Cottles Bridge, Victoria

Cottles Bridge is a town in Victoria, Australia, 30 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2016 Census, Cottles Bridge had a population of 601.HistoryThe area, previously known as Back Creek, was named after Thomas Cottle, who settled in the area in the 1870s. Cottle's Bridge Post Office opened on 1 January 1910 and closed in 1960.From the 1950s onwards, various artists settled in the area, most notably Clifton Pugh AO, who established the Dunmoochin Artists Society there in 1953.Present dayCottles Bridge is home to the Lovegrove Vineyard and Winery, an award-winning Yarra Valley winery which established in 1983 and produces sparkling wines, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, cabernet and merlot. There is also the Hurstbridge Learning Co-Operative Primary School, a parent-run, alternative school for primary school students established in 1973.The area is not serviced by Melbourne public transport.