Location
The Chalet is only 76km from Melbourne, located at the foot of Mt Donna Buang, at 71 Donna Buang Road, Warburton, Victoria in Australia.
Look for the large 71 high on the left hand side of the road, above the crib wall.
There is parking space for about 20 cars on site. Groups which do not have private transport may arrange transport with Martyr Bus Services, who operates the Warburton to Melbourne bus service. Buses from the corner of Franklin and Swanston Streets, Melbourne Monday to Friday 1 pm and 6 pm Friday.
There is also a frequent bus service from Lilydale Station. Parties of 6 or more will be taken the extra 1.32 km from the terminus for an additional charge by arrangement.
Martyrs Bus Service: (03) 5966 2035
Back to top
View Larger Map
Back to top
A brief history on Warburton
Warburton is a quiet, attractive and rather charming old goldmining town of some 2000 people set in a fertile green valley by the Yarra River. It is located 76 km east of Melbourne via the Warburton Highway and 159 m above sea-level.
Prior to European settlement the area was occupied by the Woiworung Aborigines. When gold was discovered in 1863, a rush ensued and a new town was laid out 2 km from the initial settlement and named after police magistrate Charles Warburton Carr. It also functioned as a service centre to goldfields further east.
With the arrival of the railway in 1901 the town became a railway terminus and the salubrious mountain air and scenic attractions began to draw Melburnians, resulting in the provision of guesthouses.
Seventh Day Adventists moved here from Melbourne in 1904. They set up a printing works in 1906, a sanatorium and hospital in 1910 and a health food factory in 1923.
Floods struck the town in 1934 causing a degree of permanent relocation.
The Seventh Day Adventists and their industries are still a strong presence in the town. A timber-milling industry has also emerged on the back of the local forests.
Swimming, fishing, bushwalking, horse riding and bird watching are popular local pastimes and tobogganing is enjoyed on Mt Donna Buang in winter.
The Warburton River Market is held on the third Sunday of each month on the banks of the Yarra River.
(Source: www.smh.com.au/news/victoria/warburton/2005/02/17/1108500207558.html)
Back to top
Black Friday fires of 1939
Tragedy struck on Black Friday, the 13th of January 1939 when a firestorm swept across Victoria. 71 people died...They didn't stand a chance.
"Six hundred men set to work to defend Warburton while the women and holiday makers took to the river as a place of refuge."
The fire that destroyed the mills in the Acheron Valley on 10 January crossed the Acheron Gap above Warburton between 5.00 and 6.00 pm that evening. At about the same time, the arm of the fire which had burnt-out the Watts Valley above Healesville crossed the flanks of Mt Donna Buang. The two fires met up again at about 4.00 am on the following morning and began to burn down the valley of Cement Creek, tending eastward towards the O'Shannassy catchment.
(Source: www.abc.net.au/blackfriday/map/warburton.htm)
Back to top
