Drouin

History

The traditional owners of the Drouin area are the Kulin and Kurnai Aboriginal people, who have lived in the area for tens of thousands of years. European settlement in this part of Gippsland was hampered by the dense forest. Pastoral runs were taken up but there was little other development. In 1867, a coaching station was established at Brandy Creek, on the track into Gippsland, about north-east of present Drouin. By the early 1870s, a small settlement had developed and land was being selected in the area. A post office opened on 5 April 1876, renamed Jindivick in 1878. Between 1877 and 1879, the Gippsland railway line was constructed, connecting Melbourne with Gippsland. Workers' camps were set up along the route, which ran to the south of Brandy Creek, with three camps in the vicinity of Drouin. The Princes Highway was also constructed to run parallel to the railway, this highway replaced the Old Sale Road as the principal road rout into East Gippsland. One of the railway camps and a stores depot was located at Drouin Junction. After the Brandy Creek rail section opened in 1878, a township was surveyed at Drouin Junction, soon known as Drouin. The town was named after a French engineer (Derouin) in charge of the camp and depot and employed in the construction of the railway. A post office named Drouin Junction opened on 1 January 1877 and was renamed Drouin in 1878. As Drouin developed, Brandy Creek, now called Buln Buln, had declined. When the Buln Buln Shire was formed in 1878, the administrative centre was located in Drouin. The new Tourists' Guide described the township in 1889, showing its substantial development. Throughout the 1880s, a number of small sawmills operated in the Drouin district, many transporting their timber by tramway to the Drouin…

Most-observed species

• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  1,173
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,146
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  1,093
• Brown Thornbill

  Acanthiza pusilla (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  997
• Laughing Kookaburra

  Dacelo novaeguineae (Hermann, 1783) · Aves
  751
• Gray Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla harmonica (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  713
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  705
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  656

Most recent

• M 3.3 — 2026-05-09
  4 km ESE of Mirboo North, Australia
• M 3.9 — 2024-08-06
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.3 — 2024-02-08
  3 km E of Leongatha, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2023-06-29
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2021-11-05
  4 km S of Rosebud, Australia
• M 4.1 — 2021-09-21
  35 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia