Narbethong

History

The first European settlement at Narbethong was established in about 1865 by Frederick Fisher. Fisher built a 12-room hotel, the Black Spur Inn, on the road which was being built to link Melbourne with the new goldfield at Woods Point. Fisher came from the town of Narberth in Wales, so it is likely that the name Narbethong was based on that. The Post Office closed in 1993. A primary school opened in Narbethong on 7 July 1903. In 1913, the Healesville Shire health officer reported that a lack of ventilation made the building a health hazard for students and teachers. A new school building was officially opened by Lord Huntingfield, the Governor of Victoria, on 9 April 1937. The town was devastated in the Black Friday bushfires in 1939. Initial reports suggested that the hotel was the only building left standing. but other buildings survived including the school and The Hermitage. Narbethong was again severely affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. In 2011, a new public hall was built using local timbers, with the whole building being wrapped in a bronze mesh fire resistant screen. It was officially opened on 26 November 2011 by the Governor of Victoria, Alex Chernov. A scene in the 1959 film On the Beach was set in Narbethong. It featured the characters played by Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner spending their first night together.

Most-observed species

• Prickly Horn Snail

  Cerithium echinatum Lamarck, 1822 · Gastropoda
  11,140
• Spear Thistle

  Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten. · Magnoliopsida
  2,603
• Foxglove

  Digitalis purpurea L. · Magnoliopsida
  2,226
• Crimson Rosella

  Platycercus elegans (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  2,082
• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  1,757
• Gray Fantail

  Rhipidura albiscapa Gould, 1840 · Aves
  1,704
• Brown Thornbill

  Acanthiza pusilla (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  1,636
• White-browed Scrubwren

  Sericornis frontalis (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) · Aves
  1,469

Most recent

• M 3.9 — 2024-08-06
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 4.4 — 2023-06-29
  34 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 3.8 — 2023-05-28
  5 km W of Mickleham, Australia
• M 4.1 — 2021-09-21
  35 km SSW of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 5.9 — 2021-09-21
  39 km S of Mount Buller, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2015-03-10
  3 km NNE of Pakenham, Australia