| Cardinia Shire is located on the south east fringe of Melbourne's metropolitan suburbs. 'The central areas of the Shire are the most urban, containing the major population centre, Pakenham. The southern parts of the Shire are based on the Bunyip River basin and swamplands and feature highly productive agricultural areas, notably dairying and vegetable production. The northern parts of the Shire are also generally rural and features the southern extent of the Dandenong Ranges, although there are a number of townships within this area, such as Emerald, Cockatoo and Gembrook, as well as significant rural residential areas.
Development in the Shire of Cardinia dates from the 1830s, when squatters occupied land in the area. The first urban settlements were established at Emerald and Pakenham, although urban development remained limited well into the twentieth century. Significant agricultural expansion occurred in the south of the Shire from the 1890s with the draining of the swamplands and then again following the First World War on the back of soldier settlements.
In recent years, there has been significant residential development, although this has been concentrated in the western parts of the Shire around Officer and Beaconsfield, as well as in Pakenham. These areas are expected to cater for a growing share of new residential development in the south-eastern growth area of Melbourne, with significant tracts of land earmarked for future residential development.' (Cardinia Shire, 'Community Profile: Cardinia Shire': http://www.id.com.au/cardinia/commprofile/default.asp?WebID=10&MnID=2&PgID=1 (at 22 April 2005)). |
