THORPDALE, VICTORIA


A small town in the Strzelecki Ranges. Thorpdale's rich red volcanic soil is ideal for growing potatoes. The town hosts the Thorpdale Potato Festival every Labour Day Holiday March.
Location: 19 km south of Trafalgar; 140 km south-east of Melbourne.
Brief history: the first european settlers accessed the area from Lang Lang in the south by travelling along McDonalds Track, which followed the ridges. The original town was established in the 1860s, but was virtually razed in the bush fires which ravaged Gippsland in 1898.
Natural features: Trafalgar South Lookout; Narracan Falls; Henderson's Gully; Strzelecki Ranges; Mount Worth; Ross Hill; The Haunted Hills; Pratts Hill; York Hill