Warrandyte - Culture and History

Some speculation about the origins of the town's name relates to the Wurundjeri willam Aborigines who occupied the area prior to European settlement. 'Warrandyte' is thought to be derived from the Woiwuring word 'warin', meaning 'wombat', although another etymological theory explains the word as meaning 'to throw at a target'.

A pastoralist named James Anderson established a run here in 1839 after overlanding cattle from Sydney. Thus the area became known as Anderson's Creek. An Aboriginal reserve of 445 ha was established in 1841 at Pound Bend (now in Warrandyte State Park).

The district was opened up when gold was discovered by Louis Michel at the junction of Anderson's Creek and the Yarra River in 1851 (a cairn on Gold Memorial Road honours this event). He was granted one of three government awards for making what was the first gold strike in the Port Phillip District. Novelist Henry Kingsley is thought to have worked for a time at this field which was the first on the land now known as Victoria. Although attention soon shifted to the major goldrush north-west at Clunes mining continued until World War I.

The townsite was surveyed in 1856, the year that a punt service across the local section of the Yarra River was established (it was replaced by a bridge in 1861). Warrandyte developed as something of an artists' colony from the late 19th century. Clara Southern, associated with the Heidelberg School, was one of the first to take up residence at Warrandyte. Others followed, including Penleigh Boyd and Jo Sweatman. The heavy clay of the district was exploited early on by European settlers and this orientation has intensified over the years.

Eltham, to the west, was also a popular hang-out for artists and nearby Montsalvat was specifically created as an artists' village and intellectual centre at the instigation of Justus Jorgenson who died in 1975.

The Warrandyte Markets are held on the first Saturday of each month (except January) adjacent the Yarra River at Stiggants Reserve in Yarra St (the main thoroughfare).