Warrandyte ( ) is a suburb of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's
Central Business District
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...
, located within the
City of Manningham 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
. It is built on the lands of the
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri people are an Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language, Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the traditional owners of the Yarra River Valley, covering much of the present location of ...
people of the
Woiworung language group of the
Kulin Nation. Warrandyte recorded a population of 5,541 at the .
Warrandyte is bounded in the west by the
Mullum Mullum Creek and Target Road, in the north by the
Yarra River
The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia.
The lower st ...
, in the east by Jumping Creek and Anzac Road, and in the south by an irregular line from Reynolds Road, north of
Donvale,
Park Orchards and
Warrandyte South.

Warrandyte was founded as a Victorian town, located in the once
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
-rich rolling hills east of Melbourne, and is now on the north-eastern boundary of suburban Melbourne. Gold was first discovered in the town in 1851 and together, with towns like
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
and
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
Within mo ...
, led the way in gold discoveries during the
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...
. Today Warrandyte retains much of its past in its surviving buildings of the Colonial period and remains a twin community with
North Warrandyte, which borders the Yarra River to its north.
Etymology
In
Australian Aboriginal mythology (see
dreamtime
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...
), a
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri people are an Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language, Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the traditional owners of the Yarra River Valley, covering much of the present location of ...
dreamtime
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally u ...
story tells of a great eagle; "the all powerful, ever watchful creator of the world", named ''
Bunjil
Bunjil, also spelt Bundjil, is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being, often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle in Australian Aboriginal mythology of some of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria.
Creation stories
In the Kulin nati ...
'', who "once gazed down upon his people from the star Altair and saw their wrong doing. Awaiting their return, with a mighty crash of thunder, he hurled down a star to destroy them". Where the star struck created a gorge in which much of the town today is located. Bunjil's people remembered the spot, and referred to it as ''Warrandyte'', speculated to mean "that which is thrown".
History
In 1851, gold was first discovered in Victoria, in Warrandyte, at Anderson's Creek, by
Louis Michel
Louis Michel (; born 2 September 1947) is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as minister of foreign affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. From ...
, the approximate location of the site is marked by a cairn on Fourth Hill, in the
Warrandyte State Park. While some mining did occur in the area throughout the peak of the gold rush, it was not until the late 19th century, after gold discoveries reduced in the more popular regions, that the area around Warrandyte was intensively mined, particularly around Fourth Hill and Whipstick Gully. Some areas continued to be mined up until the 1960s. The Warrandyte Post Office opened on 1 August 1857.
In the early 20th century, Warrandyte (mainly now North Warrandyte) became a popular destination for artists of the
Heidelberg School
The Heidelberg School was an Australian art movement of the late 19th century. It has been described as Australian impressionism.
Melbourne art critic Sidney Dickinson coined the term in an 1891 review of works by Arthur Streeton and Walter ...
, who sought subject matter further into the bush. This led to the development of an artists camp and small colony. Though not as substantial as the older colonies at Heidelberg and
Box Hill, several artists, such as
Clara Southern and
Walter Withers, who were associated with the Heidelberg School, took up residence in Warrandyte. Others followed, including
Penleigh Boyd, Harold Herbert, Jo Sweatman and
Gus McLaren, all of North Warrandyte.
Bushfires
Major bushfires have swept through Warrandyte throughout history, and the town was at the centre of the
Black Friday bushfires in 1939, in which 71 people lost their lives. The 1962 fires also devastated North Warrandyte. Many houses were destroyed and many lives lost. In 2009 the
Black Saturday fires in
Kinglake were 15 minutes away from North Warrandyte. On 9 February 2014, a bushfire broke out in Warrandyte burning approximately 10 hectares and destroying 3 houses.
Major bushfires to have swept through Warrandyte include:
*1851 - 6 February "Black Thursday"
*1939 - 13 January "
Black Friday"
*1962 - 14–16 January
*2014 - 9 February
Geography

