Explorer Mathew Flinders first reached the top of the 352 metre You Yangs in 1802, but surrounding area was first explored by Hume and Hovel in December of 1824.
The townships of both Lara and Little River came into existence in the 1850s after the Melbourne to Geelong railway was established in 1857. The freeway we know today was little more than a bush track that took hours of travel to pass. There was even need for a hotel, called The Travellers Rest, to service the passing travellers.
Once the railway line was announced a subdivision of farmland near the river for house lots was underway, with the name of this new township to be called Rothwell. This early township never really took off as development started on what is now known as Little River. Little River was more conveniently located to the railway station so the name Rothwell eventually disappeared as the area merged with Little River.
Lara had a similar history there were several names for the land around the town including Kennedy’s Creek but was also given several different names including Duck Ponds, Hovel’s Creek, Cheddar, Swindon and Lara Lake. Again the railway helped Lara grow in to a solid township. The population grew to a few hundred by 1890 and several facilities like schools and churches were built, but town water did not extend into Lara until 1947.
Tragedy stuck Lara and the surrounding area in January of 1969 when horrific bush fires swept through the area killing 18 people and injuring dozens, killing of thousands of sheep and destruction of many homes and a historic bluestone church. A monument dedicated to this horrible occasion is now sitting pride and place in the main street of the town.
One of the major sources of employment is Avalon Airport. Here commercial aircraft are serviced and refitted and there is a domestic airport servicing some interstate capital cities. The airport was established in 1953, to cater for the production of military aircraft and was used to build many of the Australian Air force fleet including F1-11. The 3000 metre runway has also been used for pilot training for 707 and 747 aircraft. Ford Australia also has its top-secret Proving Ground facilities near the You Yangs where they test and develop vehicles for the Australian in international market. The facility opened in the early 1960’s and today is regarded as one of Ford’s most versatile testing facilities operating all year round.
