Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the civic, commercial, industrial, religious, educational and sporting centre of the region. At the, Leongatha had a population of 5,119. The Murray Goulburn Co-operative Co. Limited, is a farmers' co-operative which trades in Australia under the Devondale label, and has a dairy processing plant on the north side of the town producing milk-based products for Australian and overseas markets.
History
First settlement of the area by Europeans occurred in 1845. The Post Office opened as Koorooman on 1 October 1887 and renamed Leongatha in 1891 when a township was established on the arrival of the railway. The railway line from Melbourne reached the town in 1891, and stimulated further settlement. Regular V/Line passenger operations on the line to the local railway station ceased in 1993. The Leongatha Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.
Transport
The town is located on the South Gippsland Highway which links Leongatha to Melbourne. Leongatha was formerly situated along the South Gippsland railway corridor that operated to its terminus at Yarram in the early 1980s and Leongatha in the mid 1990s. A V/Line road coach service replaced the rail service on 24 July 1993, running between Melbourne and Yarram. However, since the closure of the South Gippsland rail line with the exception of the locally run tourist railway between Nyora and Leongatha by the Kennett Victorian government on 14 December 1994. The South and West Gippsland Transport Group represented by the local council are campaigning for the passenger and freight rail services to be reinstated beyond the current terminus at Cranbourne by the 2020s. The line beyond Leongatha is being used as a rail trail for public use and also the former Wonthaggi line. The Dandenong to Cranbourne section is being used by Metro Trains while the section beyond Cranbourne - Nyora is in an unusable state for trains to operate. A second service runs from Traralgon to Wonthaggi. There is also a third bus service running from Venus Bay, through Tarwin Lower and Koonwarra connecting with the V/Line services that depart from Leongatha. This is a trial service and will run for one year before a decision is made on whether or not to run the service permanently. The Leongatha Airport is located south of the town and serves general aviation.
Education
Leongatha is a major educational hub for South Gippsland, with Leongatha Secondary College, Leongatha Primary School, South Gippsland Specialist School and GippsTafe as well as St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School, Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College and Chairo Christian School for Prep level to year 10.The town also has two kindergartens, and two childcare centres which both have kindergarten rooms. While Chairo Christian School caters for the Primary School through to Secondary, Chairo also provides three to four year-old Kindergarten.
Tourism
The Daffodil Festival is held annually in September. Competitions are held and many daffodil varieties are on display. A garden competition is also held.
The South Gippsland Railway runs historical diesel locomotives and railcars between Nyora and Leongatha, passing through Korumburra. As of 2016, the South Gippsland Railway has ceased operations.
The railway line from Leongatha to Foster has been converted into the Great Southern Rail Trail, for the shared use of horse riding, walking and cycling.
The Great Southern Rail Trail is in the process of procuring finance to extend the trail as far as Yarram. At the present time the Wellington Shire have financed the first portion of the trail from Yarram to Alberton with the present Committee of Management intending to manage that portion in the foreseeable future. The Rail Trail commences at the end of Parr Street with a car park planned for the future to assist with access to the trail. Walkers can access the trail from the children's park next to the old rail bridge in Leongatha at the end of Bair Street.
