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Dromana

(3936, 58 km S, Mornington Peninsula Shire)

Originally known as Hobson's Flat, Dromana is thought to have been named in the 1850s after an Irish town. During the 1840s and 1850s it was at the edge of an agricultural district and the Victorian Public Works Department built the jetty in 1862 to assist the transportation of produce to Melbourne. The jetty attracted visitors to Dromana as a seaside watering-place. Heronswood, an imposing mansion retreat, was built in 1870. Port Phillip Bay paddle steamers called at Dromana Pier in the later 19th and early 20th centuries, when camping grew in popularity. Dromana became the administrative centre of the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong (later Shire of Flinders) when it was declared in 1874, surrendering this role to Rosebud in the 1970s. The quiet waters of nearby Safety Beach continued to attract holiday-makers and in recent decades Dromana has also attracted a permanent population.

Jill Barnard