Fernbank is a locality on the Perry River in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia, approximately 310 km east 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 ...

. In the , it had a population of 152. With the main highway,

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

close by, the small community not only services itself, but travellers along the main highway that stop for a break.

History

The origin of the Fernbank's name is somewhat of a mystery. It is commonly believed that the locality was named after the plants that grow by the banks of the Perry River, the fern, giving rise to the name, Fern-bank. Fernbank Post Office opened on 1 January 1868 and closed in 1977.

Today

Approximately 2.5 km south-west of Fernbank is the Fernbank Landscape and Flora Reserve, just off of the main highway,

. There are some walking tracks and picnic spots.

Transport

Fernbank used to be serviced by the Bairnsdale railway line, but the

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

closed to passengers in 1981 and then fully closed in 1996.

References

Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of East Gippsland {{Gippsland-geo-stub