Christmas Hills, Victoria

Christmas Hills is a town in Victoria, Australia, 35 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District in the local government area of the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2016 Census, Christmas Hills had a population of 355.Christmas Hills is located between Kangaroo Ground and Yarra Glen, along Eltham-Yarra Glen Road (State Route C726), north of the Yarra River, in the Dandenong Ranges. In 1904, the Australian Handbook described Christmas Hills as "an excellent health resort".The locality is very hilly, with One Tree Hill in the northwest rising to 372 m above sea level, and is home to several reserves, including One Tree Hill Reserve and Sugarloaf Reservoir Park, opened in 1980 and managed by Melbourne Water.HistoryChristmas Hills owes its name to an emancipated convict and shepherd, David Christmas, who became lost on a 640acre grazing lease in the area in 1842, and was found after days of wandering at a rise which was subsequently named after him. The area was considered to have poor quality soil, although nearby settlers earned an income from chopping firewood in the sclerophyll forests.Gold was discovered at One Tree Hill in 1859, fuelling a brief goldrush. Quartz reef operations ended in 1864, and alluvial mining continued until 1908.