“Burnett,” a name whispered on the wind. Mount Burnett stands before us. It is a small country town. It holds stories within its quiet landscape.
Mount Burnett is about 72 kilometers from Melbourne. It sits in the Shire of Cardinia. In 2021, only 180 people called it home. It is a small place. Mount Burnett does not even have its own post office or town center. Much of the area is farmland or houses. It shares a postcode with Cockatoo.
Mount Burnett’s history is linked to Gembrook. The original settlement of Gembrook is now Mount Burnett. Gembrook got its name from gems found in local streams. People mostly settled here from Berwick.
The current town of Gembrook grew around the railway station. The Puffing Billy railway opened in 1900. Mount Burnett was once known as Gembrook West. By 1884, it was already called “west” of Gembrook.
Mount Burnett is named after James Charles Burnett. He was a surveyor. He worked for Sir Major Thomas Mitchell.
The area struggled to establish a school. The first application for a school in Gembrook West was in 1879. State School No. 3211 finally opened in 1894. It closed just over a year later.
Another school opened in 1921. But it closed in 1923 due to low numbers. The community tried again in 1932. Mount Burnett School, No 4506, opened. It closed again in 1933.
In 1936, another school opened. This time it was in Mrs. Creighton’s house. A new school building opened in 1937. However, it closed in 1949.
Mount Burnett once had a post office. It was called Gembrook West. It opened in 1885. The name changed to Mount Burnett in 1921. It closed in 1978.
A Mt Burnett Progress Association existed. It was active from 1937 and 1954. There was also a Red Cross sub-branch during the war. They donated cash and knitted goods.
A Young Farmers Club was established in 1944. Young children rotary hoed a paddock at the school.
Mount Burnett may have had a shop. But no records confirm this. It was always a small town.
So, as we stand on Mount Burnett, remember its past. A story of perseverance, community, and resilience. It is a quiet place. But its history echoes through the hills.