Beaconsfield 3807 |
Beaconsfield, forty six kilometres east of central Melbourne on Cardinia Creek, was originally known as Little Berwick. It is immediately to the east of Berwick. A small settlement grew up in the vicinity of Bowman's Inn, a coaching stop on the road to Gippsland. When gold was discovered at Wood's Point in the 1860s, Mrs Bowman employed men to cut a track from Beaconsfield north to the Yarra Track leading to Wood's Point. Miners using Bowman's Track increased her custom considerably.
In the 1870s gold was found in the gullies north of Beaconsfield. Timber getters followed the prospectors. The foothills were found to be suitable for orchards and fruit trees, particularly apples and lemons, were planted.
In 1881 a railway station was opened on the Gippsland line and named Beaconsfield after the prominent statesman Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield. The name had already been used for the post office at Beaconsfield Upper for several years but was transferred to the railway station and surrounding settlement.
As the district developed, many commodities were despatched by rail, especially sand, timber and firewood, fruit, flowers, dairy products, even hops and eucalyptus oil. Passenger traffic was also heavy. A number of big homes were built in the area as holiday homes for city people, and camping beside the creek was
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