SAFETY BEACH
Safety Beach is a suburb in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. Safety Beach occupies slightly less than half the area of land between the foothills of Mount Martha and Arthur's Seat and borders Port Philip Bay to its west. Safety Beach Post Office opened on 1 October 1953 and closed in 1974. A large inland harbour and residential development was recently embarked upon under the name of Martha Cove, named after its location in the cove at the foothills of Mount Martha. The project was largely protested by residents. It is believed the name Safety Beach, which is descriptive, was used to market lands sales after its initial residential subdivision.
SANDHURST
Sandhurst is an official bounded locality 37 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. The name, which literally means 'a wooden eminence' (hurst) in the sand, was probably first used as the name of the estate when the area was opened up for residential subdivision.
St Albans
ST ALBANS
St Albans is a suburb 15km north-west of Melbourne. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank. At the 2006 Census, St Albans had a population of 33,511. St Albans was first established as a township in 1887 and originally subdivided by the Metropolitan Land and Development Co. Pty. Ltd. who had acquired nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) in the hope of a quick financial gain during that period's land boom. The town was promoted as an attractive location for professionals who had easy rail access to central Melbourne and adjoining suburbs with a recently constructed railway station platform attracting potential homeowners to industry in nearby locations. St Albans Post Office opened on 22 October 1888. St Albans remained geographically isolated from other suburbs, with large areas of open land between it and other suburbs, until the 1980s. The suburb takes its name from St Albans, a city in southern Hertfordshire, England.
ST ANDREWS
St. Andrews is a rural locality 36 km. north-east of Melbourne, between Kangaroo Ground and Kinglake. It was originally named Queenstown, a goldfield, in the area known as the Caledonia Diggings. By 1865 it was also known as St. Andrews, and the presence of large numbers of Scottish miners gave rise to both "Caledonia" and "St. Andrews". Its neighbour is Panton Hill, which originally was called Kingstown. St. Andrews was the earliest goldfield in the area. By 1855 there were 3,000 miners, and in 1856 it had a post office. The township was surveyed in 1859. A church school was opened in 1858, which was replaced by a State school in 1887. The name "Queenstown" persisted for another fifty years, as the school's name was not changed to St. Andrews until 1956.
ST HELENA
Between Greensborough and Diamond Creek is the residential locality of St. Helena, 21 km. north-east of Melbourne. It is named after a church built by Major Anthony Beale, who arrived in Port Phillip in 1839. Beale had been Paymaster-General on the island of St. Helena for the British East India Company. He acquired land in the Greensborough area, naming it St. Helena Park, which he farmed until his death in 1865. His wife, the daughter of a Governor of St. Helena, predeceased him in 1856, and he built the Rose Chapel in her memory. The chapel was bequeathed to the Anglican Church which constructed additions to make it a functioning church. It is a tourist attraction, consisting of a traditional English parish church and graveyard, set in the Anthony Beale Reserve.
St Kilda
ST KILDA
The suburb takes its name from a ship called The Lady of St Kilda, which visited Melbourne in July 1841, five years after the founding of Melbourne. The ship was owned by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, a member of a prominent British political family, and the main shopping street of St Kilda is named Acland Street after him. The ship was named for the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Many people have mistakenly referred to the suburb as "St. Kilda" or "Saint Kilda", assuming that it stands for "saint", however the correct spelling is "St Kilda" as there is no known saint by the name of Kilda. (The yacht's name was presumably taken form the Hebridean island of St. Kilda.) In December, 1842, allotments from a government survey were sold in the vicinity of Fitzroy Street and Lower Esplanade. Further lots were sold between 1846-51, by when St. Kilda was becoming an address of the well-to-do. The route to St. Kilda from Melbourne was a sandy track, commencing at a bridge (1846) over the Yarra River. The track was unsafe for travellers, and Strutt's "Bushrangers" painting was reputedly inspired by an event on the St. Kilda road. An early hotel at St. Kilda, the Royal, was functioning by 1849.
