Mirboo North, Victoria

Mirboo North is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 155km east of Melbourne, with a population of 2688. It is in the South Gippsland Shire local government area.The town is at the start of the Grand Ridge Rail Trail, which travels for 13 km through temperate rainforest and dry sclerophyll forest in the Strzelecki Ranges.HistoryThe Mirboo area was settled by timber getters in the late 1870s, attracted particularly by the Mountain Ash. The original railway branch line from Morwell to Mirboo North was completed on 7 January 1886, with the last train being run on 22 June 1974. The railway was constructed through difficult hilly terrain requiring construction of massive embankments and numerous bridges. The convoluted history of the Post Office below demonstrates the attempts to form a viable Mirboo township, culminating in the township of Mirboo North at the railway station becoming predominant. 8/1/1879 Mirboo (1) opened22/11/1879 Tarwin (1) opened6/4/1881 Mirboo North (1) renamed from Mirboo, Mirboo (2) renamed from Tarwin29/6/1885 Mirboo South (1) renamed from Mirboo, Mirboo (3) opened1/4/1886 Baromi renamed from Mirboo North (closed 1892), Mirboo North (2) renamed from Mirboo (remains open), Mirboo (4) renamed from Mirboo South (closed 1972)1/5/1888 Mirboo Central opened (closed 1895)c.1902 Russell's (Mirboo South) opened (closed c.1904)