Kangaroo Ground 3097 Kangaroo Ground 3097

Kangaroo Ground is a rural and urban locality north-east of Melbourne. The small township is 26 km from Melbourne, and the locality extends about 10 km eastwards. There is also an extensive area known as Kangaroo Ground South, which borders Warrandyte.

The township location was settled in 1842, being on hilly but relatively open woodland with good soil. It attracted grazing kangaroos - hence the place name. Land selection began in the 1850s, and a community predominantly of Scottish descent grew up. In 1851 a school began and Presbyterian Church services gained their first permanent abode.

Between 1854 and the mid 1860s gold mining in the Diamond Creek and Warrandyte areas provided a market for Kangaroo Ground farmers. A hotel opened in 1864. The absence of a town survey inhibited the formation of a village, and the sparseness of buildings remains evident in the 1990s. The general store is the most notable structure, overlooked by a memorial tower on Garden Hill about 800 metres north-east. The structure, modelled on a Scottish watch-tower, is a memorial to all those in the Eltham shire who died in the first World War. It is also used for fire spotting.

The Kangaroo Ground Fire Brigade was formed in 1892 and continues to be a significant community focus.

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