Churches and schools began in St. Kilda in 1849, establishing a rich pattern of religious and educational institutions. In 1857 a railway line was built from Melbourne to St. Kilda, and a connection loop between St. Kilda and Windsor railway stations brought increased patronage to the privately run sea baths, the jetty promenade and the St. Kilda Cup was run at a racecourse near the Village Belle hotel. Cricket and bowling clubs were formed in 1855 and 1865. By the mid 1860s St. Kilda had about fifteen hotels including the George, formerly the Seaview (1857).
Sandown Park Racecourse
SANDOWN PARK
Sandown Park is a railway station located in the suburb of Springvale, on the Pakenham and Cranbourne railway lines. The Sandown Racecourse and Sandown Greyhound Track are located near the station. Sandown Park station opened in 1889 as Oakleigh Racecourse, and was renamed Sandown Park in 1892. The station closed in 1955, and reopened with the current station 10 years later, in 1965.
SANDRINGHAM
Sandringham, a bayside residential suburb, is 16 km. south-south-east of Melbourne and 4 km. south of Brighton. The area was first known as Gipsy Village, from a fishing community which occupied the coast line around Pic-Nic Point, out of sight of Brighton. In 1852 a land speculator, Josiah Holloway, attempted to sell off allotments, naming the "estate" Gipsy Village. (The proposal was ahead of its time, as the railway line did not reach Brighton until 1861 let along the extension to Sandringham in 1887.) In 1855 a school opened in the Anglican church.
In 1881 Gipsy Village had a census population of 183 persons, and in the following year rumours of a railway extension provoked a more successful land sale at the Pic-Nic Point area. A new Anglican church, All Souls, was opened. Pic-Nic Point shortly became part of Hampton and Gipsy Village became Sandringham in 1888, the year after the railway extension. The name was inspired by landowner and local parliamentarian, Charles H. Jones, who was in turn inspired by the Prince of Wales' Sandringham House. In 1889 the Sandringham House hotel with 80 rooms was opened. Past it ran a horse-tram service, connecting Beaumaris to Sandringham.
SASSAFRAS
Sassafras, in the Dandenong Ranges between Olinda and Ferny Creek, is 35 km. east of Melbourne. It was originally called Sassafras Gully, descriptive of the damp, hilly terrain in which trees described as Sassafras were found. The area was opened for selection in 1893, mainly consisting of about 500 ten-acre farms, shortly before a period when tourists and excursionists were attracted to that part of the Dandenong Ranges. Little in the way of a township was established, being confined to a post office (1894), store, school (1894) and mechanics' hall. However, weekenders, larger residences and guest houses were built in considerable numbers. In 1918 thirteen guest houses were available, making Sassafras one of the leading resorts in the Dandenong Ranges. Two churches and additional shops were built in the township at about that time.
SCORESBY
Scoresby is a suburb 25 km. south-east of Melbourne, urbanised on its eastern half and open country on its western half, adjoining the Dandenong Creek. In 1857 Scoresby and the surrounding country was surveyed and named the Parish of Scoresby. It is thought that the name was given in honour of William Scoresby, Arctic explorer and an authority on terrestrial magnatism. He visited Victoira in 1856 and carried ouyt experiments on terrestrial magnetism in or near Scoresby.
When allotments in the surveyed area were sold in 1857 Scoresby became known as a place as well as being a Parish. A Scoresby township emerged in the 1870s around the intersection of Ferntree Gully and Stud Roads. A school was built in 1872, followed byu a Methodist church. Scoresby's commercial links were through Oakleigh anbd Ferntree Gully, which delayed the opening of shops in its district. Much further afield, in Ferny Creek, there was a "Scoresby" village settlement, unconnected with the present Scoresby locality.
After the fist world war George Knox settled in Scoresby as an orchardist. He became the local member of Parliament, was knighted and the City of Knox (in which Scoresby is istuated), was named after him. By the 1930s the township had a hall, store and a motor garage. In the post war years Scoresby concentrated on market gardening - the (Brussel) Sprout Growers Association was prominent. In 1959 the first subdivision of a market garden for residential blocks occurred. Few market gardens remained by the 1990s.
