COCKATOO, Victoria

A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT, A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE.

 

Welcome to the website for the township of Cockatoo, Victoria a place where you can find information about upcoming events, or find out more about local clubs and groups.

 

Cockatoo is a town of about 4500 people, situated in a beautiful part of the Dandenong Ranges and about an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

 

A Brief History

 

Cockatoo was originally named after Cockatoo Creek which runs through the heart of town. It was first settled in the 1870s but progress was tardy as the land was difficult to clear.

 

 

The first "official" Post Office was not opened until 1 November 1901 when the railway arrived and was known as Cockatoo Creek until 1917. It was also briefly know as "Devon" around the turn of the century.

 

Shortly after the end of the World War I, a large number of immigrants went to live in Cockatoo while working in Melbourne. The most significant wave was made by Italians. Timbergetting was the major source of employment and this industry received a considerable boost when the narrow-gauge railway from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook was completed in 1900. Moreover, the railway brought leisure-seeking Melburnians into the area and a market for subdivision arose. The railway is operated today as the Puffing Billy Railway.

 

Cockatoo is best known as one of the worst-hit townships during the disastrous 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires, where over 300 buildings were destroyed and 6 lives lost.

 

It is a very active community, with many local groups and organisations. These include Scouts and Guides, a Fire Brigade, Playgroups, St Luke’s Anglican Church, Community Garden, Neighbourhood House and Men’s Shed group.

 

Services

 

The Cardinia Shire Council provides a mobile library service at the McBride Street carpark each Thursday from 1.30 pm until 7.30pm in the evening. The town has a community garden site on the Alma Treloar Reserve growing various fruit and vegetables.

 

• Kindergartens

• Youth & Health Centres

• Bendigo Bank Branch

• Licensed Post Office

• Church

• Charity Store

• Country Fire Authority (CFA) Station

• RSL Club

• Child Care Centre

• Cockatoo Neighbourhood House

• Hills Community Gardens

• Men's Shed

• Public toilets

• Cubs/Scouts & guides

• Cockatoo Primary School

 

 

For those who enjoy sports, Cockatoo has plenty of options. At Mountain Road Recreation Reserve they play football, netball, badminton, basketball and a number of other sports. Mountain Road reserve is also the home for Cockatoo little Athletics.

 

There is a skate bowl as well as a tennis club and bowls club in the Alma Treloar Reserve, along with a children’s playground off leash dog park and Cockatoo Creek.

 

Cockatoo & District Pony Club is based at the Josie Bysouth Reserve just out of town on the corner of Pakenham & Hillside Roads.

 

Located on the edge of Wright’s Forest, there are several walking tracks on offer. The Cockatoo to Emerald trail is a 7km walk or for those wanting something a little shorter or less challenging, a newly built boardwalk winds alongside the creek and through the Alma Treloar Reserve.

 

Cockatoo is home to Cockatoo Primary School.  For those not quite at school yet, there is a Kindergarten on Bailey Rd, or for the really little ones, the Cockatoo Early Childhood Learning Centre.

 

Present day

 

McBride Street is the heart of Cockatoo, and is home to a number of shops & services. You will find hairdresser's, chemist, Licensed Supermarket and Post Office, Yoga Studio, a cafés, a bakery, as well as several take away food stores, The Community Bank branch in Cockatoo is run by the Bendigo Bank, and they support our community by their Grants & Sponsorship schemes

 

There is also a town square which is graced by a historic palm tree, with the history of our towns community groups captured in mosaic paving.

 

On the corner of McBride Street and Pakenham Rd, is the Casey- Cardinia Community Health Centre that also provides a number of low-cost services including counselling, podiatry, yoga, and financial counselling (amongst others).

 

Cockatoo also has a community hall and a 12 seater community bus available for hire. Puffing Billy also passes through here, and there are plenty of bed & breakfasts around if you want to come and visit for a few days.

 

Transport

 

The area is serviced by the 695 bus route operated from Belgrave by US Bus Lines. This service is extended to Westfield Fountain Gate shopping centre on Friday/Saturday (695F) and to Dandenong Market on Tuesdays. Cockatoo is indirectly served by route 838 (Emerald to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre via Berwick) provided by Cardinia Transit, which connects with route 695 at Emerald.

Cockatoo has a railway station on the Puffing Billy Railway. The Puffing Billy service generally runs once or twice daily and continues from Cockatoo to Gembrook. Cockatoo station consists only of a platform with a small (non-original) station building which is usually un-manned. You are however able to board the train at Cockatoo station and purchase tickets directly from the conductor. Or disembark at Cockatoo to see all we have to offer rejoining the train on it's trip home from Gembrook.

 

Wrights Forest

 

Wrights Forest, a 161-hectare reserve to the northwest of the town, is managed by Parks Victoria and is a fauna sanctuary. The forest has scars of the Ash Wednesday fires that swept through the area in 1983 with some trees still showing charred bark. The forest is home to many animal species such as the brushtail possums, wombats and many bird species. The forest has many tracks for bush walkers, the main one being the Emerald to Gembrook trail. This recently came under fire for its title as a beginners walking trail; lack of signage left some walkers lost and its steep gradients resembled an experienced walking track. Other trails wind through the forest and are colour-coded.

 

 

There is always plenty happening in Cockatoo, with a number of fantastic community events taking place. The year kicks off with the Australia Day breakfast – a free community event celebrating the great work by local citizens. The Cockatoo Country Market is held on the first Saturday of every Month in the Community Complex Carpark on Pakenham Rd and runs from 9.00am until 2.00pm and on the last Sunday in March and October the Cockatoo Plant Market draws people from near and far, with all funds going to support the very worthy cause of the Cockatoo Fire Brigade.

 

Our local RSL is open Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons and all are welcome to attend, Anzac Day at the RSL is also popular, with both a Dawn service and a mid morning service. Finally, Cockatoo's St Lukes Church run a Community Carols by Candlelight event in December.

 

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