Early History
The Upper Ferntree Gully township, was originally regarded as part of "Fern Tree Gully" as it was known, and did not exist as a separate entity until the railway line from Ringwood to (Upper) Ferntree Gully was opened to traffic in 1889. At that stage the station was known simply as Terminus, despite a suggestion by the Shire President, Cr JJ Miller, that it should be named Fern Tree Gully, because of its proximity to the Ferntree Gully (now Dandenong Ranges) National Park.
Thomas Dobson Sr was one of the first known European residents of the present Upper Ferntree Gully with his family settling in a gully of the National Park around 1854. They later moved to Lower Ferntree Gully. Black Hill Road (known today as Old Belgrave Road) was the main route to Emerald and beyond. Settlement at Upper Ferntree Gully took place at several different periods with the Dobson family and other timber splitters working in the forest, but at the time the northern portion was part of the Dandenong State Forest and no land was available for private sale. The remaining properties south of the existing main road were surveyed in 1867. The first land selected in Upper Ferntree Gully consisted of 320 acres in the centre of Upper Gully-Upwey ridge.
Timber was the first known industry when John Beilby set up a sawmill in the 1850s. During the 1870s the area quickly became a popular tourist destination. The only businesses that generated any money in the local community were two hotels, a post office and a few immigrants who brought their knowledge of farming to the community.
By 1880, an influx of timber cutters increased the population to such a degree, it warranted building a school. Shortly afterwards, a variety of shops including a bakery and butcher were built along with both Weslyan and Anglican churches. A co-operative of Monbulk berry growers built a fruit processing factory in 1901. This effort failed financially and the AJC corporation took over shortly after. It was destroyed by fire around 1911 but the company did rebuild, with its main claim to fame being its use by the notorious gangster Squizzy Taylor in the 1920's.
After WWI, Upper Ferntree Gully became a retreat for several prominent Melbournians and elaborate boarding houses were built for tourists. But not all the houses were grand. At a less prosperous level, cheap land and fibro houses with wood stoves helped lower income families move to the area and earn a living from growing backyard vegetables.
A strong arts society was founded in 1944 and post WWII saw the building of a kindergarten (1949) and the new William Angliss Hospital at its present site (opened 1958). In 1967 Main Road was duplicated to a two lane multicarriage highway. On March 21 1970, the shops on Burwood Highway were flooded during a heavy storm. Today, Upper Gully still remains a surprising reminder of Melbourne's early pioneering past. A pleasant blend of old and new, still attracting thousands of tourists and sightseers.
(Taken from the book Memories - A pictorial and oral history of Upper Ferntree Gully - Available for sale from Coonara Community House)
Images courtesy of Knox Historical Society