SEABROOK
Seabrook is 19 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Seabrook had a population of 5005. The name was first used as the name of the estate when the area was first opened up for residential subdivision.
SEAFORD
Seaford is a suburb 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. At the 2006 Census, Seaford had a population of 15,560. Seaford was once home to the former Karrum Karrum swamp which stretched between Mordialloc, Frankston and Dandenong. Prior to European settlement, the area teemed with wildlife and supported large numbers of the Bunurong Aboriginal people, who found it a rich source of food. In the early 20th century, the Karrum Karrum Swamp was drained for farming purposes, leaving only a few small wet areas in the lowest parts of the land. Seaford Post Office opened on 6 March 1914. Seaford and Edithvale wetlands are the largest of these low areas. During the 1950s and 1960s, people were attracted to the suburb due to its affordability and close proximity to the beach and Frankston. The name was first used as the name of the estate when the area was first opened up for residential subdivision.
SEAHOLME
Seaholme is 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Seaholme had a population of 1826. The suburb is a bayside enclave within the larger suburb of Altona bounded in the west by Millers Road and in the north by Altona Coastal Park. Seaholme Post Office opened on 2 July 1951 and closed in 1971.
SEDDON
Seddon is a suburb 7km west of Melbourne in the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Seddon had a population of 4651. The suburb was named after Richard Seddon, the New Zealand Prime Minister from 1893-1906, who resided in the suburb (then known as Belgravia), before moving to Bendigo and later to New Zealand. The Belgravia Hotel, located at 236 Nicholson Street, Footscray, carries its and Seddon's original name. Seddon lies between the two suburbs of Footscray and Yarraville. Seddon's railway station is on the Werribee and Williamstown railway lines of the Melbourne train network.
Puffing Billy
SELBY
Selby is a semi-rural township 37 km. east-south-east of Melbourne. It is 2 km. east of Belgrave, and was the first station on the narrow-gauge railway to Gembrook (now the "Puffing Billy" scenic railway). The settlement of Selby occurred in conjunction with Menzies Creek, a short distance eastwards. The provision of a station on the narrow-gauge railway in 1901 required the giving of a name. Selby was chosen, as a compliment to a local landowner and councillor, George Selby.
SEVILLE / SEVILLE EAST
Seville is a township in the Yarra Ranges, 44 km. east of Melbourne, and was the third station on the former Lilydale to Warburton railway line. The first settlers in the Seville district came in the 1860s, and by the end of the 1870s there was a general store and post office. Originally named Redlands, a change of name to Seville was proclaimed in 1886, after the deceased daughter of a resident, William Smith. In the same year the Anglican church was opened and in the year following the Methodist church and the primary school. In 1901 the railway from Lilydale to Warburton was opened. In addition to carrying produce and passengers the railway carried firewood to metropolitan Melbourne until 1950.
SHERBROOKE
Sherbrooke is a small township adjoining the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges, about 35 km. east-south-east of Melbourne. The forest was part of a timber reserve, most of which was excised for selection in 1892, and the retained parts comprised the Monbulk Forest Reserve and the Sherbrooke Forest. Sherbrooke was named after the Canadian birthplace of an early settler, R.W. Graham.
The Forest's popularity with excursionists and tourists was heightened by its habitat for lyrebirds. Nearby, Alfred Nicholas (1881-1937), drug manufacturer, built Burnham Beeches and laid out a large garden which later became the Alfred Nicholas memorial Garden, now open to the public. Several other large homes were also built in the 1920s and 1930s. Sherbrooke remains an attractive tourism area with hospitality and reception centres. Its population has been estimated at around 200 for most of the postwar period.
