Community Snapshot Upwey - Shire of Yarra Ranges

Upwey
Community
Snapshots
Locality Overview
Map of Upwey Area
Upwey is located 32 km east from Melbourne on the southern slopes of
the Dandenong Ranges, Upwey forms part of the strip of residential
development that extends from Upper Ferntree Gully through to
Belgrave.
Upwey was originally located along the road to Belgrave until the
Burwood Highway was built to bypass the township.
There are 6,865 residents in Upwey, at the time of writing. Detailed
demographic profiles of Upwey is available from the Yarra Ranges
Council website at http://yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Community
snapshots provide
an overview of the
history, facilities,
retail activity and
environmental
characteristics of
specific localities.
Current Developments
In March 2011 Council commenced construction on the first phase of the
Sherbrooke Family & Children’s Centre. The Centre is situated on the
corner of Burwood Highway and Mast Gully Road and will be a one-stopshop
for Council’s children and family services.
The Centre will include a refurbished community hall, 110 place
childcare centre, kindergarten, maternal & child health centre and
multipurpose rooms. Phase one is expected to be finished in early 2012.
Page 1 Yarra Ranges Council ● Community Snapshot ● February 2012

Historical Context
The area of Upwey was originally known as “Mast Gully” deriving its name from the tall strong straight trees
that were cut down and used for ship masts in the 1850s. Mast Gully Creek and Mast Gully Road still remain
as features of the Upwey township.
In the mid 1890s sections of the locality were divided into ten acre blocks as part of the Scoresby village
settlement scheme, which extended north towards Ferny Creek. It is believed that Upwey was renamed to its
current name by the Tullidge sisters, who named it after an English village on the River Wey, in the late 1890s.
A narrow gauge railway from Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook, stopping at Upwey, opened in 1901. In
1954 the railway was closed due to a landslide along the line past Selby. The line was reopened, to Belgrave,
in 1955 as a tourist railway but closed again in 1958. In 1962 the metropolitan train service to Belgrave was
opened, giving Upwey a direct link to Melbourne.
Belgrave – Main Street.
By the 1920s and early 1930s many weekenders had been built in the area. When the Great Depression
occurred the Government opened up the Dandenong Ranges to housing and the population of Upwey
and surrounding towns grew. The Primary School opened in 1934 and the high school in 1945.
The main road to Belgrave originally ran along the Main Street of Upwey, but the construction of a bypass in
the 1970s resulted in the town centre being separated from the Burwood Highway.
Transport Options
Upwey is well serviced by public transport with the metropolitan train line and bus service. The two-way bus
service between Belgrave and Oakleigh (693) stops at Upwey and links the community to suburbs along its
route; it also stops at Monash University. The service runs Monday to Friday, half hourly in the off peak times and
on the weekend it runs hourly.
There is also a bus service between Belgrave and Upwey (699) with services running hourly between 8am and
5pm, Monday to Friday, with a more limited service on Saturday and Sunday.
Victorian taxis operate within prescribed taxi zones. The urban area of Yarra Ranges sits within the Metropolitan
Taxi Boundary. Upwey sits within the Metropolitan Taxi Boundary. There are several taxis in operation in the area
outside the Metropolitan Taxi Boundary these generally cover the Yarra Valley, Upper Yarra and Hills districts.
Retail and Tourist Overview
Upwey has a range of businesses operating, with a
main street shopping strip offering convenience
and everyday retail services. Residents travel to the
larger retail precincts of Ferntree Gully and Knox for
their broader retail needs.
Page 2
Upwey Main Street Shopping Precinct
The commercial centre of Upwey is also located of
Burwood Highway, which can be a disadvantage
to businesses missing out on exposure and passing
traffic.
The retail and commercial businesses of Upwey are
predominantly focused on servicing the needs of
the local communities with tourists travelling past
Upwey on their way to Belgrave and the
Dandenong Ranges.
Page 2 Yarra Ranges Council ● Community Snapshot ● February 2012

Community Facilities & Services
Upwey has a range of community facilities and
services from public schools, kindergarten to
churches and community halls. The Flexi Library
Services visits the local playgroup once a fortnight.
The Sherbrooke Children’s Centre offers a range of
early year’s programs and services.
Burrinja, located on Glenfern Road, is an important
cultural facility for the broader community. Burrinja is
located in the former Shire of Sherbrooke Council
Offices. Burrinja was named after Lin Onus, a local
Indigenous artist. Burrinja was Lin’s Yorta Yorta
nickname meaning ‘star’.
Indigenous art and culture is a major part of Burrinja’s
charter. Burrinja is a community cultural centre that
includes arts activities and events, Indigenous
gallery, collection and cultural education,
contemporary arts gallery, performing arts, artist
studios, live music, workshops and café.
Local Services
Number In
Area *
Post Office 1
Retail businesses (e.g. supermarket,
31
newsagent, drycleaners, etc)
Police Station 0
Childcare 1
Kindergarten 2
Public Primary School 2
Public Secondary School 1
Tertiary Education 0
Library – Flexi Service 1
Community/Neighbourhood House 0
General Practitioner Clinic/s 0
Recreational facilities (e.g. netball
3
court, football oval, swimming pool,
tennis courts, reserves, etc)
* This is indicative only and decisions should not be made on
this information alone.
Environmental Characteristics
Upwey is located on the lower slopes of the southern
face of The Dandenongs main ridge. To the north,
Upwey is framed by the Sherbrooke Forest and the
Dandenong Ranges National Park.
There is a mix of forest types within the National Park
and within some of the larger patches of native
vegetation found on private land around Belgrave.
Most of the residential areas retain a canopy of
indigenous trees which is significant for many of the
fauna in the area.
Page 3 Yarra Ranges Council ● Community Snapshot ● February 2012

Yarra Ranges Council
PO Box 105
Lilydale Vic 3140
Phone: 1300 368 333
Fax: (03) 9735 4249
Email:
mail@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Artwork at the
Upwey Train
Station
References and Further Reading
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) Census of Population and Housing.
www.abs.gov.au (accessed February 2011)
• Burrinja Cultural Centre http://www.burrinja.org.au/ (accessed October 2011)
• Coulson, H. (1968) Story of the Dandenongs, 1838-1958. F.W Cheshire.
• Metlink. http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/ (accessed February 2011)
• Monash University, Australian Places Gazetteer, National Centre for Australian
Studies. http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/ncas (site now decommissioned)
• Railtrails Australia, http://www.railtrails.org.au (accessed February 2011)
• U.S Bus Lines Timetable
• Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org (accessed November 2010)
The community snapshots were developed by the Yarra Ranges
Council and its content is for general information and
communication only. All attempts have been made to ensure
the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in the
snapshots. No responsibility is taken for any information or
service which may appear on any linked websites. These links
are provided for convenience only and do not constitute
endorsement of information on those websites.
If you have any enquiries about information in these snapshots,
please contact the Economic and Community Development
Unit on 1300 368 333.
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Page 4 Yarra Ranges Council ● Community Snapshot ● February 201
Yarra Ranges Council
PO Box 105