The Eastern Region is located in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, between 12 and 110 kilometres east of the Melbourne CBD. The Eastern Region is bounded by Banyule City, Nillumbik Shire and Murrindindi Shire in the north, Mansfield Shire and Baw Baw Shire in the east, Cardinia Shire, the City of Casey, the City of Greater Dandenong and the City of Kingston in the south, and the City of Glen Eira, the City of Stonnington and the City of Boroondara in the west.
The Eastern Region encompasses six local government areas: the City of Knox, Manningham City, the City of Maroondah, the City of Monash, the City of Whitehorse and the Yarra Ranges Council area.
Land Use
The Eastern Region includes residential, commercial and industrial areas in the western areas (closest to Melbourne) and rural areas in the east. Significant recreational areas are located in the Region. Rural land is used mainly for agriculture, horticulture and viticulture. The Eastern Region encompasses a total land area of 2,789 square kilometres.
Indigenous Meaning
The original inhabitants of the Eastern Region were the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Aboriginal people.
Settlement
European settlement dates from the 1830s, when pastoralists took up land along the Yarra River, in what is now Yering and Coldstream. Population was minimal until the 1860s, with land used mainly for sheep and cattle grazing, market gardening, orcharding, timber-getting, quarrying and vineyards. More substantial growth took place during the late 1800s and early 1900s, spurred by the improved access brought about by the opening of railway lines and the establishment of many small townships. In the post-war era, large areas in the east were quarantined for water harvesting purposes. Significant residential development took place from the post-war years, accompanied by industrial growth. Rapid residential growth occurred from the 1960s through to the 1980s, with more gradual growth from the 1990s.
Major Features
Major features of the Eastern Region include Dandenong Ranges National Park, Kinglake National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park, Sherbrooke Forest, Toolangi State Forest, Yarra State Forest, Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, Kurth Kiln Regional Park, Mount Donna Buang, Maroondah Reservoir, O’Shannassy Reservoir, Silvan Reservoir, Upper Yarra Reservoir, Eastland Shopping Centre, Westfield Knox Shopping Centre, Box Hill Central Shopping Centre, Burwood One Shopping Centre, Chirnside Park Shopping Centre, Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, The Glen Shopping Centre, Brand Smart Premium Outlet Centre, the Whitehorse Road bulky goods shopping area, Caribbean Gardens Market, Monash University (Clayton Campus), Deakin University (Melbourne Burwood Campus), Swinburne University of Technology (Croydon and Wantirna Campuses), Box Hill Institute of TAFE (Box Hill Campus), Holmesglen Institute of TAFE (Waverley Campus), William Angliss Institute of TAFE (Lilydale Campus), Federation Training (Chadstone Campus), Victoria Police Academy, Tally Ho Business Park, Monash Medical Centre (Clayton), Angliss Hospital, Box Hill Hospital, Maroondah Hospital, Healesville Sanctuary, Chesterfield Farm, Caribbean Rollerama, National Steam Centre, Hedgend Maze, William Ricketts Sanctuary, Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens, Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, George Tindale Memorial Gardens, Puffing Billy Railway, Yarra Valley Railway, Stamford Park Homestead, Schwerkolt Cottage, Yarra Valley Racing Centre, Mount Dandenong Observatory, Dorset Golf Club, Eastwood Golf Club, Glen Waverley Golf Course, Huntingdale Golf Club, Metropolitan Golf Club, Oakleigh Golf Course, Ringwood Public Golf Course, Riversdale Golf Club, Lysterfield Lake, Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, Lillydale Lake, Ringwood Lake, Knox Basketball Stadium, Knox Regional Netball Centre, Waverley Basketball Centre, Waverley Women's Sports Centre, Knox Leisureworks, Aquahub, Aquanation, Aqualink Box Hill, Aqualink Nunawading, Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Box Hill Town Hall, Whitehorse Centre, Robert Blackwood Hall, Karralyka Centre, Canterbury Gardens, Dandenong Valley Parklands, Eastfield Park, Gilbert Park, Jells Park, Lewis Park, Lysterfield Park, Koomba Park, Marie Wallace Bayswater Park, Nortons Park, Ringwood Lake Park, Tim Neville Arboretum, Wattle Park, various camps, the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail, the Yarra River and numerous wineries and vineyards.
Transport
The Eastern Region is served by Eastlink, the Eastern Freeway, the Monash Freeway, Burwood Highway, Maroondah Highway, Melba Highway, Mountain Highway, Warburton Highway, Dandenong Road, North Road, Stud Road, Wellington Road, Whitehorse Road, the Belgrave, Dandenong, Glen Waverley and Lilydale railway lines, and the Box Hill and Vermont South tram routes.