Sherbrooke shire came into being when Fern Tree Gully shire was divided on 10 November, 1963, creating Knox shire and a smaller Fern Tree Gully shire. The latter was named Sherbrooke on 23 December, 1964. Sherbrooke shire was left with a weakened rate base when much of the developed land went to Knox. Tourism offered an income stream, avoiding some of the excesses of rural subdivision. The best known tourist attraction is the "Puffing Billy" scenic railway which opened in July, 1962, with the visual corridor through the shire being classified by the National Trust.
SHOREHAM
Shoreham is located in the southern Mornington Peninsula region on the Western Port. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. It is a coastal recreation resort notable for its pine-covered cliffs and foreshore reserve. At the 2001 census, Shoreham had a population of 984. Shoreham began as a port for timber exports from the surrounding area. Early reports of the area suggested the region was "thick with honeysuckle and sheoak" and early settlers in the Balnarring and Hastings region were involved in wattle bark stripping and cutting piles and sleepers for shipping to Melbourne via the town. Shoreham Post Office opened in October 1881.
Silvan Dam
SILVAN
Silvan is a rural township 42 km. east of Melbourne on the eastern side of the Dandenong Ranges. The area was originally South Wandin Yallock (which is briefly discussed under Wandin). In 1876 a primary school was opened at South Wandin Yallock, which was part of an orcharding and berry-growing area. In 1913 the school's name was changed to Silvan. The name's origin would seem to derive from the surrounding tree-covered slopes. In the 1920s the growth of housing in Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs caused a flurry of water-storage construction. Three storages, O'Shannassy, Maroondah and Silvan, were built. The Silvan reservoir was the largest, and was completed in 1932. It is fed by an aqueduct from the O'Shannassy reservoir, as well as a conduit from the Upper Yarra dam (1957). The Silvan area's soil is suitable for growing vegetables, fruit, cut flowers and bulbs.
SKYE
Skye is 38 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. At the 2006 Census, Skye had a population of 6898. In 1964 Lyndhurst South office (open since 1902) was renamed Skye. This office closed in 1972. It is believed the locality takes its name from the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
SMITHS GULLY
Smiths Gully is 35 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. It takes its name from an early pioneer farming property which was named after an European settler named Smith.
Safety Beach is a suburb in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. Safety Beach occupies slightly less than half the area of land between the foothills of Mount Martha and Arthur's Seat and borders Port Philip Bay to its west. Safety Beach Post Office opened on 1 October 1953 and closed in 1974. A large inland harbour and residential development was recently embarked upon under the name of Martha Cove, named after its location in the cove at the foothills of Mount Martha. The project was largely protested by residents. It is believed the name Safety Beach, which is descriptive, was used to market lands sales after its initial residential subdivision.
SANDHURST
Sandhurst is an official bounded locality 37 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. The name, which literally means 'a wooden eminence' (hurst) in the sand, was probably first used as the name of the estate when the area was opened up for residential subdivision.
St Albans
ST ALBANS
St Albans is a suburb 15km north-west of Melbourne. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank. At the 2006 Census, St Albans had a population of 33,511. St Albans was first established as a township in 1887 and originally subdivided by the Metropolitan Land and Development Co. Pty. Ltd. who had acquired nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) in the hope of a quick financial gain during that period's land boom. The town was promoted as an attractive location for professionals who had easy rail access to central Melbourne and adjoining suburbs with a recently constructed railway station platform attracting potential homeowners to industry in nearby locations. St Albans Post Office opened on 22 October 1888. St Albans remained geographically isolated from other suburbs, with large areas of open land between it and other suburbs, until the 1980s. The suburb takes its name from St Albans, a city in southern Hertfordshire, England.
ST ANDREWS
St. Andrews is a rural locality 36 km. north-east of Melbourne, between Kangaroo Ground and Kinglake. It was originally named Queenstown, a goldfield, in the area known as the Caledonia Diggings. By 1865 it was also known as St. Andrews, and the presence of large numbers of Scottish miners gave rise to both "Caledonia" and "St. Andrews". Its neighbour is Panton Hill, which originally was called Kingstown. St. Andrews was the earliest goldfield in the area. By 1855 there were 3,000 miners, and in 1856 it had a post office. The township was surveyed in 1859. A church school was opened in 1858, which was replaced by a State school in 1887. The name "Queenstown" persisted for another fifty years, as the school's name was not changed to St. Andrews until 1956.
