13/10/2026
❤️ WHY WE LOVE BARHAM & KOONDROOK ❤️
🪵⚓ THE HISTORY OF KOONDROOK 🌊
Before there was a town… there was a river.
And it was the river that helped shape Koondrook into the town we know and love today.
Long before European settlement, this area was Country with deep and continuing connections to First Nations people. Later, during the 1870s, a small settlement began to emerge beside the Murray River.
Unlike its neighbour across the river, Barham, which grew from pastoral land and a large station, Koondrook grew from the river, the surrounding forests and industry.
Originally known as “The Junction,” the settlement became an important stopping point for river traffic. Paddle steamers travelled the Murray carrying passengers, supplies and goods, and gradually a community began to form along the riverbank.
By 1878, the settlement was known as Koondrook.
The Murray River was more than just a beautiful feature of the landscape — it was a vital transport route. In an era before reliable roads, paddle steamers provided an important connection between isolated river communities and the wider world.
At the same time, the magnificent River Red Gum forests surrounding Koondrook were attracting timber cutters. The timber was highly valuable and used for everything from paddle steamers and boats to railway sleepers and buildings.
Koondrook had something incredibly valuable: forests full of timber and a river capable of transporting it.
As the settlement grew, so did its businesses and services. A flour mill, school and hotel were established, while in 1882 Koondrook’s wharf was completed, further strengthening the town’s connection to the busy Murray River trade.
But the timber industry would become one of the most important chapters in Koondrook’s history.
In 1889, Alexander “Sandy” Arbuthnot established a sawmill that would become a major part of the town’s identity. With the forests supplying the timber, the river providing transport and the sawmills creating industry and employment, Koondrook continued to grow.
That same year, another important connection arrived.
🚂 The Kerang–Koondrook Tramway opened.
Suddenly, goods and timber could travel by river and rail, linking Koondrook with Victoria’s broader railway network and opening even greater opportunities for the growing town.
And perhaps one of the most remarkable parts of Koondrook’s history is that the town didn’t simply welcome paddle steamers…
⚓ KOONDROOK BUILT THEM.
The first paddle steamer built in Koondrook was the PS Emily Jane in 1881, and over the years, 14 vessels were constructed here.
Think about that for a moment.
A small country town on the Murray River became part of Australia’s remarkable paddle steamer history, building vessels that would travel throughout the river system.
Perhaps the most famous of these is the PS Alexander Arbuthnot, built in Koondrook in 1923. More than a century later, she remains a wonderful reminder of the town’s extraordinary boat-building heritage.
And when you look back, it becomes clear how everything was connected.
🌳 The forests provided the timber.
🌊 The river provided the highway.
🪵 The timber created industry.
🏭 The sawmills created employment.
⚓ The wharf connected trade.
🚢 The town built boats.
🚂 The railway connected Koondrook to the wider world.
Koondrook wasn’t built around just one industry or one opportunity.
It was built through the combination of the Murray River, the River Red Gum forests, hard work, industry and the people who saw the potential of this little settlement on the riverbank.
More than 140 years later, that history is still all around us.
In the forests. 🌳
In the timber industry. 🪵
In the old river connections. ⚓
In the paddle steamer history. 🚢
And, of course, in the mighty Murray River. 🌊
❤️ THE FOREST PROVIDED THE TIMBER.
❤️ THE RIVER PROVIDED THE HIGHWAY.
❤️ THE PEOPLE BUILT THE TOWN.
And their story is still being told today.
❤️ WELCOME TO KOONDROOK.
📚 Historical information compiled from Gannawarra Shire Council – Koondrook’s Paddle Steamer History, Gannawarra Heritage Study – Thematic Environmental History, Victorian Places – Koondrook, and local historical records. While every effort has been made to ensure historical accuracy, dates and details may vary between historical sources.
