women's Group (Coonara House) and Coonara Community House.
St. John Ambulance Australia (Victoria)'s Knox Combined Division includes Upper Ferntree Gully, Ferntree Gully, Boronia, The Basin, Wantirna, Rowville and other adjacent suburbs within its range. They meet weekly, except over the Christmas & January period, at the St. John Ambulance Hall in Boronia Road, Boronia, close to Dorset Road, on Wednesdays. Adults meet on Wednesday evenings, and Cadets on Thursday evenings. Contact St. John Ambulance Australia (Victoria) HQ on 1300 360 455 for more information if you would like to learn First Aid or join the Division.
Coonara Community House, also known as Coonara House or just Coonara, [see http://upperferntreegully.vic.au/community-directory/coonara-community-house ] is located in Willow Road next to King's Park, and has rooms for hire to community groups. It hosts, in alternate months in association with the Ferntree Gully Library, the Gully Gardeners Group. The meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month, from approximately 1.00 to 3.00. A "gold coin" donation at each meeting to contribute towards a gift for the month's talk by a guest presenter and the tea, coffee and biscuits is the only expense. Excursions to various gardens and nurseries are sometimes arranged for Spring and Autumn when the conditions are more suited for garden viewing.
Coonara is also a registered provider of Adult Education, and provider of Vocational Education Training. They produce a brochure each term listing the courses and sessions they run, some of which can be conducted on-line or in tandem with self-paced learning.
and the Cricket Club (Kings Park), Upwey Tecoma Junior Football Club (Talaskia Road), Upper Ferntree Gully Tennis Club (Talaskia Road), St John's Tecoma Cricket Club (Talaskia Avenue), Sherbrooke Little Athletic Centre (Kings Park), Upwey/Ferntree Gully Baseball Club (Kings Park), Kenlaural Dance Centre and the 1812 Amateur Theatre group. A tourist information centre is located in front of the railway station.
One key retail activity is the weekend market at the Upper Fern Tree Gully railway station carpark. Active every weekend from 9am – 4.30pm "The Little Market with the Big Reputation" has an abundance of products for sale. These include fresh fruit and veg, plants, jewellery, crystals, food, many other craft products and a hairdresser.
Upper Ferntree Gully also hosts a number of used car yards.
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...
, 32 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 City of Knox
City of Knox
The City of Knox is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and has a estimated population of 155,969 people.-History:...
and 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, Upper Ferntree Gully had a population of 4094.
History
Upper Ferntree Gully was a farming area in its early days and formed the end of the electric train line from 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...
. Holiday makers and day trippers would then make their way by various means of transport to holiday and day tripper locations in "the hills". Many Melbournians up to (at least) the 1930s also holidayed in cottages in Upper Ferntree Gully (as one long-term Upper Gully resident recalls from personal experience).
Coonara House in Willow Road is the oldest building in Upper Ferntree Gully, ahead of The Royal Hotel. Coonara House was the farm house for the farm land that is now Kings Park reserve. Some historic buildings and sites have been lost over the years—including the original Primary School (which was nestled into the National Park, near the current Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
station), the tearooms (corner of Rollings Road and Burwood Highway—many original architectural features were lost during renovations in the 1990s), the cycling velodrome (a bitumen track that was located behind St Joseph's College on the border of Upper Ferntree Gully and Ferntree Gully—this was used as part of The Sun newspaper's cycling competition), the Progress Hall (adjacent to Martin's Smash Repairs) and Kayser factory (Rose Street). The old bakery in Rose Street is home to the 1812 Amateur Theatre Group.
The suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully is often referred to by residents simply as Upper Gully. Many years ago, Ferntree Gully was known as Lower Ferntree Gully—there was a Lower Gully and an Upper Gully. Upper Ferntree Gully has been part of the Shire of Fern Tree Gully, Shire of Sherbrooke, Shire of Yarra Ranges (after the realignment of municipal boundaries), but now most of it is in the City of Knox.
Natural features
Upper Ferntree Gully is home to Ferntree Gully Park, part of the Dandenong Ranges National ParkDandenong Ranges National Park
Dandenong Ranges National Park is in Victoria, Australia, 38 km east of Melbourne.Because the park is located in an urban area, the park has a long history of major problems with feral and roaming animals...
) 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,...
's Education Centre. The park boasts, in addition to natural beauty, the "1,000 steps". This is popular as both a challenging walk and for those wanting to improve their fitness by ascending the steps at a more vigorous pace. The 1,000 steps are now commemorated to the Kokoda Trail
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
(in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Kokoda Track was a field of action for Australian soldiers in Papua New Guinea). Kings Park (located in Willow Road and alongside Ferntree Gully and Ferny creeks) is home to football, cricket, athletics and baseball. Gilmour Park is also the location of Melbourne Water
Melbourne Water
Melbourne Water is a government owned statutory authority that controls much of the water system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia including the reservoirs, and thesewerage and drainage system that services the city.- Overview :...
's Retarding Basin (along Ferny Creek) and close to Sherbrooke Archery Club.
Church and community groups
There are a number of groups providing for the local community—Country Fire AuthorityCountry Fire Authority
Country Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
, Talaksia Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
Group, St Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
' Anglican Church, Upper Ferntree Gully Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, International Women's Group (Coonara House) and Coonara Community House.
St. John Ambulance Australia (Victoria)'s Knox Combined Division includes Upper Ferntree Gully, Ferntree Gully, Boronia, The Basin, Wantirna, Rowville and other adjacent suburbs within its range. They meet weekly, except over the Christmas & January period, at the St. John Ambulance Hall in Boronia Road, Boronia, close to Dorset Road, on Wednesdays. Adults meet on Wednesday evenings, and Cadets on Thursday evenings. Contact St. John Ambulance Australia (Victoria) HQ on 1300 360 455 for more information if you would like to learn First Aid or join the Division.