ST HELENA
Between Greensborough and Diamond Creek is the residential locality of St. Helena, 21 km. north-east of Melbourne. It is named after a church built by Major Anthony Beale, who arrived in Port Phillip in 1839. Beale had been Paymaster-General on the island of St. Helena for the British East India Company. He acquired land in the Greensborough area, naming it St. Helena Park, which he farmed until his death in 1865. His wife, the daughter of a Governor of St. Helena, predeceased him in 1856, and he built the Rose Chapel in her memory. The chapel was bequeathed to the Anglican Church which constructed additions to make it a functioning church. It is a tourist attraction, consisting of a traditional English parish church and graveyard, set in the Anthony Beale Reserve.
St Kilda
ST KILDA
The suburb takes its name from a ship called The Lady of St Kilda, which visited Melbourne in July 1841, five years after the founding of Melbourne. The ship was owned by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, a member of a prominent British political family, and the main shopping street of St Kilda is named Acland Street after him. The ship was named for the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Many people have mistakenly referred to the suburb as "St. Kilda" or "Saint Kilda", assuming that it stands for "saint", however the correct spelling is "St Kilda" as there is no known saint by the name of Kilda. (The yacht's name was presumably taken form the Hebridean island of St. Kilda.) In December, 1842, allotments from a government survey were sold in the vicinity of Fitzroy Street and Lower Esplanade. Further lots were sold between 1846-51, by when St. Kilda was becoming an address of the well-to-do. The route to St. Kilda from Melbourne was a sandy track, commencing at a bridge (1846) over the Yarra River. The track was unsafe for travellers, and Strutt's "Bushrangers" painting was reputedly inspired by an event on the St. Kilda road. An early hotel at St. Kilda, the Royal, was functioning by 1849.
Churches and schools began in St. Kilda in 1849, establishing a rich pattern of religious and educational institutions. In 1857 a railway line was built from Melbourne to St. Kilda, and a connection loop between St. Kilda and Windsor railway stations brought increased patronage to the privately run sea baths, the jetty promenade and the St. Kilda Cup was run at a racecourse near the Village Belle hotel. Cricket and bowling clubs were formed in 1855 and 1865. By the mid 1860s St. Kilda had about fifteen hotels including the George, formerly the Seaview (1857).
Sandown Park Racecourse
SANDOWN PARK
Sandown Park is a railway station located in the suburb of Springvale, on the Pakenham and Cranbourne railway lines. The Sandown Racecourse and Sandown Greyhound Track are located near the station. Sandown Park station opened in 1889 as Oakleigh Racecourse, and was renamed Sandown Park in 1892. The station closed in 1955, and reopened with the current station 10 years later, in 1965.
SANDRINGHAM
Sandringham, a bayside residential suburb, is 16 km. south-south-east of Melbourne and 4 km. south of Brighton. The area was first known as Gipsy Village, from a fishing community which occupied the coast line around Pic-Nic Point, out of sight of Brighton. In 1852 a land speculator, Josiah Holloway, attempted to sell off allotments, naming the "estate" Gipsy Village. (The proposal was ahead of its time, as the railway line did not reach Brighton until 1861 let along the extension to Sandringham in 1887.) In 1855 a school opened in the Anglican church.
In 1881 Gipsy Village had a census population of 183 persons, and in the following year rumours of a railway extension provoked a more successful land sale at the Pic-Nic Point area. A new Anglican church, All Souls, was opened. Pic-Nic Point shortly became part of Hampton and Gipsy Village became Sandringham in 1888, the year after the railway extension. The name was inspired by landowner and local parliamentarian, Charles H. Jones, who was in turn inspired by the Prince of Wales' Sandringham House. In 1889 the Sandringham House hotel with 80 rooms was opened. Past it ran a horse-tram service, connecting Beaumaris to Sandringham.
