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Rosebud

(3939, 61 km S, Mornington Peninsula Shire)

A coastal trader, the schooner Rosebud, lost near this location in 1855, gave the fishing village of Rosebud its name. Although other Mornington Peninsula settlements were well established as summer resorts for the wealthy in the 19th century, Rosebud did not become popular until camping gained wide acceptance as an outdoor pastime for Victorians in the early 20th century. It prospered as motor car ownership made the Peninsula more accessible to a wider range of Victorians, with its foreshore camping ground the largest of the 20 on the peninsula by the late 1930s. Rosebud's popularity as a summer camping resort did not waver in the decades after World War II, with several generations of Melbourne families returning to the same campsite every summer. However, by the 1970s, Rosebud's permanent population had become large enough for it to become the seat of municipal government for the Shire of Flinders, replacing Dromana after more than 100 years. Rosebud is popular with retirees and features a number of aged care facilities.

Jill Barnard