Coonara Community House, also known as Coonara House or just Coonara, [see http://upperferntreegully.vic.au/community-directory/coonara-community-house ] is located in Willow Road next to King's Park, and has rooms for hire to community groups. It hosts, in alternate months in association with the Ferntree Gully Library, the Gully Gardeners Group. The meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month, from approximately 1.00 to 3.00. A "gold coin" donation at each meeting to contribute towards a gift for the month's talk by a guest presenter and the tea, coffee and biscuits is the only expense. Excursions to various gardens and nurseries are sometimes arranged for Spring and Autumn when the conditions are more suited for garden viewing.
Coonara is also a registered provider of Adult Education, and provider of Vocational Education Training. They produce a brochure each term listing the courses and sessions they run, some of which can be conducted on-line or in tandem with self-paced learning.
Sports and entertainment
There are a number of sporting organisations based in Upper Ferntree Gully—Upper Ferntree Gully Kings Football Club competing in the Eastern Football LeagueEastern Football League (Australia)
The Eastern Football League is an Australian rules football League, based in the eastern suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne....
and the Cricket Club (Kings Park), Upwey Tecoma Junior Football Club (Talaskia Road), Upper Ferntree Gully Tennis Club (Talaskia Road), St John's Tecoma Cricket Club (Talaskia Avenue), Sherbrooke Little Athletic Centre (Kings Park), Upwey/Ferntree Gully Baseball Club (Kings Park), Kenlaural Dance Centre and the 1812 Amateur Theatre group. A tourist information centre is located in front of the railway station.
Education
There is a government primary school (Upper Ferntree Gully Primary school) which was substantially renovated (completed in late 2006) and is located on Talaskia Road. There was a Prep – Year 6 community school (Coonara Community School). The community school (Coonara) was parent run, offering its children a wonderful place for learning and operated from 1973 until it closed towards the end of 2007, when it entered into voluntary liquidation.Health and aged care
The Angliss Hospital (formerly known as the William Angliss Hospital) was established in 1954 and is located in Talaskia Road, Upper Ferntree Gully. Chandler House—Eastern Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service—is located nearby in Albert Street (and was used as a bush nursing hospital prior to the opening of the Angliss Hospital). There are also a number of medical consulting rooms in the vicinity of the hospital. Willowbrooke aged care facility is located in Willow Road, Upper Ferntree Gully. In terms of animal health, Upper Ferntree Gully also has a veterinary hospital.Retail
There are limited retail outlets (mainly food, hairdressing, banking, chemist, post office and repair services) in Upper Ferntree Gully, generally located along the main thoroughfare (Burwood Highway). Ferntree Plaza is the largest retail centre in Upper Ferntree Gully. Dining facilities include the Royal Hotel, an Italian restaurant and an Indian restaurant.One key retail activity is the weekend market at the Upper Fern Tree Gully railway station carpark. Active every weekend from 9am – 4.30pm "The Little Market with the Big Reputation" has an abundance of products for sale. These include fresh fruit and veg, plants, jewellery, crystals, food, many other craft products and a hairdresser.
Upper Ferntree Gully also hosts a number of used car yards.
Transport
Upper Ferntree Gully has a railway station located on the Burwood Highway. Train stabling facilities are located at Upper Ferntree Gully and is a terminus for some services. The following bus routes also service the suburb:- 688 CroydonCroydon, VictoriaCroydon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Croydon had a population of 22,029.-Public transport:...
– Upper Ferntree Gully via Mt Dandenong, Olinda, Tremont (every day). Operated by Ventura Bus LinesVentura Bus LinesVentura is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Today the largest private Melbourne bus company, and operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. The company purchased National Bus Company for A$45 million, and the Mount...
and US Bus LinesUS Bus LinesUS Bus Lines is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was previously owned by founder Joe Pulitano. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government....
. - 693 BelgraveBelgrave, VictoriaBelgrave 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...
– OakleighOakleigh, VictoriaOakleigh is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and is located 14 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Oakleigh had a population of 6,876....
via Upwey RS, Upper Ferntree Gully RS, Ferntree Gully RS, Brandon Park SC (every day). Operated by Invicta Bus Services. - 732 Box HillBox Hill, VictoriaBox Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
– Upper Ferntree Gully via Vermont South, Knox City SC (every day). Operated by Ventura Bus LinesVentura Bus LinesVentura is a privately owned bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Today the largest private Melbourne bus company, and operates a number of bus routes under contract from the Victorian State Government. The company purchased National Bus Company for A$45 million, and the Mount...
.
Notable citizens
- Shane WarneShane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
—High profile Australian cricketer was born in Upper Ferntree Gully at the Angliss Hospital in 1969. - Timothy SpanosTimothy SpanosTimothy Spanos is an Australian film director.Spanos has made four feature films in Australia that have become cult movie hits in the USA and Europe. His first film, Prisoner Queen, was about an actress who is diagnosed with leukemia and her son who believes he is living in the television series...
—Film director was born in Upper Ferntree Gully in 1978. - Bradley Harman—Professional Major League Baseballer played baseball at Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club, which is located at kings park.
- Justin HuberJustin Huber- New York Mets :He was originally drafted as a catcher by the New York Mets in .- Kansas City Royals :Huber was one of the top prospects within the Mets organization when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals before the trade deadline for José Bautista...
—Professional Major League Baseballer played baseball at Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club, which is located at kings park. - Michael Nakamura—Professional Major League Baseballer played baseball at Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club, which is located at kings park.