SASSAFRAS
Sassafras, in the Dandenong Ranges between Olinda and Ferny Creek, is 35 km. east of Melbourne. It was originally called Sassafras Gully, descriptive of the damp, hilly terrain in which trees described as Sassafras were found. The area was opened for selection in 1893, mainly consisting of about 500 ten-acre farms, shortly before a period when tourists and excursionists were attracted to that part of the Dandenong Ranges. Little in the way of a township was established, being confined to a post office (1894), store, school (1894) and mechanics' hall. However, weekenders, larger residences and guest houses were built in considerable numbers. In 1918 thirteen guest houses were available, making Sassafras one of the leading resorts in the Dandenong Ranges. Two churches and additional shops were built in the township at about that time.
SCORESBY
Scoresby is a suburb 25 km. south-east of Melbourne, urbanised on its eastern half and open country on its western half, adjoining the Dandenong Creek. In 1857 Scoresby and the surrounding country was surveyed and named the Parish of Scoresby. It is thought that the name was given in honour of William Scoresby, Arctic explorer and an authority on terrestrial magnatism. He visited Victoira in 1856 and carried ouyt experiments on terrestrial magnetism in or near Scoresby.
When allotments in the surveyed area were sold in 1857 Scoresby became known as a place as well as being a Parish. A Scoresby township emerged in the 1870s around the intersection of Ferntree Gully and Stud Roads. A school was built in 1872, followed byu a Methodist church. Scoresby's commercial links were through Oakleigh anbd Ferntree Gully, which delayed the opening of shops in its district. Much further afield, in Ferny Creek, there was a "Scoresby" village settlement, unconnected with the present Scoresby locality.
After the fist world war George Knox settled in Scoresby as an orchardist. He became the local member of Parliament, was knighted and the City of Knox (in which Scoresby is istuated), was named after him. By the 1930s the township had a hall, store and a motor garage. In the post war years Scoresby concentrated on market gardening - the (Brussel) Sprout Growers Association was prominent. In 1959 the first subdivision of a market garden for residential blocks occurred. Few market gardens remained by the 1990s.
SEABROOK
Seabrook is 19 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Seabrook had a population of 5005. The name was first used as the name of the estate when the area was first opened up for residential subdivision.
SEAFORD
Seaford is a suburb 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. At the 2006 Census, Seaford had a population of 15,560. Seaford was once home to the former Karrum Karrum swamp which stretched between Mordialloc, Frankston and Dandenong. Prior to European settlement, the area teemed with wildlife and supported large numbers of the Bunurong Aboriginal people, who found it a rich source of food. In the early 20th century, the Karrum Karrum Swamp was drained for farming purposes, leaving only a few small wet areas in the lowest parts of the land. Seaford Post Office opened on 6 March 1914. Seaford and Edithvale wetlands are the largest of these low areas. During the 1950s and 1960s, people were attracted to the suburb due to its affordability and close proximity to the beach and Frankston. The name was first used as the name of the estate when the area was first opened up for residential subdivision.
SEAHOLME
Seaholme is 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Seaholme had a population of 1826. The suburb is a bayside enclave within the larger suburb of Altona bounded in the west by Millers Road and in the north by Altona Coastal Park. Seaholme Post Office opened on 2 July 1951 and closed in 1971.
SEDDON
Seddon is a suburb 7km west of Melbourne in the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Seddon had a population of 4651. The suburb was named after Richard Seddon, the New Zealand Prime Minister from 1893-1906, who resided in the suburb (then known as Belgravia), before moving to Bendigo and later to New Zealand. The Belgravia Hotel, located at 236 Nicholson Street, Footscray, carries its and Seddon's original name. Seddon lies between the two suburbs of Footscray and Yarraville. Seddon's railway station is on the Werribee and Williamstown railway lines of the Melbourne train network.
