Population 1,568 (2006 census) LGA(s) Shire of Yarra Ranges Federal Division(s) La Trobe Area 5.8 km² Local time Friday 2:08 PM | Postcode(s) 3788 State electorate(s) Monbulk Elevation 569 m Postal code 3788 | |
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Location 36 km (22 mi) from Melbourne
8 km (5 mi) from Belgrave Weather 19°C, Wind SE at 8 km/h, 58% Humidity | ||
Olinda is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Olinda had a population of 1568.
Contents
Map of Olinda VIC 3788, Australia
History
Olinda is named after Olinda Creek, which begins in the township. The creek was named in 1858 after Alice Olinda Hodgkinson, the daughter of Clement Hodgkinson, Victoria's acting Surveyor General. The town was initially a logging settlement, however as land was made available for horticulture in the early 1900s, the town began to grow substantially. The Post Office opened on 21 August 1901.
Berry farming, dairying, and flower growing became prosperous industries, and tourism soon flourished as the principal industry of Olinda.
In 1919 the Australian artist Sir Arthur Streeton returned to Australia and built a house on the property called Longacres, in Olinda.
The town today
Olinda is home to cafes, restaurants, antique and craft shops, and numerous art galleries, showcasing local, national, and international artists in such areas as sculpture and painting. It has a public swimming pool, a primary school, and is home to the National Rhododendron Garden and the Olinda State Forest. The Ashendene Boys Home was located in Olinda.
Sport
Together with its neighbouring township Ferny Creek Olinda has an Australian Rules football and netball teams (Olinda-Ferny Creek) competing in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League.
Olinda also has a cricket club boasting 5 junior teams from non-competitive to under 16s, 4 senior sides and a veterans team. In past four years the cricket club has won a total of 8 premierships.
Golfers play at the course of the Olinda Golf Club on Olinda Monbulk Road.