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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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(3154, 32 km E, Knox City)
The Basin is situated on the western perimeter of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Small blocks of land were offered for selection in the late 1870s, when part of the Dandenong State Forest was excised. Although some residential development had taken place here by the 1890s, there were still large areas of open space, partly because of the Salvation Army Farm, which opened as the Bayswater Boys Home in 1897. In 1873 William Chandler established a nursery and market garden at The Basin, cultivating boronia and daffodils. Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller is credited with naming the location, where he sometimes camped on creek flats surrounded by hills. The suburb features the Salvation Army The Basin Farm and the Vinayagar Hindu Temple (1992).