Launching Place is a town in 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 ...

, 54 km 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

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 ...

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 ...

. Launching Place recorded a population of 2,495 at the . Launching Place is located along the Warburton Highway between Woori Yallock and Yarra Junction. It is believed that Launching Place is named after the place on 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 ...

where freshly cut logs were "launched" into the river to be floated down to sawmills in

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 ...

A post office opened on 12 July 1865. It was replaced by one at Hoddles Creek in 1869, but reopened on 1 September 1880, finally closing in 1994. From 1901 to 1965, the township was served by a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

on the Warburton line. Launching Place has many camping grounds, and people use it was a base for

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

in the

. The Derelict Aircraft Museum was formerly located in Launching Place but, by 2017, it had been closed and dismantled.Derelict Aircraft Museum homepage
Retrieved September 20, 2016 A new car park has recently been constructed behind the Launching Place General Store, improving access to the Warburton Rail Trail and the store.

Gallery

Image:Launching Place General Store.jpg, Launching Place General Store File:Launching Place Home Hotel - evening.jpg, Launching Place Home Hotel

References

Towns in Victoria (state) Yarra Valley Yarra Ranges Shire {{melbourne-geo-stub