Foster

History

Originally called Stockyard Creek, after the stream which still flows through the centre of the town, Foster was initially just a resting place for drovers travelling from Port Albert to Western Port. This changed with the discovery of gold in the 1880s, leading to a (modest) gold rush. The post office opened on 20 February 1871 as Stockyard Creek and was renamed Foster in 1879 when the township was established. In 1870 a gold rush along Stockyard Creek resulted in the township of that name and in late 1884 following comments by the Police Magistrate from Sale (Mr William H Foster) that he couldn't hold court in a creek the town suddenly became ‘Foster’. Previously a stockyard for drovers had been established along the creek but several miles from the ultimate township. The story of Foster is in a publication available at the Foster & District Historical Society Inc. The railway was extended to Foster in 1892. When the gold ran out, Foster became a service centre of the burgeoning South Gippsland dairy industry. Today it is a rural town that links Wilsons Promontory with the rest of Victoria.

Most-observed species

• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  1,134
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  1,063
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  926
• Brown Thornbill

  Acanthiza pusilla (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  834
• swamp wallaby

  Wallabia bicolor (Desmarest, 1804) · Mammalia
  767
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  756
• Gray Shrikethrush

  Colluricincla harmonica (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  722
• Silver Gull

  Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (Stephens, 1826) · Aves
  631

Most recent

• M 3.3 — 2026-05-09
  4 km ESE of Mirboo North, Australia
• M 4.3 — 2024-02-08
  3 km E of Leongatha, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2015-03-10
  3 km NNE of Pakenham, Australia
• M 3.6 — 2014-12-03
  4 km SW of Pakenham, Australia
• M 4.6 — 2012-07-20
  8 km S of Trafalgar, Australia
• M 5.2 — 2012-06-19
  11 km NNE of Mirboo North, Australia