Chirnside Park, Victoria

Chirnside Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 33 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Chirnside Park had a population of 9092.Brief historyFrom 1838 the area formed part of an extensive grazing grant that was developed further by a succession of owners up until the 1920s. The original sub-division of Chirnside Park was, at that time, known as Mooroolbark Park. Around 1000 acres (4 km²) of mainly rich black basaltic soil was grazed and cultivated, watered from two perpetual springs.In 1921 George Chirnside sold Werribee Park, moving the family's stud herds and the contents of Werribee Mansion to Mooroolbark Park. After George Chirnside's death in 1941, permission to sell the estate was given in 1950 and finalised some years later. Subdivision was approved by the then Shire of Lillydale in 1956 with the residential area, centred on the two storey stone homestead, country club and golf course, named Chirnside Park in 1962 in honour of Thomas Chirnside, who founded the Chirnside empire in 1839.Amadeo DeVincentiis, an Italian from Abruzzo, also owned great swathes of what is now known as Chirnside Park. However, he sold it for a paltry amount in the 1960s, and within years the fortunate purchasers stood to make thousands. Amadeo attempted to rescind the sale, spending thousands, but failed.