Thorpdale, Victoria

Thorpdale is a small country town in the Gippsland area of eastern Victoria, Australia, less than 20 km south of Trafalgar. Famous for its potatoes, it is located amongst the rich farmland of the Latrobe Valley. Thorpdale spuds are eaten around the country and also exported overseas. The name "Thorpdale" means "village in a valley". The soil in the area is particularly rich as the town is located in a former volcanic crater. It is administered by the Shire of Baw Baw. At the, Thorpdale and the surrounding area had a population of 447.HistoryThe Thorpdale district, known at first as the Narracan district, was settled in the 1870s. The first settlers arrived from the old Melbourne – Sale Road via McDonalds Track – a former stock route that had been surveyed in 1862 through the hills from Lang Lang to Morwell Bridge, but which shortly became disused and very much overgrown. Land selection began at Narracan (near the eastern end of the track) in 1873. The main selection front progressed steadily along the track, reaching Narracan West in 1876. The Post Office opened on 1 October 1879 as Narracan West and was renamed Thorpdale in 1884 and Thorpdale South in 1888 closing in 1968. A new Thorpdale Post Office opened in 1888 near the railway station. The present town of Thorpdale (situated about 2 km north of the old town) was founded in 1888 following construction of a branch railway line from Moe. At the height of its time it was a business centre for all the farming activity that surrounded it.