Warrandyte is situated on the southern banks of the Yarra River. The river and hills surrounding the town were once rich in gold and the ruins of mineshafts and tunnels can be found throughout the Warrandyte State Park, amongst other locations. While the central town itself is nestled into a gorge on the river, the suburb covers a reasonably large area of land and can be divided up into the following sections:
Central Warrandyte comprises the main street of Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road (Yarra Street), Pound Bend and the southern banks of the Yarra River.
Andersons Creek flows from neighbouring South Warrandyte and
Warranwood into the Yarra just before the beginning of Pound Bend. This area is where several
gullies converge and create a geographical hole, with Fourth Hill to the east and the hills on the eastern banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek to the west. This becomes evident when driving through Warrandyte on Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road, as the hills guide the road down towards Andersons Creek.
The Eastern banks of the Mullum Mullum Creek were home to vast orchards overflowing from neighbouring
East Doncaster and as a result, much of the vegetation has been cleared. Today the area is covered in large residential properties due to local council regulations allowing land to be subdivided into larger sites.
Transportation
Warrandyte is serviced primarily by the private car, however a bus service actively operates along the main roads of Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Heidelberg-Warrandyte Road (Yarra Street).
Community

The Pottery Expo at Warrandyte was instigated by local studio potter, Jane Annois in February 2001. It is now an annual event run each February, showcasing the work of selected studio ceramic artists from around Australia, along with international guest artists. Ceramicists who have exhibited in previous Expos include: Arnaud Barraud, Kevin Boyd, Csongvay Blackwood, Greg Daly, Janet DeBoos, Minna Graham, Ted Secombe and Prue Venables.
The Warrandyte Festival, one of the last remaining volunteer-run festivals in Victoria, is held every year in mid March. Typically, the festival features a variety of attractions. Many stalls sell local produce or crafts and there are numerous historical exhibits, as well as safety demonstrations by the
CFA.
Warrandyte is serviced by the community newspaper Warrandyte Diary. The Diary was established in 1970 by local screenwriter Cliff Green, journalist Lee Tindale and cartoonist Jock Macneish. The Diary has provided news, information and entertainment to Warrandyte and its surrounding communities for more than 50 years.
Facilities

Warrandyte has a general post office, tennis courts, a community centre, an
RSL club,
bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house.
''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...
s, restaurants, a police station, a
CFA fire station, two kindergartens, two recreational ovals (AFL Football and Cricket), Andersons Creek Cemetery and a
Scout hall
A Scout hall (also Scout hut, Scout den or Scout headquarters) is a building owned or rented and used as a meeting place by a Scout Group.
General description
A Scout hall typically consists of one or more large rooms which are used for games an ...
, canoe launching ramps, a skatepark, nurseries and tearooms and the Crystal Brook Holiday Centre. It also has a thriving arts community including theatre, pottery and painting centred at the Mechanics Institute Hall.
Warrandyte has two community owned and run micro-retirement villages operated as a co-operative.
Schools
*
Warrandyte High School
* Andersons Creek Primary School
* Warrandyte Primary School
Places of Worship
* St Stephen's Anglican Church
* Warrandyte Community Church
* Warrandyte Uniting Church
Retail
* Goldfields Shopping Centre
* Shops on Yarra Road, near Warrandyte Bridge.
Parklands and recreation
Activities include walking, bike riding, mountain biking, tennis, basketball, Australian football, cricket, swimming in the Yarra River, canoeing, kayaking, skateboarding and bushwalking, among many others.
Parks, Gardens and Reserves in Warrandyte
*
Warrandyte State Park (including Pound Bend, Fourth Hill, Black Flat, Mount Lofty and other areas)
*
Pound Bend Reserve
* Stiggants Reserve
* Warrandyte Reserve (Home to the
Warrandyte Cricket Club, which was formed in 1855, Warrandyte "The Bloods"
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
Club, competing in the
Eastern Football League and Junior Football Clubs and the Warrandyte Netball Club
* Longridge Farm
* Alexander Reserve
*
Currawong Bush Park (Environment Centre and Wildlife Enclosure)
* Wildflower Reserve
* Andersons Creek Streamside Reserve
See also
*
City of Doncaster and Templestowe – Warrandyte was part of this former local government area
recursor to Manningham City Council
*
Electoral district of Warrandyte
The electoral district of Warrandyte is an Australian electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is an outer metropolitan electorate and contains the suburbs of Park Orchards, Victoria, Park Orchards, Ringwood North, Victoria, ...
*
List of Melbourne suburbs
This is a list of Municipalities and their Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburbs (neighbourhoods), townships, and rural localities in the greater metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Suburbs are defined her ...
*
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia, approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony and an influx of population growth and financial capi ...
* Manningham Municipal Council Offices (see
City of Manningham)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warrandyte, Victoria
Suburbs of Melbourne
Suburbs of the City of Manningham
Mining towns in Victoria (state)