The Shire of Upper Yarra was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

centred on the upper reaches of the

Yarra Valley The Yarra Valley is the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Valley ...

, about east of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, the state capital of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, extending eastwards into Victoria's interior. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1888 until 1994.

History

Upper Yarra was incorporated as a shire on 19 October 1888. On 30 May 1919, it annexed the Lauraville Riding of the defunct Howqua Shire (the Howqua riding itself was annexed by the

Shire of Mansfield The Mansfield Shire is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018, had a population of 8,979. It includes the towns of Mansfield, Mai ...

), and on 4 December 1923 and 15 February 1984, it annexed parts of the

Shire of Healesville The Shire of Healesville was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1887 until 1994. History Healesville was first incorporated as a shir ...

. Accessed at

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

, La Trobe Reading Room. On 15 December 1994, the Shire of Upper Yarra was abolished, and along with the Shires of Lillydale, Healesville and parts of the

Shire of Sherbrooke The Shire of Sherbrooke was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1963 until 1994. Its largest population centre was the town of Belgrave. H ...

, was merged into the newly created

Shire of Yarra Ranges The Shire of Yarra Ranges, also known as Yarra Ranges Council, 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. It has an ...

Wards

The Shire of Upper Yarra was divided into three ridings on 31 March 1909, each of which elected three councillors: * Centre Riding * East Riding * West Riding

Suburbs and localities

The Shire of Upper Yarra included the

district and towns along the

Warburton Highway The Warburton Highway is a 34 kilometre west–east semi-rural highway starting on the eastern fringes of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) at the Maroondah Highway just after Lilydale, connecting Melbourne to the Yarra Valley wine region and its ...

, extending east through the

Yarra Ranges National Park Yarra Ranges National Park is located in the Central Highlands of Australia's southeastern state Victoria, 107 km northeast of Melbourne. Established in 1995 and managed by the statutory authority Parks Victoria, the park features a carbon-ric ...

, to a line between the

Baw Baw plateau The Baw Baw National Park is a national park located on the boundary between the Victorian Alps and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately east of Melbourne and north of the Latrobe Valley. The ...

and the town of Matlock, from Melbourne's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. * Beenak * Big Pats Creek * Cambarville * Don Valley * Gilderoy * Gladysdale * Hoddles Creek *

Launching Place Launching Place is a town in Victoria, Australia, 54 km east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Launching Place recorded a population of 2,495 at the . Launching Place ...

McMahons Creek McMahons Creek is a bounded rural locality in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, on the Warburton–Woods Point Road bordering the Yarra Ranges National Park, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges Local government areas of Victoria, l ...

* Millgrove *

Powelltown Powelltown is a town in Victoria, Australia, 70 km east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Powelltown recorded a population of 214 at the 2021 census. History The ...

Reefton Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63 ...

Upper Yarra Dam The Upper Yarra Reservoir is located east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, beyond Warburton within the locality of Reefton. Water from Upper Yarra Reservoir supplies towns in the upper Yarra Valley, and Silvan Reservoir, which transfers water t ...

* Warburton * Warburton East * Wesburn *

Woori Yallock Woori Yallock is a town in Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Woori Yallock recorded a population of 2,964 at the . The Post Office opened on 1 J ...

Yarra Junction Yarra Junction is a town in Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Yarra Junction recorded a population of 2,875 at the . The township sits at the ...

* * Yellingbo * Council seat.

Population

* Estimates in 1958 and 1988 Victorian Year Books.

References

External links

Victorian Places - Upper Yarra Shire
{{Coord, 37, 47, S, 145, 36, E, type:adm2nd_region:AU-VIC, display=title Upper Yarra Yarra Valley Yarra Ranges 1888 establishments in Australia 1994 disestablishments in Australia