Puffing Billy
SELBY
Selby is a semi-rural township 37 km. east-south-east of Melbourne. It is 2 km. east of Belgrave, and was the first station on the narrow-gauge railway to Gembrook (now the "Puffing Billy" scenic railway). The settlement of Selby occurred in conjunction with Menzies Creek, a short distance eastwards. The provision of a station on the narrow-gauge railway in 1901 required the giving of a name. Selby was chosen, as a compliment to a local landowner and councillor, George Selby.
SEVILLE / SEVILLE EAST
Seville is a township in the Yarra Ranges, 44 km. east of Melbourne, and was the third station on the former Lilydale to Warburton railway line. The first settlers in the Seville district came in the 1860s, and by the end of the 1870s there was a general store and post office. Originally named Redlands, a change of name to Seville was proclaimed in 1886, after the deceased daughter of a resident, William Smith. In the same year the Anglican church was opened and in the year following the Methodist church and the primary school. In 1901 the railway from Lilydale to Warburton was opened. In addition to carrying produce and passengers the railway carried firewood to metropolitan Melbourne until 1950.
SHERBROOKE
Sherbrooke is a small township adjoining the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges, about 35 km. east-south-east of Melbourne. The forest was part of a timber reserve, most of which was excised for selection in 1892, and the retained parts comprised the Monbulk Forest Reserve and the Sherbrooke Forest. Sherbrooke was named after the Canadian birthplace of an early settler, R.W. Graham.
The Forest's popularity with excursionists and tourists was heightened by its habitat for lyrebirds. Nearby, Alfred Nicholas (1881-1937), drug manufacturer, built Burnham Beeches and laid out a large garden which later became the Alfred Nicholas memorial Garden, now open to the public. Several other large homes were also built in the 1920s and 1930s. Sherbrooke remains an attractive tourism area with hospitality and reception centres. Its population has been estimated at around 200 for most of the postwar period.
Sherbrooke shire came into being when Fern Tree Gully shire was divided on 10 November, 1963, creating Knox shire and a smaller Fern Tree Gully shire. The latter was named Sherbrooke on 23 December, 1964. Sherbrooke shire was left with a weakened rate base when much of the developed land went to Knox. Tourism offered an income stream, avoiding some of the excesses of rural subdivision. The best known tourist attraction is the "Puffing Billy" scenic railway which opened in July, 1962, with the visual corridor through the shire being classified by the National Trust.
SHOREHAM
Shoreham is located in the southern Mornington Peninsula region on the Western Port. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. It is a coastal recreation resort notable for its pine-covered cliffs and foreshore reserve. At the 2001 census, Shoreham had a population of 984. Shoreham began as a port for timber exports from the surrounding area. Early reports of the area suggested the region was "thick with honeysuckle and sheoak" and early settlers in the Balnarring and Hastings region were involved in wattle bark stripping and cutting piles and sleepers for shipping to Melbourne via the town. Shoreham Post Office opened in October 1881.
Silvan Dam
SILVAN
Silvan is a rural township 42 km. east of Melbourne on the eastern side of the Dandenong Ranges. The area was originally South Wandin Yallock (which is briefly discussed under Wandin). In 1876 a primary school was opened at South Wandin Yallock, which was part of an orcharding and berry-growing area. In 1913 the school's name was changed to Silvan. The name's origin would seem to derive from the surrounding tree-covered slopes. In the 1920s the growth of housing in Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs caused a flurry of water-storage construction. Three storages, O'Shannassy, Maroondah and Silvan, were built. The Silvan reservoir was the largest, and was completed in 1932. It is fed by an aqueduct from the O'Shannassy reservoir, as well as a conduit from the Upper Yarra dam (1957). The Silvan area's soil is suitable for growing vegetables, fruit, cut flowers and bulbs.
SKYE
Skye is 38 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Frankston. At the 2006 Census, Skye had a population of 6898. In 1964 Lyndhurst South office (open since 1902) was renamed Skye. This office closed in 1972. It is believed the locality takes its name from the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
SMITHS GULLY
Smiths Gully is 35 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. It takes its name from an early pioneer farming property which was named after an European settler named Smith.
